About Murlok.io

Origin

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, I, like many others, found myself back in the World of Warcraft. As a passionate PvP player, I enjoyed competing in arenas and battlegrounds.

Success in PvP requires not only skill but also knowledge of optimal stats, talents, and gear. I used to spend hours analyzing top players on the Armory , managing multiple browser tabs, and figuring out the best strategies.

Concurrently, I was developing an open-source tool for building apps and needed a project to demonstrate its capabilities. After countless hours of development, Murlok.io was born.

I hope you love it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Frontend

Murlok.io functions like an app rather than a traditional website. It is a progressive web app (PWA) that can be installed on your devices from supported web browsers like Chrome and run in its own window.

The frontend of Murlok.io is built using the Go Programming Language (Golang) . No JavaScript or React here! The user interface is crafted with the open-source package I created called go-app and styled with vanilla CSS.

Backend

Murlok.io's backend, like its frontend, is developed in Go . It consists of three main components:

• A crawler that fetches and processes World of Warcraft leaderboards and character data daily.
• An API that provides the necessary data for the user interface.
• The go-app package that fulfills the requirements of the progressive web app.

Hosted on Google Cloud , Murlok.io is deployed in Cloud Run containers, utilizes Firestore as a NoSQL database, and is accelerated by Cloudflare CDN.

Transmogs

Murlok.io is dedicated to celebrating the creativity of the World of Warcraft community. Each page on the site features a custom banner that showcases a World of Warcraft screenshot, cartoonized using AI technology. While some of these images are my original creations, many of them come from the talented community members who share their transmogs on platforms like Instagram and the r/Transmogrification subreddit.

Special thanks go to the following individuals whose stunning transmogs have been featured on Murlok.io:

• Hurricane
• Jenesis
• Moe Green
• Ramiru Aran
• Shini
• Warcraft Mogs

Their contributions add a unique and vibrant touch to the website, and their artistry is deeply appreciated.

Selecting the original images and ensuring that the cartoonizing process matches the website's aesthetic is a careful and time-intensive process. If your work is featured and you would like to be credited, please reach out on Discord. I will be happy to add your name to this list and give you the recognition you deserve.

Thank you to all the creators who help make Murlok.io a visual treat for the World of Warcraft community!