Architecture

Systems Design

Requirements

• Ensure adherence to a common data format
  • Both data creators (nodes) and data processors (aggregators) use JSON Schema (opens new window) for defining and validating the structure of data.
• Prioritize decentralized storage solutions
  • Nodes would ideally host their own data in order to retain control of it, but hosting platforms can also provide this service (the Profile Generator provides such a service, which can be replicated by others).
  • Future enhancements could include leveraging IPFS (opens new window) to replicate data and distribute it across the Murmurations network of nodes and aggregators.
• Make Murmurations accessible to the widest audience possible
  • Make sure user-facing apps are fast, and still functional even when operating under poor network conditions.
    • Leverage edge storage and computing whenever possible to keep data close to users.
  • Test user interfaces with screen readers and ensure best practices for accessibility.

Technical Architecture

Requirements

• Must use open source software
  • We build on: Linux, Docker, Golang, JavaScript, React, Remix (opens new window) and Wordpress
  • All the software we build ourselves is open source under the GPLv3 License
• Make deployment simple and reliable, and scalable
  • We use Kubernetes (opens new window) to build and manage our production and test environments
  • We have a continuous deployment pipeline for our test environment with automated end-to-end tests that are run for every PR and commit to our test branch
  • We leverage frontend deployment tools like Vercel (opens new window) to quickly deploy user-facing apps

Systems Diagram

Click here to open the diagram and zoom in