# PartyKit — Multiplayer and Real-Time Collaboration Platform

> An open-source framework for building multiplayer and collaborative applications with serverless WebSocket rooms, built-in CRDT support, and edge deployment.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# PartyKit — Multiplayer and Real-Time Collaboration Platform

## Quick Use
```bash
npm create partykit@latest my-party
cd my-party
npx partykit dev
# Server runs locally with hot reload
```

## Introduction
PartyKit is a framework for building real-time, multiplayer, and collaborative applications. It provides serverless WebSocket rooms that run on the edge, making it straightforward to add features like live cursors, collaborative editing, multiplayer games, and real-time dashboards to web applications without managing WebSocket infrastructure.

## What PartyKit Does
- Hosts stateful WebSocket rooms that persist for the lifetime of a session
- Runs server-side logic at the edge close to connected users
- Provides built-in integrations with Yjs and other CRDTs for collaborative editing
- Handles room creation, connection management, and message routing automatically
- Supports both WebSocket and HTTP endpoints per room

## Architecture Overview
Each PartyKit room is a stateful server that runs in a Cloudflare Durable Object on the edge. When a client connects to a room by ID, PartyKit routes the WebSocket connection to the room's server instance. The server maintains in-memory state, processes messages, and broadcasts updates to connected clients. Rooms are created on demand and can persist state between connections using built-in storage.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Create a project with `npm create partykit@latest`
- Define room behavior by exporting a class with `onConnect`, `onMessage`, and `onClose` handlers
- Run locally with `npx partykit dev` for development with hot reload
- Deploy to PartyKit's edge network with `npx partykit deploy`
- Configure room settings, environment variables, and custom domains in partykit.json

## Key Features
- Serverless WebSocket rooms with no infrastructure management
- Edge deployment for low-latency connections worldwide
- Built-in Yjs integration for CRDT-based collaborative editing
- Per-room persistent storage for maintaining state across sessions
- TypeScript-first API with full type safety

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Socket.IO** — requires managing your own server; PartyKit is serverless with edge deployment
- **Liveblocks** — managed collaboration service; PartyKit is open source and self-deployable
- **Ably/Pusher** — pub/sub messaging services; PartyKit provides stateful rooms with server logic
- **Colyseus** — game-focused with binary state sync; PartyKit targets general collaboration and real-time apps

## FAQ
**Q: Can PartyKit be self-hosted?**
A: The open-source framework can be used locally for development. Production deployment uses PartyKit's edge infrastructure or compatible Cloudflare Workers setups.

**Q: What is a room in PartyKit?**
A: A room is a stateful server instance identified by an ID. All clients connecting to the same room ID share the same server and can communicate in real time.

**Q: Does PartyKit support collaborative text editing?**
A: Yes. It has built-in integration with Yjs, a CRDT library, making it straightforward to add Google Docs-style collaborative editing to any application.

**Q: How many concurrent connections can a room handle?**
A: Each room can handle thousands of concurrent WebSocket connections, with the exact limit depending on message volume and server logic complexity.

## Sources
- https://github.com/partykit/partykit
- https://docs.partykit.io/

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-77a6a2ee
Author: AI Open Source