What's the best way to store your data?

Help and Feedback Scripting Support
#1

I don’t mean Datastore as I’ve already got that figured out. I want to know the best way to store in-game data for players. Is it a module script with a table of all the player’s data or is it physical values or attributes? I’d like to ask you guys for your opinion, what do you do in your game?

#2

i always try to use an array for my data if performance is more important than the readability; otherwise i’d use attributes and valuebases

#3

and you use a module script for the array right

#4

Hey daniel!

Currently on Roblox, there is no one best way to store Player data in-servers.
You can just choose the option that fits the best for you!

1. ModuleScripts

What most developers do in the server is that they store Player data via ModuleScripts that create new Player objects to later access within the server boundary.

This makes it easy to access and mutate Player data directly in the server.

local PlayerManager = {}
local PlayerData = {}

function PlayerManager.new(player)
    PlayerData[player.UserId] = {
        Coins = 0,
        Level = 1,
        Inventory = {},
    }
end

function PlayerManager.LevelUp(player)
    PlayerData[player.UserId].Level += 1
end

function PlayerManager.get(player)
    return PlayerManager[player.UserId]
end

return PlayerManager

However it’s also very common to use Object Oriented player data here!
It’s also a good way of storing player data.

Things to note:

  • Mismanaging the data structure can lead to issues like memory leaks or inconsistent states.
  • Best for use in experiences with complex data structures (e.g. Inventory systems, or progression stats)

2. Physical Values (e.g., IntValue, BoolValue, StringValue)

This is the more “traditional” Roblox approach, and it works good in experiences with relatively simple player data, especially when you want live debugging (e.g., showing health, points, or level).

Pros:

  • Values replicate to other clients if placed in the Player or under ReplicatedStorage.
  • You can see and modify the data directly in the Explorer during runtime.

Cons:

  • Values become cluttered and unmanageable with large amounts of data (e.g., hundreds of inventory items).
  • Difficult to handle complex data structures like nested objects or arrays.

These are best to use in experiences with relatively simple player data, especially when you want live debugging (e.g., showing health, points, or level).

3. Attributes

These work just like Values and offer way less overhead if you update them frequently. (specifically 20x faster to update them)

Pros:

  • Attributes are visible in the Explorer during runtime, similar to physical values.
  • Attributes can be used on any Roblox object, not just players.

Cons:

  • Updating them too frequently while the Instance is visible to clients can show as higher ping.

Best use for experiences that require lightweight, live-inspectable data for objects (e.g., player stats like health, energy, etc.). You can either choose Values or these.

In most cases, I recommend ModuleScripts with tables for storing player data due to their flexibility and scalability.

However, if you’re working with simple stats that need to replicate to the client, using Attributes or Physical Values can make life easier.

Pro tip: You can use both ModuleScripts for use in the server and Values for data that you want replicated to the client.

1 Like
#5

If I use the module script to store data on the server and replicate it to the client, wouldn’t there be a replication delay?

#6

There is a potential replication delay however, this delay is typically very small (fractions of a second) and most likely won’t affect your game.

#7

Thanks a lot for helping me, I’ll mark it as a solution.

1 Like
#8

If you only need data for one game session, a ModuleScript with a data table is the best option.

If your game has players moving between servers frequently and you only need temporary data storage, then you should use MemoryStoreService.

#9

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