Docs / FAQ

FAQ

Does Asobi replace Nakama / Colyseus / PlayFab?

For the indie and 2D multiplayer slot, yes. For AAA shooters that need per-match dedicated UDP servers, no - pair Asobi with a UDP relay for that. See how it compares, or the migration guides for Nakama, Hathora, and PlayFab.

Can I write game logic in something other than Lua?

Yes. Depend on Asobi as an Erlang library and write match code in Erlang, or call the REST / WebSocket API from any language. Lua is the easy mode, not the only mode.

Does it scale across machines?

Asobi is single-node by design - one BEAM node handles tens of thousands of connections. Shard at the app level (game-per-node, region-per-node) rather than clustering a single match across hosts. See Clustering and Performance.

How do I turn on guest (anonymous) play?

Declare guest_auth = true in your game's Lua config and have the operator supply a verifier pepper - it's on only when both agree. Full details in Authentication.

Should I self-host or use the managed cloud?

Both run the same engine. Self-host is free, Docker-only, no account. Managed cloud runs it for you, EU-hosted. Your Lua bundle is identical either way, so you can move between them.

What happens if Asobi disappears?

Apache-2 licensed, single-binary deploy, Postgres backing store - nothing in your stack is load-bearing on us. The exit guide spells out exactly how you'd keep running without us.

Which client SDK should I use?

Whichever matches your engine - Unity, Godot, Defold, Unreal, Flame, plus JS/TS, Dart, and LÖVE. Each has a quickstart. No engine? The REST + WebSocket protocol is public, so any language works.