diff --git a/entries/projects/steam-friends-graph.md b/entries/projects/steam-friends-graph.md index d1f8dec..d464efb 100644 --- a/entries/projects/steam-friends-graph.md +++ b/entries/projects/steam-friends-graph.md @@ -1,27 +1,75 @@ -# Description of Project - - -## Links +### Links - [Github](https://github.com/jrtechs/SteamFriendsGraph) - [Live Site](http://steam.jrtechs.net/) +### Project Description + +This project utilizes the steam api and graph databases to create friend graphs for clients in a +web browser. Currently there are two types of graphs available: +- Friends of Friends Graph: + This graph displays all the steam friends of a single person and all of their friends friends as well. +- Common Friends Graph: + This graph will only display your friends, however, it will draw edges between your friends if + they are friends with each other. + +### Motivation + +While learning about graph databases I thought that it would be pretty awesome to create a massive graph +database with steam friends in it. After a quick google search, I realized that some other people have +done similar things in python, however, nobody has ever made a live website do this. Using my prior +knowledge of the steam api and new knowledge of gremlin, hadoop and hbase, I figured that this would +be a great weekend project. Although I got most of the functionality done in the first weekend, I +ended up working on it for 3 weekends to polish it for production. I am satisfied with the +appearance and functionality of the website, but, I am looking forward to make some improvements +in the future. + + ![Lucid chart diagram](media/steam/diagram.png) -# Technical Details +### Technical Details + +At the core of this project there is a java backend and a javascript frontend. I needed a backend for +this project because you cannot distribute your steam api key, plus this allows me to cache everything +in a graph database. +The second time a player is queried, it is extremely fast since all the steam friends are cached in + [gremlin](http://tinkerpop.apache.org/docs/3.0.1-incubating/) server. +The only time consuming operation that the backend has to carry out is querying the steam api, querying +the gremlin server is relatively fast. +On the front end I used [Sigma JS](http://sigmajs.org/) with a web socket to render the steam graph. +Since creating a new graph on the back end can take up to 5 minutes, I continuously send new nodes to +the client as they arrive from the steam api. This prevents the client from staring at a loading bar +for 5 minutes; plus, it makes great time lapse videos. The only draw back to this is that you cannot +start applying a force to shake the graph until all the nodes are added to the graph. ![Steam friends graph](media/steam/jrtechs1.png) - # Uses of Friends Graph Data Base + ### Uses of Friends Graph Data Base + +There are tons of [academic papers](http://infolab.stanford.edu/~ullman/mmds/ch10.pdf) +written on the usages of friends graphs. What you may be able to do with a friends +graph may shock you. A large use of friends graphs is to view friends clusters. For a website +like facebook you may be able to identify someone's family, friends, and work groups. When looking +at steam friends graphs I was able to identify some people's high school and college friends. Another +famous example would be for friends identification. If a ton of people in your friends list is also +friends with a particular person, it is likely that you would also know that person. This is how +websites like Snapchat, Instagram, and facebook recommend people for you to follow. Similarly, you can +use this to find out who people are best friends with. If two people share a ton of friends, it is +more likely that they will be good friends vs the person which they only share one friend with. + +Simple analysis of graphs like this may seem benign. However, there are tremendous implications when it +comes to privacy and advertising. If websites chose to, they can harvest a ton of data and start +advertising to you products based on not just what you like, but what your friends also like. Steam +already does this to a certain extent when they recommend you games that are popular among friends. ![Steam friends graph](media/steam/ben2.png) -# Hosting Project +### Hosting Project ![Steam friends graph](media/steam/jrtechs2.png) -# Future Plans for Project \ No newline at end of file +### Future Plans for Project \ No newline at end of file