backend_design.txt

Python Flask Backend:

1. Server Setup:
   - Use Flask to create a web server
   - Set up secure HTTPS connection
   - Implement user authentication and authorization

2. Database:
   - Use SQLAlchemy ORM with a secure database (e.g., PostgreSQL)
   - Create Customer model with relevant fields (id, name, email, etc.)
   - Implement data encryption for sensitive information

3. API Endpoints:
   - GET /api/customers: Retrieve list of customers (with pagination)
   - GET /api/customers/<id>: Retrieve specific customer details
   - POST /api/customers: Create new customer
   - PUT /api/customers/<id>: Update customer information
   - DELETE /api/customers/<id>: Delete customer (with proper authorization)

4. Search Functionality:
   - Implement full-text search for customer lookup
   - Create GET /api/customers/search endpoint

5. Logging and Monitoring:
   - Implement comprehensive logging for all actions
   - Set up monitoring for performance and security

6. Security Measures:
   - Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse
   - Use input validation and sanitization
   - Set up CORS policies

Pseudocode for main app structure:

```python
from flask import Flask, request, jsonify
from flask_sqlalchemy import SQLAlchemy
from flask_login import LoginManager, login_required

app = Flask(__name__)
db = SQLAlchemy(app)
login_manager = LoginManager(app)

class Customer(db.Model):
    # Define customer model

@app.route('/api/customers', methods=['GET'])
@login_required
def get_customers():
    # Implement pagination and return customer list

@app.route('/api/customers/<int:id>', methods=['GET', 'PUT', 'DELETE'])
@login_required
def manage_customer(id):
    # Implement CRUD operations for single customer

@app.route('/api/customers/search', methods=['GET'])
@login_required
def search_customers():
    # Implement search functionality

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(ssl_context='adhoc')
```