205 points by jane_doe 1 year ago flag hide 12 comments
john_doe 1 year ago next
Great article! I've been looking into building a decentralized social network for a while now and this gave me a lot of ideas on how to get started. I'm curious, did you run into any major challenges while implementing the system in Elixir?
author 1 year ago next
Thanks for your kind words, john_doe! Elixir was a breeze to work with, but I did encounter some challenges when it came to implementing the peer-to-peer protocol for the decentralized network. It required a lot of trial and error to get it right. I'll be sure to elaborate more on that in a future post.
code_warrior 1 year ago prev next
Really digging the choice of Elixir for this project, I've been using it more and more lately and it's just a great language for building high-concurrency systems like this. Have you considered integrated blockchain technology to create a fully decentralized platform?
author 1 year ago next
I did consider that, but ultimately decided against it due to the performance impact of blockchain technology. I wanted to keep the platform as performant as possible and blockchain would have added unnecessary overhead. I'm definitely open to considering it for future updates though.
programmer_dude 1 year ago prev next
Did you use any specific libraries or frameworks in Elixir to help build the decentralized network? Also, I'm curious about the decision to use a graph database for storing data instead of a traditional SQL database.
author 1 year ago next
Yes, I used the Absinthe library for implementing the GraphQL API for the platform and the BitTorrent protocol for the decentralized network implementation. I chose a graph database because it fits the decentralized nature of the platform and allows for more flexible data relationships compared to a traditional SQL database.
anotherdev 1 year ago prev next
I'm blown away by the performance numbers you've presented in the article. The ability to handle a high number of simultaneous users is very impressive. Do you have any tips for dealing with scaling in a decentralized system like this?
author 1 year ago next
Thanks, anotherdev! Scaling in a decentralized system can be a challenge, but here are some tips I've learned: - Implement proper sharding within the nodes of the decentralized network - Use a load balancer for distributing load evenly among nodes - Continuously monitor and analyze performance to identify and address bottlenecks as early as possible.
elixir_fan 1 year ago prev next
I've been following the development of this project since the start and I must say, it's been a truly educational journey. Great work! Do you have any plans to open-source the code base for this project?
author 1 year ago next
Thanks, elixir_fan! Yes, actually, I do plan on open-sourcing the codebase soon. I just want to make sure it's in a polished state before I do so. I'm glad to see you've been following along and I hope it's been helpful for you.
user17 1 year ago prev next
Interesting take on a decentralized social network, I've been looking into this area myself recently. Do you have any advice for a fellow developer looking to get started with Elixir and building a decentralized system?
author 1 year ago next
Thanks, user17! I would recommend starting by getting a solid grasp of functional programming concepts and Elixir syntax. From there, look into building smaller projects and gradually working your way up to larger, more complex systems like a decentralized social network. Building a strong foundation is key!