DarkRift Networking

DarkRift Networking

DarkRift Networking is an open source networking library for .NET that makes it easy to develop fast, secure and reliable multiplayer games and real-time applications. It provides features like automatic optimization, message serialization and networking architecture out of the b
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networking communication multiplayer games realtime open-source

DarkRift Networking: Open Source .NET Library for Multiplayer Gaming

DarkRift Networking is an open source networking library for .NET that makes it easy to develop fast, secure and reliable multiplayer games and real-time applications. It provides features like automatic optimization, message serialization and networking architecture out of the box.

What is DarkRift Networking?

DarkRift Networking is an open source networking library designed specifically for game development using .NET. It aims to provide a fast, reliable and easy to use networking solution so developers can focus on making great games rather than battling with network code.

Some key features of DarkRift Networking include:

  • Automatic network traffic optimization - DarkRift handles bandwidth throttling, compression and lag reduction out of the box
  • Multiple client types - Server and client APIs support everything from mobile devices to desktop PCs to browsers
  • Message serialization - Customizable serializers allow rapid sending of game data objects without manual conversion
  • Network architecture - Server authoritative client-server, peer-to-peer and hybrid architectures are all built-in
  • Reliability features - Disconnection detection, auto-reconnection, failover hosts and more protect against connection problems
  • Security - Encryption, authentication and anti-tampering measures secure your networking data
  • And much more! Including multiple protocols, plugins, cross-platform support and custom low level networking.

With its focus on being easy to use yet providing powerful and performant netcode, DarkRift is a great choice for any game developer looking to include networked gameplay in their .NET based game.

DarkRift Networking Features

Features

  1. Automatic connection management
  2. Automatic message serialization
  3. Multiple transport protocols (TCP, UDP, WebSockets)
  4. Multiple server types (multithreaded, asynchronous, Unity)
  5. Client prediction
  6. Server reconciliation
  7. Message compression
  8. Encryption
  9. Authentication
  10. Bandwidth throttling
  11. NAT hole punching

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Open source and free

Well documented

Active community support

High performance

Cross platform

Easy to use API

Cons

Limited to .NET

Smaller community than some alternatives

Less flexible than building from scratch


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