Pong-Mania
Pong-Mania: A Realtime Multiplayer Classic
In 2024, I embarked on an exciting journey to recreate the classic Pong game, but with a modern twist: real-time multiplayer. Pong-Mania leverages modern technologies like Golang, HTMX, and WebSockets to deliver a seamless multiplayer experience where players from around the world can compete against each other in real time.
The Challenge
The idea behind Pong-Mania was not just to create a simple Pong game but to build a scalable, responsive multiplayer version where the game state is synchronized in real time across multiple players. I used WebSockets for continuous bi-directional communication between the client and the server, ensuring that every movement and action was reflected instantly.
Deployment & Cloud Infrastructure
One of the most critical aspects of developing a multiplayer game is ensuring that the server can handle multiple game rooms and players simultaneously. For this, I deployed the application on AWS EC2, providing both high availability and scalability to handle fluctuating traffic. To manage the infrastructure, I used Terraform, ensuring that the AWS cloud resources were efficiently provisioned and easily maintainable.
Authentication & Game Logic
Pong-Mania also features a custom login system that combines magic link authentication using AWS SES and OAuth2 with Google for secure user sign-ins. Each game room operates in its own Goroutine, optimizing concurrency for a smooth user experience. Additionally, I designed a PostgreSQL trigger function to dynamically determine game winners based on real-time game data, automating game result management.
Continuous Delivery & Deployment
To ensure that every new feature or bug fix was rapidly deployed without downtime, I integrated CircleCI for continuous integration and deployment. The CI/CD pipeline automates the entire deployment process, pushing production-ready Docker images to a private Docker Hub registry.
Pong-Mania is more than just a game—it’s a real-time experience powered by modern technology. You can check out the game here or explore the codebase on GitHub.
Key Takeaways:
- Real-time synchronization using WebSockets.
- Goroutines for efficient game room management.
- AWS EC2 and Terraform for scalable cloud deployment.
- Magic link authentication with AWS SES and OAuth2 integration.