Boostcraft is a from-scratch implementation of a Minecraft server in C++, with an emphasis on performance, low memory usage, and extensibility.
It's not finished yet, but it's getting there!
Internally, Boostcraft uses a heavily event-based architecture to facilitate communication between core modules. A boost::asio::io_service forms the back- bone of the system, providing for the asynchronous dispatch and handling of events, in addition to the asynchronous networking facilities which are used to communicate with clients.
Boostcraft is roughly divided into two main parts: the network layer and the application layer. The network layer waits for connections from clients, reads client messages from TCP sockets, parses them according to the Minecraft server protocol, and finally translates the client packets into events.
The application layer consists of a loosely-coupled set of modules that respond to events fired by the network layer. Modules can also raise events of their own, which can be handled by other modules. Events are the primary means of communication between components of the system. This allows for extremely loose coupling within Boostcraft's core.
A fully-featured set of Python bindings for easy plugin writing is planned. Python scripts will have the ability to extend the server's functionality by responding to game events, and will also be able to provide replacements for core modules, such as terrain generation and storage. Because of Boostcraft's loosely-coupled structure, it is easy to disconnect a built-in module's event handlers and connect Python callbacks in their place, effectively replacing the module with an external script.
- Drop-in compatibility with official Minecraft clients and world files
- Greater single-machine scalability than the official server
- Makes breakfast