https://rgerjeki.github.io/blog/Recent content in Blog on Reese GerjekianHugoenWed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700https://rgerjeki.github.io/blog/canvas-node-field/Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0700https://rgerjeki.github.io/blog/canvas-node-field/<p>You&rsquo;ve probably seen the effect before: a field of points drifting slowly behind a hero section, thin lines connecting the ones that happen to be close together, and the whole web of them leaning gently away from your cursor as you move it. It is running on <a href="https://rgerjeki.github.io/" class="external-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">my homepage</a> right now, tucked behind the terminal, so move your mouse across it and watch the nodes react before you read on.</p> <p>Most of the time this effect shows up as part of a heavy animation library. As it turns out, you do not need one. The browser&rsquo;s canvas API can draw all of it, and the whole thing fits in a single small JavaScript file. The HTML and CSS are tiny, so we will get those out of the way first, and then spend the rest of the post walking through the JavaScript one piece at a time.</p>