DataReplicator | Seamless Server-Client Data Sync! (v1.0.0)

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Provides an efficient, secure, and developer-friendly way
to manage data flow, letting you focus more on building awesome gameplay.

:sparkles: Why DataReplicator?

  • Simplified API: Focus on your game logic, not the nitty-gritty of network communication.

  • Security First: Built-in obfuscated keys and a server-side authorization layer to control data access.

  • Efficiency: Features like update batching to reduce network overhead.

  • Client-Side Caching: Reduce redundant server requests by accessing recently fetched data locally.

  • Modular Design: Easy to integrate and understand, with Core logic and Utilities separated.

:hammer_and_wrench: Quick Look: Getting Started

  1. Get the Module: Grab it from the Roblox Creator Store.

  2. Place it: Usually in ReplicatedStorage.

  3. Require it:

    • Server: local DataReplicator = require(game.ReplicatedStorage.DataReplicator)
    • Client: local DataReplicator = require(game.ReplicatedStorage.DataReplicator)

:scroll: Super Simple Example (Server sending, Client listening):

Server:

local DataReplicator = require(game.ReplicatedStorage.DataReplicator)
DataReplicator:Create("GameMessage", "Hello from the Server!")
task.wait(5)
DataReplicator:Update("GameMessage", "The server says hi again!")

Client:

local DataReplicator = require(game.ReplicatedStorage.DataReplicator)
local messageSignal = DataReplicator:Listen("GameMessage")
messageSignal.Event:Connect(function(newMessage)
    print("Client received:", newMessage) -- Will print "Hello from the Server!" then "The server says hi again!"
end)

:clapper: Video Preview

This quick video demo shows it off with a classic use-case: managing and displaying player stats like cash, level, and experience in real-time.

:books: Want the Full Scoop? Dive into the Docs!

For a complete breakdown of every feature, API details, setup instructions, and more in-depth examples, head over to the official documentation:

:arrow_right: DataReplicator - Full Documentation on GitBook

:speech_balloon: Feedback & Questions?

I’d love to hear what you think! If you have any questions, suggestions, or run into any issues, feel free to reply to this post.

How useful do you find DataReplicator?
  • Looks very useful! I can see myself using this.
  • Seems somewhat useful, might check it out.
  • Interesting, but probably not for my current needs.
  • I’m not sure / Need more information.
0 voters

Hope DataReplicator helps you streamline your projects!
Happy developing!

8 Likes
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Nice module! I might use this soon. Here’s a suggestion: Remember UnreliableRemoteEvents? You could implement this and add a parameter of whether is the message very important or could be ignored to reduce traffic.

1 Like
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Hey, that’s a really neat suggestion! Using UnreliableRemoteEvents could definitely make things zippier for less crucial updates and lighten the network load, which is great.

For DataReplicator, the main goal is to keep everything reliably synced up, so I’d need to be super careful it doesn’t break that, but it’s a cool thought I’ll keep in my development plan for the module.

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Another suggestion is adding something like :IsKeyCreated(), just in case it is unsure whether a key has already been created

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I’m confused over why there is obfuscation in this, especially if it’s only on the server side. Focusing just on the server (because if someone decides to intentionally desync their client, that’s a separate, unrelated issue), if the concern is that a bad actor is sending bad data from the server, aren’t there bigger problems to worry about? Since this module doesn’t support client → server changes anyways, it seems like the obfuscation layer is just an extra step between server → client changes that isn’t blocking bad client input (again - if the idea is to block a bad actor’s access to code run on the server, that’s a separate and much larger issue)

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That’s a good suggestion! Currently, on the server, if :GetServerData(realKey) returns a non-nil value, you know the key has been created and holds that data. However, if it returns nil, it could mean either the key was never created or it was created with an actual nil value. A dedicated :IsKeyCreated() method would indeed make this distinction explicit, returning true as long as an entry for that key exists internally, regardless of what its value is. That’s a good point for added clarity and definitely something worth considering, thanks for the idea!

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Hey, thanks for the thoughtful question. You’ve definitely hit on some good points. You’re absolutely right that if the server itself is compromised and sending bad data, we’ve got much bigger fish to fry, and this obfuscation layer wouldn’t be the defense for that. It’s also true this module focuses on server-to-client replication, so it’s not about validating client input trying to change server data.

The main idea behind the client-specific obfuscated keys is more of a ‘security through obscurity’ measure aimed at the client-side. Instead of an exploiter easily seeing a predictable realKey like ‘PlayerCash’ for data they’re listening to (which could make it simpler to write targeted cheats or sniff specific game states across many users), they’d see a randomized key that’s unique to their session for that data. It’s a small hurdle, not a silver bullet, just to make direct observation and scripting against common data keys a tad less straightforward for someone trying to reverse-engineer things on their end. Hope that clears things up a bit, and great discussion point!

8

I have a question to this module tho. Is this module optimized and will it worsen game performance?

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Well yes, this module is designed with optimization in mind, especially with its update batching system, which is a big plus for keeping things running smoothly by reducing network chatter. So for typical use cases, it’s generally very efficient and shouldn’t negatively impact performance significantly. Of course, if you’re replicating extremely large or complex data at a super high frequency, that could be a different story, but for most data sync needs, it’s quite well-behaved.

1 Like