⚡ Real-Time Gaming Engine

⚠️ Archived Project (Winter 2023-2024) This repository is a portfolio migration of a high-load gaming platform originally deployed on Vercel/Render. Update (2025): The codebase has been refactored, and dependencies (Next.js, Node.js) have been updated to the latest stable versions.

A high-performance multiplayer gaming platform built to demonstrate real-time state synchronization using WebSockets. The project features a centralized wallet system with ACID-compliant transaction logic, optimistic UI updates, and a secure admin dashboard.

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📖 About

This project was engineered to solve the challenge of handling high-frequency state updates in web applications. Unlike traditional REST-based games, this engine utilizes a persistent WebSocket connection to push game results, balance updates, and multiplayer events to the client instantly, reducing latency to near-zero.

It implements a strict separation of concerns: logic validation happens entirely on the server (Node.js) to prevent client-side manipulation, while the frontend (Next.js) handles optimistic rendering for a smooth user experience.

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📸 Demo

The platform features three distinct game engines, each with unique logic handling.

Dice Engine (Range Logic)	Limbo Engine (Multiplier Logic)	Mines Engine (Grid State)
Real-time probability calculation	Crash-point algorithm visualization	State-preserved grid interaction

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✨ Key Features

🛠️ Core Architecture

• WebSocket Synchronization: Implemented a custom WebSocketService to broadcast state changes to connected clients instantly.
• Optimistic UI: The Redux store updates immediately upon user interaction, rolling back only if the server returns an error, ensuring a "snappy" feel.
• RNG Integrity: Server-side generation of random outcomes using cryptographic libraries to ensure fairness and prevent prediction.

👤 Platform & Security

• Secure Authentication: Stateless JWT authentication with secure cookie storage and automatic token refresh.
• Transactional Integrity: The Wallet and Transaction models use MongoDB sessions to ensure funds are never lost or double-spent during concurrent requests.
• Role-Based Access Control: Dedicated Admin middleware protecting dashboard routes.

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🏗 Tech Stack

Frontend

• Framework: Next.js 14 (App Router)
• State: Redux Toolkit (Global Store)
• Styling: Tailwind CSS 3
• UX: Framer Motion (Animations)

Backend

• Runtime: Node.js
• Framework: Express.js
• Real-time: ws (Native WebSockets)
• Database: MongoDB (Mongoose)

DevOps & Tools

• Linting: ESLint + Prettier
• Version Control: Git

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🚀 Local Setup

To run the gaming engine locally, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/den-5/zeek-prod.git
cd zeek-prod

2. Backend Setup

Navigate to the backend directory, install dependencies, and configure environment variables.

cd back
npm install

# Create .env file
echo "PORT=4000" > .env
# Replace with your actual MongoDB connection string
echo "DB_URL=mongodb+srv://YOUR_MONGO_URL" >> .env
echo "JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key" >> .env
echo "ADMIN_SECRET=your_admin_secret_key" >> .env
echo "FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000" >> .env

# Start the backend server
npm run dev

3. Frontend Setup

Open a new terminal, navigate to the frontend directory, and start the client.

cd front
npm install

# Configure environment
echo "NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:4000" > .env.local

# Start the frontend
npm run dev

4. Explore

Open http://localhost:3000 to view the application.