As a developer, one of the most important things I’ve learned is the value of scalability. My original ChatBot was built specifically for Twitch, integrating with various services like Hue, OBS, Spotify, and the PS5 Control Bot. However, as more streaming platforms like TikTok and YouTube emerged in my workflow, I realized that keeping everything tightly coupled wasn’t going to work long-term.
This is the story of how I decoupled the code from my ChatBot and built a separate API application that now allows me to scale and integrate with multiple streaming platforms.
The original ChatBot was designed solely for Twitch, and it worked perfectly. Commands typed in Twitch chat could control various services like Hue lights, change OBS scenes, play music via Spotify, and interact with the PS5 Control Bot. However, once I started branching out to other streaming platforms like TikTok and YouTube, I hit a roadblock—everything was too intertwined.
To support additional platforms, I needed to decouple my code and make it more flexible. The key question was: Should I build an API or use a messaging broker?
The decision wasn’t easy. A messaging broker could allow for asynchronous communication between services, which sounded appealing. However, I realised that creating an API would give me more direct control over the interactions and allow me to integrate with various services in a more straightforward way. It would also make future updates and feature additions much simpler since the API could handle the logic for all platforms, not just Twitch.
The API was designed to handle all the interactions with Hue, OBS, Spotify, and the Control Bot. By moving the logic for these services out of the ChatBot and into the API, I could now have one application that listens for requests from multiple platforms.
The ChatBot now acts more like a lightweight client that sends requests to the API whenever a command is triggered. This makes it much easier to integrate with new platforms. If TikTok or YouTube chat sends a command, it passes through the API, which handles everything else.
One of the biggest wins with the API approach was scalability. Now, if I want to integrate another streaming service or add a new feature, I don’t need to modify the ChatBot directly. The API can be updated independently, making my overall system much more modular and flexible.
Plus, by decoupling these services, I can make targeted updates to specific parts of the API (like tweaking how the Control Bot interacts with the PS5) without affecting the whole ChatBot.
Decoupling the code from my Twitch-based ChatBot and building a standalone API was a game-changer. It not only made the system more scalable and flexible, but it also opened the door for new integrations with streaming platforms like TikTok and YouTube. In hindsight, I’m glad I went with the API approach rather than a messaging broker. The direct control it offers has made the entire system more efficient and future-proof.
If you’re building a similar project and considering whether to decouple your logic, I highly recommend exploring an API-based approach.
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