🚆 IRCTC-pnr-status-notifier

IRCTC PNR Status Notifier is a serverless AWS Lambda (Python 3.11) project that automatically checks your Indian Railway PNR status via the ConfirmTkt API and sends real-time SMS/Email alerts through AWS SNS.
It is designed to run on a schedule using Amazon EventBridge Scheduler, so you never have to manually refresh IRCTC or ConfirmTkt pages again.

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🔹 Features

• ✅ Real-time PNR Tracking – fetches live Indian Railway PNR status using ConfirmTkt API
• ✅ Instant Alerts – sends notifications via AWS SNS (SMS & Email supported)
• ✅ Serverless & Cost-Effective – built with AWS Lambda (Python 3.11)
• ✅ Customizable Scheduling – integrate with EventBridge Scheduler for periodic checks
• ✅ Minimal Setup – repo includes Lambda function code & IAM policy only
• ✅ User-Managed Infra – you create the SNS Topic & EventBridge rules as per your needs

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⚡ Why use this?

Built as a 1-hour mini hack, this notifier saves you from the repetitive hassle of checking your railway booking status. Simply deploy, schedule, and receive automated updates — no apps, no ads, just pure serverless automation.

Perfect for travelers, developers, and hobbyists who want hands-free IRCTC PNR monitoring.

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🏗️ Architecture

The following diagram shows how the IRCTC PNR Status Notifier works:

Flow explanation:

1. EventBridge Scheduler runs on a cron/rate expression (e.g., hourly).
2. Scheduler invokes Lambda with an optional JSON input (e.g., {"PNR":"4224374267"}).
3. Lambda calls the ConfirmTkt API, parses the passenger statuses, and compares against the previous run stored in SSM Parameter Store.
4. If there is a change (e.g., WL → CNF), Lambda formats a message and publishes it to SNS Topic.
5. SNS delivers the alert to your phone (SMS) or email inbox.

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📂 What this repo includes

• index.py — Lambda function (urllib-only, Python 3.11)
• infra/iam-lambda-policy.json — IAM permissions for the Lambda role

Note: This repo does not create EventBridge Scheduler or SNS for you. You create them in your own AWS account.

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⚙️ Setup Guide (Step by Step)

1) Create the Lambda IAM Role

• In AWS Console → IAM → Roles → Create role.
• Trusted entity: Lambda.
• Attach CloudWatchLogsFullAccess (or equivalent minimal logging).
• Attach an inline policy using infra/iam-lambda-policy.json.
  • Replace ACCOUNT_ID and region in ARNs with your values.

2) Create an SNS Topic

• Console → SNS → Topics → Create topic.
• Example name: pnr-updates.
• Add subscriptions:
  • Email (free) → confirm via email.
  • SMS (India ~₹1–1.5/msg).
• Copy the Topic ARN (e.g., arn:aws:sns:REGION:123456789012:pnr-updates).

3) Deploy the Lambda Function

• Zip and deploy:

zip lambda.zip index.py
aws lambda create-function   --function-name pnr-watch   --runtime python3.11   --role arn:aws:iam::ACCOUNT_ID:role/pnr-watch-role   --handler index.handler   --timeout 30   --zip-file fileb://lambda.zip   --region REGION

• Update environment variables:

aws lambda update-function-configuration   --function-name pnr-watch   --environment "Variables={
    PNR=4224374267,
    SNS_TOPIC_ARN=arn:aws:sns:REGION:ACCOUNT_ID:pnr-updates,
    SSM_PARAM_NAME=/pnr/4224374267/last_statuses,
    HTTP_TIMEOUT=10,
    TEST_SMS=1
  }"

• Invoke manually once:

aws lambda invoke --function-name pnr-watch --payload '{}' out.json

You should receive a test snapshot SMS/Email. After verification, set TEST_SMS=0.

4) Create an EventBridge Scheduler

• Console → EventBridge Scheduler → Create schedule. a- Expression: cron(0 * * * ? *) → every hour, at minute 0. (Timezone: Asia/Kolkata recommended.)
• Target: Lambda function (pnr-watch).
• Input (optional if PNR is set via env):

{"PNR": "4224374267"}

(Optional) Add a second schedule near the Date of Journey (DOJ) with higher frequency (rate(10 minutes)) using start/end dates.

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🌐 Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Default	Description
SNS_TOPIC_ARN	✅ Yes	—	SNS Topic ARN for alerts
PNR	✅ Yes	—	Default PNR (if not provided by Scheduler input)
SSM_PARAM_NAME	❌ No	/pnr/<PNR>/last_statuses	Where last statuses are persisted
HTTP_TIMEOUT	❌ No	10	HTTP timeout in seconds
TEST_SMS	❌ No	0	If 1, always send snapshot on every run
LOG_PAYLOAD_PREVIEW	❌ No	0 or 400	Log body snippet bytes (0 to disable)

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📲 Example SMS Output

🚆 PNR 4224374267
Train: DURONTO EXPRESS (12246)
DOJ: 26-10-2025 | Class: 1A

P1 ➜ CNF
P2 ➜ GNWL 1 (91% Chance)

Chart: Not Prepared

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💰 Cost

• Lambda: ~4,300 invocations/month → Free tier (1M free).
• EventBridge Scheduler: ~4,300 schedules/month → Free tier (100k free).
• SNS Email: Free.
• SNS SMS (India): ~₹1–1.5 per alert.
  Since you only care about status flips, total cost ≈ ₹2–3 per journey.

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📌 Notes

• This project is intended for personal use.
• ConfirmTkt API is used for fetching PNR info.
• Always respect site ToS.
• You can monitor multiple PNRs by creating multiple schedules with different Input payloads.

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