diff --git a/src/api/axiosInstance.ts b/src/api/axiosInstance.ts
index 0c8d70f..d505558 100644
--- a/src/api/axiosInstance.ts
+++ b/src/api/axiosInstance.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import { backendDomain } from "./paths";
 export const axiosInstance = axios.create({
   baseURL: backendDomain,
   withCredentials: true,
-  timeout: 20000,
   headers: {
     "Content-Type": "application/json",
   },
diff --git a/src/components/SimpleLoader/SimpleLoader.module.css b/src/components/SimpleLoader/SimpleLoader.module.css
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cce0d84
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/SimpleLoader/SimpleLoader.module.css
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+.container {
+  width: 100%;
+  height: 100%;
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  justify-content: center;
+  align-items: center;
+}
+
+.text {
+  margin-top: var(--mb-2);
+  font-family: var(--primaryFont);
+  font-size: larger;
+  letter-spacing: 1px;
+}
+
+.loader {
+  width: 80px;
+  height: 80px;
+}
+.loader div {
+  box-sizing: border-box;
+  display: block;
+  position: absolute;
+  width: 64px;
+  height: 64px;
+  margin: 8px;
+  /* border: 7px solid var(--primary); */
+  border: 7px solid white;
+  border-radius: 50%;
+  animation: loader 1.2s cubic-bezier(0.5, 0, 0.5, 1) infinite;
+  border-color: white transparent transparent transparent;
+}
+.loader div:nth-child(1) {
+  animation-delay: -0.45s;
+}
+.loader div:nth-child(2) {
+  animation-delay: -0.3s;
+}
+.loader div:nth-child(3) {
+  animation-delay: -0.15s;
+}
+@keyframes loader {
+  0% {
+    transform: rotate(0deg);
+  }
+  100% {
+    transform: rotate(360deg);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/components/SimpleLoader/index.tsx b/src/components/SimpleLoader/index.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..25f2ee2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/SimpleLoader/index.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import styles from "./SimpleLoader.module.css";
+
+const SimpleLoader = ({ text }: { text?: string }) => {
+  return (
+    <div className={`${styles.container}`}>
+      <div className={`${styles.loader}`}>
+        <div></div>
+        <div></div>
+        <div></div>
+        <div></div>
+      </div>
+      <p className={`${styles.text}`}>{text}</p>
+    </div>
+  );
+};
+
+export default SimpleLoader;
diff --git a/src/pages/Graph/Graph.module.css b/src/pages/Graph/Graph.module.css
index 2d03191..76071fe 100644
--- a/src/pages/Graph/Graph.module.css
+++ b/src/pages/Graph/Graph.module.css
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@
   color: black;
 }
 
+.loading {
+  filter: brightness(70%);
+}
+
 .operations_wrapper {
   display: flex;
   background-color: var(--bgNav);
diff --git a/src/pages/Graph/index.tsx b/src/pages/Graph/index.tsx
index f3480dc..762acd6 100644
--- a/src/pages/Graph/index.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/Graph/index.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import {
   Controls,
   MiniMap,
   Background,
+  Panel,
   addEdge,
   applyNodeChanges,
   applyEdgeChanges,
@@ -53,6 +54,7 @@ import {
 import { RefreshAuthContext } from "../../App";
 import Button from "../../components/Button";
 import APIWrapper from "../../components/APIWrapper";
+import SimpleLoader from "../../components/SimpleLoader";
 
 const initialNodes: Node[] = [];
 const initialEdges: Edge[] = [];
@@ -134,6 +136,7 @@ const Graph = () => {
   const [selectedEdgeID, setSelectedEdgeID] = useState<Edge["id"]>("");
   const [interactive, setInteractive] =
     useState<Interactive>(initialInteractive);
+  const [loading, setLoading] = useState<boolean>(false);
 
   const onFlowInit: OnInit = (_instance) => {
     console.debug("flow loaded");
@@ -175,6 +178,7 @@ const Graph = () => {
       );
       // call API to create link
       const spotifyPlaylistLinkPrefix = "https://open.spotify.com/playlist/";
+      setLoading(true);
       const resp = await APIWrapper({
         apiFn: apiCreateLink,
         data: {
@@ -183,6 +187,7 @@ const Graph = () => {
         },
         refreshAuth,
       });
+      setLoading(false);
       if (resp?.status === 201) {
         showSuccessToastNotification(resp?.data.message);
         setLinkEdges((eds) => addEdge(connection, eds));
@@ -203,6 +208,7 @@ const Graph = () => {
         `deleted connection: ${edges[0].source} -> ${edges[0].target}`
       );
       // call API to delete link
+      setLoading(true);
       const resp = await APIWrapper({
         apiFn: apiDeleteLink,
         data: {
@@ -211,6 +217,7 @@ const Graph = () => {
         },
         refreshAuth,
       });
+      setLoading(false);
       if (resp?.status === 200) {
         showSuccessToastNotification(resp?.data.message);
         return { nodes, edges };
@@ -228,6 +235,7 @@ const Graph = () => {
     }
     const selectedEdge = linkEdges.filter((ed) => ed.id === selectedEdgeID)[0];
 
+    setLoading(true);
     const resp = await APIWrapper({
       apiFn: apiBackfillLink,
       data: {
@@ -236,6 +244,7 @@ const Graph = () => {
       },
       refreshAuth,
     });
+    setLoading(false);
 
     if (resp?.status === 200) {
       showSuccessToastNotification(resp?.data.message);
@@ -252,6 +261,7 @@ const Graph = () => {
     }
     const selectedEdge = linkEdges.filter((ed) => ed.id === selectedEdgeID)[0];
 
+    setLoading(true);
     const resp = await APIWrapper({
       apiFn: apiPruneLink,
       data: {
@@ -260,6 +270,7 @@ const Graph = () => {
       },
       refreshAuth,
     });
+    setLoading(false);
 
     if (resp?.status === 200) {
       showSuccessToastNotification(resp?.data.message);
@@ -359,7 +370,9 @@ const Graph = () => {
   );
 
   const fetchGraph = useCallback(async () => {
+    setLoading(true);
     const resp = await APIWrapper({ apiFn: apiFetchGraph, refreshAuth });
+    setLoading(false);
     console.debug(
       `graph fetched with ${resp?.data.playlists?.length} nodes and ${resp?.data.links?.length} edges`
     );
@@ -399,10 +412,12 @@ const Graph = () => {
   }, [refreshAuth]);
 
   const updateUserData = async () => {
+    setLoading(true);
     const resp = await APIWrapper({
       apiFn: apiUpdateUserData,
       refreshAuth,
     });
+    setLoading(false);
     showInfoToastNotification(resp?.data.message);
     if (resp?.data.removedLinks)
       showWarnToastNotification(
@@ -442,7 +457,7 @@ const Graph = () => {
   };
 
   return (
-    <div className={styles.graph_wrapper}>
+    <div className={`${styles.graph_wrapper} ${loading && styles.loading}`}>
       <ReactFlow
         nodes={playlistNodes}
         edges={linkEdges}
@@ -452,8 +467,8 @@ const Graph = () => {
         proOptions={proOptions}
         colorMode={"light"}
         fitView
-        minZoom={0.1}
-        maxZoom={10}
+        minZoom={0.05}
+        maxZoom={20}
         elevateEdgesOnSelect
         defaultEdgeOptions={edgeOptions}
         edgesReconnectable={false}
@@ -475,6 +490,7 @@ const Graph = () => {
           bgColor={"purple"}
         />
         <Background variant={BackgroundVariant.Dots} gap={36} size={3} />
+        <Panel position="top-right">{loading && <SimpleLoader />}</Panel>
       </ReactFlow>
       <div className={`${styles.operations_wrapper} custom_scrollbar`}>
         <Button onClickMethod={backfillLink}>