sydneylai/opencast

open-source indexer for Farcaster apps and frames

Opencast

Opencast is a free and open-source indexer designed to empower developers by providing a flexible and powerful way to query data from Farcaster hubs and nodes.

Overview

Opencast offers an alternative to closed platforms like Naynar, enabling developers to create sophisticated queries that unlock valuable insights from their Farcaster data.

Problem

• Limited Capabilities: Existing platforms restrict the types of queries you can execute. Opencast breaks these barriers, allowing you to build more dynamic Frames.

  • Example Queries:
    • Identify optimal times for casting content
    • Analyze the performance of your casts

• Data Dependence: Reliance on third-party platforms creates vulnerabilities like uptime issues and potential paywalls. Opencast empowers you to own and control your data, eliminating such dependencies.

Solution

Opencast delivers a unique combination of features:

• Client-Side Agnosticism: Seamlessly integrate Opencast with your existing client-side applications, regardless of their architecture.
• Node and Protocol Querying: Execute powerful queries directly against Farcaster nodes and the underlying protocol, unlocking a wider range of data.
• Expansive Querying (Future): A future release will introduce even richer querying capabilities, empowering you to delve deeper into your data.

Target Audience

• Short-Term:
  • Developers who operate their own Farcaster hubs (nodes)
  • Client-side developers seeking to integrate Farcaster data querying
• Long-Term:
  • Builders envisioning applications that don't require self-hosted hubs

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

The MVP will allow users to interact with the Opencast backend, crafting custom queries to extract valuable data from Farcaster. A demo showcasing both backend functionality and client-side usage examples will be provided.

Architecture

Opencast is built on a robust technology stack:

• Backend:

  • GraphQL: Enables efficient and flexible data querying.
  • Shuttle: Provides real-time communication between the backend and client-side components.
  • Elysia: (Optional) Streamlines data fetching and manipulation.
  • Bun: (Optional) A high-performance JavaScript runtime for a fast and efficient backend.

• Client-Side:

  • Opencast is agnostic to the chosen client-side application. It can be used locally as a developer tool, seamlessly integrating with various frameworks and libraries.

User Interface (UI)

Since Opencast is primarily a developer tool, it doesn't have a traditional user interface. Instead, it exposes a series of well-defined, programmatic endpoints that developers can leverage to build client-side applications with querying capabilities.

Tooling

• Error Monitoring: Sentry (https://sentry.io/resources/error-monitoring/) provides real-time insights into errors and facilitates their timely resolution.
• Real-time Communication: Shuttle (https://docs.farcaster.xyz/developers/resources) enables communication between the Opencast backend and client-side application.
• Farcaster Client/SDK Alternatives:
  • Litecast (https://github.com/dylsteck/litecast)
  • Search for relevant Farcaster client libraries on GitHub by visiting https://github.com/farcasterxyz

Getting Started

(Instructions on installation, usage, and contributing will be added in a separate document)

Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! (Information on contribution guidelines will be added in a separate document)

License

Opencast is licensed under the MIT License.

Disclaimer

This Readme.md is a work in progress. We'll continue to update it with more detailed information as development progresses.