# RiptideNetworking/Riptide

Lightweight C# networking solution for multiplayer games.

Repository: https://github.com/RiptideNetworking/Riptide
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/riptide
Homepage: https://riptide.tomweiland.net
Language: C#
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: udp, rudp, multiplayer, networking, csharp, unity, unity3d, multiplayer-games, gamedev, games, riptide, riptidenetworking, server, client
Last push: 2026-08-19T20:05:58+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 67/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2063, "days_push": 14, "days_rel": 415, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1286, forks 154 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:14.913450+00:00)

## What it is
Riptide is a lightweight C# networking library for building multiplayer games, providing client-server connection management and message passing over UDP, TCP, or Steam transports. It works in Unity and other .NET environments while leaving game data handling to the developer.

## Use cases
- add multiplayer networking to a Unity game
- build a game server and client in C#
- send reliable and unreliable messages over UDP in a multiplayer game
- create a dedicated server for a .NET game
- use Steam networking sockets in a C# game
- learn low-level game networking without a heavy framework

## When to choose
- you want fine-grained control over what data is sent and when
- you're building a client-server multiplayer game in Unity or .NET
- you need a lightweight, MIT-licensed alternative to heavier netcode solutions

## When to avoid
- you need high-level netcode with built-in state sync, prediction, or lobby systems
- you're building peer-to-peer games without a server
- your project is not in C# or a language with a community port

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: networking, websocket, serialization
- domain: networking, gaming-tools
- platform: cross-platform, game-engine, c, dotnet
- tags: udp, rudp, multiplayer, client-server, unity, game-networking, tcp, steam-transport, game-development

## Member repositories
- RiptideNetworking/Riptide (main) score 67

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:14.913450+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 2026-08-30T04:56:07.857247+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/RiptideNetworking/Riptide (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:14.913450+00:00, sha af0a748a26a1)
  - homepage: https://riptide.tomweiland.net (fetched 2026-08-29T12:12:00.337388+00:00, sha 44136fa355b3)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.