Backend platform for a flagship social virtual world — Go realtime game server, NestJS Alpha API, versioned content releases, Kafka telemetry contracts, and an internal support console for live operations.
The product needed an authoritative multiplayer backend that could carry persistent player profiles, rich world systems, realtime session state, commerce and frequent live content releases — without redeploying game logic or exposing support teams to the player hot path.
An existing TypeScript monorepo covered early Alpha domains. The live product required a purpose-built realtime architecture without losing coverage of progression, social and commerce systems. Work spanned nine related services: application backends, database tooling, event contracts, a Kafka data-platform library, and customer-support UI/API.
01 · Alpha API
NestJS monorepo — REST + WebSocket modules for players, quests, rewards, traits, eggs, minigames, leaderboards and analytics
02 · Realtime server
Go authoritative game server — 100+ WebSocket action handlers, login/reconnect lifecycle, cross-instance messaging
03 · Content pipeline
Versioned PostgreSQL migrations (schema + seed content) with selective release apply tooling
04 · Telemetry
Shared Protobuf contracts + Kafka / Schema Registry transporter
05 · Live ops
Go support API + SvelteKit console for profile repair, reward grants and dialogue CMS
Hybrid persistence matched access patterns: relational config and content in Postgres; high-churn player documents in DynamoDB; hot cache and rankings in Redis.
Game clients ──WebSocket/HTTP──► Go game server
Support agents ──HTTP──────────► Support API + SvelteKit UI
│
├─ Ory / JWKS auth
├─ PostgreSQL (config, narrative, balance data)
├─ DynamoDB (profiles, purchases, inbox)
├─ Redis (cache, leaderboards)
├─ NATS (cross-instance player actions)
├─ Kafka + Schema Registry (analytics events)
└─ Open Match / Agones (multiplayer allocation)XP, levels, badges, quests, story arcs, daily streaks
Customizable characters, trait boxes, collectible traits
Neighborhoods, NPCs, dialogue, secrets, tutorials
Fishing, eggs, minigames, obstacle courses, leaderboards
Friends, chat/voice, referrals, appear-offline
Storefront, Stripe, battle pass, redeemable campaigns
Stateful WS server, NATS bus, matchmaking
Versioned content DB, support grants, dialogue → GitHub PRs
Stateful WebSocket dispatcher with reconnection, login hooks (inbox, referrals, quests), and a NATS server-action bus so commands reach players connected to other instances. Multiplayer allocation via Open Match, Kubernetes and Agones.
PostgreSQL migrations double as a content platform. Quests, NPC dialogue, fishing populations, storefront SKUs and battle-pass data ship in ordered version folders; a Python release tool applies selected feature sets to named environments.
Shared Protobuf event families (UserConnect, UserTransaction, GameLog, FrontendError) with Confluent wire framing. 80+ transaction types cover acquisition, gameplay funnels, economy, social and purchases.
Internal console for searching/editing player profiles, granting compensatory inbox rewards, reviewing purchases and editing NPC/quest dialogue. Dialogue edits integrate with GitHub PRs so narrative changes are reviewable, not silent production writes.
Evolved an Alpha NestJS game API into a production Go realtime server
Built 100+ WebSocket action handlers with login/reconnect lifecycle
Designed hybrid persistence across PostgreSQL, DynamoDB and Redis
Shipped versioned content releases without redeploying game logic
Established Protobuf + Kafka telemetry contracts for analytics
Delivered Go support API and SvelteKit console for live operations
Anonymized service family across the platform.
| Service | Responsibility | Stack |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy Game API | Alpha REST/WS API, shared packages, contracts | TypeScript, NestJS, TypeORM |
| Realtime Game Server | Authoritative gameplay, commerce, social | Go, Chi, WebSocket, NATS, Kafka |
| DB Migrations | Versioned schema + game content | PostgreSQL SQL |
| DB Push Tooling | Selective release apply to environments | Python, psql |
| Event Contracts | Shared Protobuf schemas | Protobuf, Go codegen |
| Data Platform Lib | Kafka + Schema Registry adapter | Go, Kafka |
| Support Backend | CS / live-ops API | Go, Chi, DynamoDB, Postgres |
| Support Frontend | Operator console | SvelteKit, Vite |
Migrated a broad game domain toward a purpose-built Go realtime server while preserving progression, economy and social systems.
Migrated a broad game domain from NestJS toward a purpose-built Go realtime server while preserving progression, economy and social systems
Designed hybrid persistence suited to mixed config vs. high-churn player data
Established a versioned content-release pipeline and an event-contract layer for analytics-ready telemetry
Shipped internal live-ops tooling so support and content teams operate safely outside the player-facing game path
Rough scale across the service family: ~1,500 source files and 3,000+ commits over an 18+ month evolution window.
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