Show & Tell: DepGuard – A visual simulator for npm vulnerability blast radiuses (FastAPI + React)

[EgglezosHub]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

Body

I wanted to share an open-source project I’ve been building called DepGuard that i originally started from a uni course i have on graph theory. The goal was how to use the graph theory as a mathematical tool to have better visibility on my projects.
Usually, npm audit just gives us a flat list of vulnerabilities. I wanted to build something that actually shows the blast radius, how a single compromised package deep in the dependency tree propagates and affects everything else.

What it does

DepGuard parses package-lock.json files, resolves the dependency tree, and checks it against the OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities) API in real-time. It then visualizes the transitive dependencies so you can actively see the exposure paths.

The Tech Stack

• Backend: Python, FastAPI, and NetworkX
• Frontend: React, TypeScript, and Cytoscape.js
• Scoring Logic: It combines standard CVSS severity scores with graph theory metrics (like betweenness centrality) using NetworkX to give vulnerabilities a smarter risk score
• Caching: Async SQLite to cache registry lookups and speed up subsequent scans

I’d really value some architectural feedback from the community here:

• Graph Optimization: Has anyone worked with Cytoscape.js for massive datasets? I'm looking for tips on rendering large, complex trees without bottlenecking the browser
• Backend Logic: Feedback on how I'm structuring the FastAPI routes and managing the async SQLite caching would be amazing

I’ve opened a few good first issue tickets if anyone is looking to make some open-source contributions
If you find the project interesting or useful, a ⭐️ on the repository would be hugely appreciated!

Repo Link: https://github.com/EgglezosHub/DepGuard

Thanks for checking it out, and I'm happy to answer any questions about the code

[v-ember]

Hi @EgglezosHub , thanks for posting in GitHub Discussions!

The Repositories category is meant for questions related to repositories on GitHub. A repository contains all of your project's files and each file's revision history. I've gone ahead and moved this post to our Programming Help category, as this topic may be more relevant there and might help someone give you a nudge in the right direction. 😁

[EgglezosHub]

Thank you so much!! This was my first time posting and wasn't sure where I had to place it, sorry for any inconvenience 😊