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Aeroduel Local Server

The dedicated game server for the Aeroduel experience.

Note: Click Here to skip to prerequisites and installation.

Aeroduel Server is a desktop application that acts as a local match server. It allows users to host Aeroduel matches on their local network with a single click.

Designed to pair with the Aeroduel mobile app, this server handles all game logic, state management, and real-time communication with the RC planes. Meanwhile, the mobile app allow pilots to register their plane for the match, view live scores, and more.

1. Host: One user runs this desktop app. Simply click "New Match" to create a match on the local server.
2. Connect: Players connect their phones to the same WiFi network the computer is on. This can be a standard Wi-Fi network or a mobile hotspot.
3. Play: Players scan a QR code or enter a Game PIN to register their plan for the dogfight match.

• Runtime: Electron
• Framework: Next.js + React
• Language: TypeScript
• Styling: Tailwind CSS
• Packaging: Electron Builder

• npm*
• Node.js* (v22 or higher recommended) (included with npm)
• Bonjour (or an equivalent mDNS responder) if running on Windows
• Avahi (or an equivalent mDNS responder) if running on Linux (if not already installed by default)
• WiFi or mobile hotspot
  • Note: Depending on your hardware, you may need a 2.4G WiFi network instead of 5G.

*: required only if building from source

If you have one of these installed, you can probably skip this:

• Bonjour Print Services
• iTunes
• iCloud for Windows

This is a non-exhaustive list.

While we do not have a complete product yet, you can download our latest development snapshot from the releases page.

Note: It would be easier to download our pre-built GitHub releases. Additionally, it is not guaranteed that building from the latest source code will always build a stable version.

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Aeroduel/server.git
   cd server

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

To create a distributable desktop application (AppImage, dmg, exe), you must first build the Next.js application in standalone mode, and then package it with Electron. We've made this simple for you and combined them into one step with a script.

Build Next.js source and package the application:

npm run build

*Note: If npm run build fails on Windows, try npm run build2. If you run into the following error, turn on Developer Mode in Windows settings.
ERROR: Cannot create symbolic link : A required privilege is not held by the client.
(Settings → Privacy & Security → For Developers → Developer Mode → On)

The output will be located in the dist directory.

Note: On Windows and MacOS, an installer will be built. You will have to run this to install the real application. The Linux version does not require this step.

Navigate to the dist directory and run the executable. The executable will have a different file extension depending on your operating system.

aeroduel_server-<version code>.nsis

aeroduel_server-<version code>.dmg

aeroduel_server-<version code>.AppImage
I use arch btw

• Automatic Server Hosting: Zero configuration required. The app automatically hosts a server on the local network at http://aeroduel.local:45045.
• Local Network Access: The server exposes an API that can be accessed from any device connected to the local network interface. This API is protected by auth tokens so that endpoints can only be used by the devices that need to access them.
• Real-time Communication with RC Planes: Using WebSockets or similar, the server maintains low-latency communication with the RC planes during each match to keep live score and run game logic.
• Hybrid Architecture: leverages Next.js "Standalone" mode to bundle a full Node.js server inside a desktop executable.
• Amazing UI: Handmade UI elements and animations to create a modern and sleek experience while keeping the UX simple and intuitive.
• Open Source: Built with open source technologies like Next.js, Electron, and Tailwind CSS, well documented, and fully open source. Fork the project and customize it to your heart's content!

While there are no unit tests for this repository yet, there are simulator GUIs to test the ESP32's and mobile app's endpoints.

You can find this repository here.

You can find this repository here.

We built Aeroduel to be hacked on. The game logic resides entirely within this backend application. This means developers can fork this repository to customize the game experience. Anything from tweaked game logic to full-on custom game modes can be built with the right skill set and experience. Add AI to the mix, and you don't even have to know how to code to make modifications!

We encourage the community to fork, modify, and play around with the code! Our only requirement is that you adhere to the MIT license and provide attribution for this project if you decide to use it in a public project — commercially or otherwise.

Besides the fact that the application is incomplete, there are a few known issues.

• Some phones, including some or all Android phones (tested on Android 13 and 16), do not support using mDNS to connect to aeroduel.local:45045. This may affect the mobile app's ability to work on some devices. We are unsure if this is something we can fix on our end.
  • Possible workaround we can implement: put an API on aeroduel.com and send the game PIN and local IP to it. This would also allow for players to not need to be on the same Wi-Fi network anymore.

This is not a bug on our end. This is a device-specific issue.

For actual bugs that we can fix, see BUGS.md.

aeroduel_backend/
├── electron/          # Electron main process & preload script
├── public/            # Static assets (Images, fonts, etc.)
├── src/               # Next.js source code (React UI & API)
├── next.config.ts     # Next.js configuration (Standalone mode enabled)
└── package.json       # Dependencies & Build configuration

• Core Server Architecture: Next.js running inside Electron.
• Production Packaging: Native binaries for Linux/Windows/Mac.
• Local Server Hosting: Next.js API available via LAN at aeroduel.local:45045 at all times.
• Plane Registration/Linking Let users register their planes and link the physical plane's software with the local server during a match.
• Game Logic Implementation: Hit processing and score tracking.
• Complete API: API endpoints for everything required for the game, from linking planes and starting matches to registering hits and disqualifying planes.
• WebSocket Integration: WebSocket implementation to keep mobile app updated with live scores and game state and send commands to planes.

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.

"Zytronium"

• Malik Vance
• "Zytronium"
• Tristan Davis
• Zack Yuan