# lance-gg/lance

Multiplayer game server based on Node.JS

Repository: https://github.com/lance-gg/lance
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/lance-gg-lance
Homepage: https://lance-gg.github.io/
Language: TypeScript
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: multiplayer, gamedev, nodejs, multiplayer-game-server, websockets, networking, game-server, game-development
Last push: 2024-05-11T19:16:24+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3736, "days_push": 844, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1714, forks 166 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:26.204407+00:00)

## What it is
Lance is a Node.js-based real-time multiplayer game server with a companion client-side library that synchronizes game state between server and clients. It handles netcode concerns like binary serialization, lag compensation via interpolation/extrapolation, input coordination, and network spike handling so developers can focus on game logic.

## Use cases
- build a real-time multiplayer browser game without writing netcode
- synchronize game state between a Node.js server and browser clients
- add client-side prediction and interpolation to a multiplayer game
- network a physics-based game using Cannon.js or pseudo-physics
- create a multiplayer arcade, RTS, FPS, or platform fighter in JavaScript
- minimize bandwidth with binary serialization over websockets

## When to choose
- you are building a real-time multiplayer game in JavaScript/TypeScript for browsers
- you want lag handling, prediction, and interpolation handled for you
- you want a game-agnostic server that supports many genres
- you prefer a configurable, debuggable netcode framework over building from scratch

## When to avoid
- you need UDP or WebRTC transport (still on the roadmap)
- you are building a turn-based or non-real-time game
- you need a full game engine with rendering built in
- you need a project with very active recent development

## Facets
- artifact type: framework
- maturity: maintenance
- function: websocket, serialization, networking, game-engine, http-server
- domain: web-development, networking
- platform: cross-platform
- tags: multiplayer-game-server, netcode, client-prediction, interpolation, physics, typescript, game-development, real-time, nodejs, web-server

## Member repositories
- lance-gg/lance (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:26.204407+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:34:39.255401+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/lance-gg/lance (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:26.204407+00:00, sha ff76038e457a)
  - homepage: https://lance-gg.github.io/ (fetched 2026-08-29T11:10:54.087967+00:00, sha d762ec637e6d)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.