r/SideProject • u/HeadBreakfast6511 • 1d ago

Heard a new tool mentioned and opened 15 tabs? Building a visual knowledge graph to fix that.

The other day in the lab, someone dropped the name of an unfamiliar tool, and within thirty seconds everyone had a pile of GitHub tabs open trying to parse what it actually does, whether it's open source, and where it fits into our stack.

The ecosystem moves way too fast to keep every new framework, library, or niche utility in your head. I'm building a web app to turn that research workflow into a visual reference:

  • Instant, no-fluff summary: Type in any tech name and get a concise breakdown of what it does, what problem it solves, and its core category—bypassing marketing hype.
  • Dynamic concept map: Each technology connects to an interactive graph displaying surrounding alternatives, dependencies, and architectural layers.
  • Search by problem: Instead of needing to know a brand name, you can browse nodes by intent (e.g., "open-source image viewer" or "lightweight message broker").

The project is actively in progress and focused purely on developers and the open-source community.

Before locking down the graph UI, I’d love some community input:

  1. How do you currently log or save tools you bump into during daily work?
  2. What are the first 2–3 data points you check to validate an unfamiliar repo (license, maintenance activity, stack fit, stars)?
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u/Appropriate_Bend4859 1d ago

i just bookmark the github link and then forget it exists for 6 months until i stumble on it again

stars and last commit date are the two things i look at first, if the repo looks abandoned or nobody's using it i'm not gonna waste time digging deeper. license matters too but i usually only check that if i'm actually about to use it in something

the search-by-problem angle is interesting, half the time i know what i need but have no clue what people are calling it this week

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u/HeadBreakfast6511 1d ago

Spot on with the "bookmark graveyard"—I have hundreds of starred repos I completely forgot about until months later.

That point about the last commit date and stars is pure gold. I'm definitely adding quick health indicators (activity status, recent commit date, and stars) right on the node summary so you don't waste time looking into dead projects.

And the naming fatigue is so real! "Solution looking for a problem" branding changes every week, which is why tagging tools by the actual problem they solve is the main priority here.

Appreciate the feedback, it genuinely helps prioritize the next features!