Needle-starter vs needle-server for networking?

🌵 Needle Engine
1

I’m about to setup my own server for networking. I noticed the docs point to: Glitch :･ﾟ✧

but I saw a recent forum post here where @marcel :cactus: mentioned using: Glitch :･ﾟ✧

The biggest difference seems to be Fastify vs Express. Which would be the best starting point to reference when rolling my own server?

Original Post on Discord

by user 300386587278049291

2

Changed the channel name: needle-starter vs needle-server for networking?

by user 300386587278049291

3

The first url is an older glitch version which is not maintained anymore. Express or fastify dont really matter, the networking package that is used in the tiny-starter has implementations for both. The main chunk is in src but as said the glitch version is not maintained and a bit behind.

When rolling your own server I think what you’re asking is about hosting the backend somewhere else and not on glitch. Do I understand you correctly or is that not what you want?

4

Which docs page does point to the glitch url above? It should be updated

5

by user 300386587278049291

6

Yes I want to host elsewhere outside of Glitch

by user 300386587278049291

7

Ok you can most easily host either a fastify or express app and then setup the websocket endpoint like so:

const networking = require("@needle-tools/needle-tiny-networking-ws");
networking.startServerExpress(app, { endpoint: "/ws" });

or for fastify (you can find that in the glitch starter server.js file)

If you want you can add a little bit of code for other frameworks. Here’s a snipped of what it does internally as a reference:

module.exports.startServerFastify = function (fastify, options) {
  const networking = create(fastify, options);
  fastify.register(require('fastify-websocket'));
  const endpoint = getEndpoint(options)
  console.log("Using endpoint", endpoint);
  fastify.get(endpoint, { websocket: true }, (connection, req) => {
    const proxy = new FastifyProxy(connection);
    networking.onConnection(proxy);
  })

  return networking;
};

function getEndpoint(options) {
  if (options && options.endpoint !== undefined && typeof options.endpoint === "string") {
    return options.endpoint;
  }
  return "/";
}

function create(app, options) {
  console.info("Starting networking server");
  const networking = require("./networking");
  networking.init(app, options);
  return networking;
}

The fastify proxy just implemets this bit of code:

class Proxy {

    on(name, callback) {

    }

    send(key, value) {

    }
}
module.exports.Proxy = Proxy;

But as said: for fastify and express you can just call the methods that are already exported and optionally provide an endpoint url in the options object.

Do you think that helps you getting started? Where do you want to host and what server framework are you planning to use?

8

Yes that helps! Thank for as always for the super prompt response. How do you guys get any work done being so good with support? :smile:

by user 300386587278049291

9

I’ve never used Fastify, I think I’ll give that a try

by user 300386587278049291

10

as far as where…I’m not sure. Going to get it going locally and then will likely spin up something on AWS or similar

by user 300386587278049291

11

I noticed the room names (secretKey) are configured in deploy.js on glitch. So is the room system (and therefore SynchedRoom component) outside your networking library? I will need to implement that on my own?

by user 300386587278049291

12

No everything networked goes through rooms. They are at the core of the networking package

13

All the SyncedRoom component does is generate a room name (or use the one you give it via the url) and then requests to join that room

14

Ok got it - thanks again!

by user 300386587278049291