styly-netsync-server 0.5.1

STYLY NetSync Server - Multiplayer framework for Location-Based Entertainment VR/MR experiences

STYLY NetSync Server

A Unity-based multiplayer framework for Location-Based Entertainment (LBE) VR/AR experiences. Provides real-time synchronization of player positions, hand tracking, and virtual objects using a Python server with ZeroMQ networking and binary serialization.

Installation

From PyPI (when published)

pip install styly-netsync-server

From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/PsychicVRLab/STYLY-LBE-Multiplayer.git
cd STYLY-LBE-Multiplayer/STYLY-NetSync-Server

# Install in development mode
pip install -e .

Using uv (recommended)

# Run without installing (one-time use)
uvx styly-netsync-server

# Run with custom options
uvx styly-netsync-server --dealer-port 5555 --pub-port 5556

# Run with uv (automatically installs dependencies)
uv run ./dev  # Convenience script for development

Usage

Command Line

Start the server with default settings:

styly-netsync-server

Start with custom configuration:

styly-netsync-server --dealer-port 5555 --pub-port 5556 --beacon-port 9999 --name "My-Server"

Disable UDP discovery:

styly-netsync-server --no-beacon

Programmatic Usage

from styly_netsync import NetSyncServer
import time

# Create and start server
server = NetSyncServer(
    dealer_port=5555,
    pub_port=5556,
    enable_beacon=True,
    beacon_port=9999,
    server_name="STYLY-NetSync-Server"
)

try:
    server.start()
    # Keep server running
    while True:
        time.sleep(1)
except KeyboardInterrupt:
    server.stop()

Client Simulator

Test the server with simulated clients:

# Simulate 100 clients
styly-netsync-simulator --clients 100

# Custom server and room
styly-netsync-simulator --server tcp://localhost --room my_room --clients 50

Architecture

• Binary Protocol: Efficient ZeroMQ-based networking with ~60% bandwidth reduction vs JSON
• Threading Model: Separate threads for receive, periodic broadcast, and cleanup operations
• Client Management: Device ID to client number mapping with automatic cleanup
• Network Variables: Synchronized key-value storage with conflict resolution
• RPC System: Remote procedure calls for custom game logic

Dependencies

• Python 3.8+
• pyzmq >= 26.0.0

Development

Testing During Development

There are several ways to test the server during development:

1. Install in Development Mode

# Install the package in editable mode
pip install -e .

# Run the server
styly-netsync-server

2. Run Directly as Python Module

# From the project root
python -m styly_netsync

# With custom options
python -m styly_netsync --dealer-port 6000 --pub-port 6001

3. Use uv for Development

# Run using convenience script (automatically installs dependencies)
uv run ./dev

# Run with custom options
uv run ./dev --dealer-port 6000 --pub-port 6001

# Use uvx for one-time execution without installation
uvx --from . styly-netsync-server

# Test with client simulator
uvx --from . styly-netsync-simulator --clients 50

4. Create Test Scripts

# test_server.py
from src.styly_netsync import NetSyncServer

server = NetSyncServer(dealer_port=5555, pub_port=5556)
try:
    server.start()
    print("Server is running. Press Ctrl+C to stop.")
    while True:
        pass
except KeyboardInterrupt:
    server.stop()

5. Use the Test Client

# Start the server first
styly-netsync-server

# In another terminal, run the test client
python test_client.py

6. Load Testing with Client Simulator

# Start server
styly-netsync-server

# In another terminal, simulate multiple clients
styly-netsync-simulator --clients 100 --room test_room

# Monitor server logs for performance metrics

Code Quality

# Install development dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
pytest

# Format code
black src/ tests/

# Lint code
ruff src/ tests/

# Type check
mypy src/