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Server Architecture

Understanding mooR's architecture is key to successfully running and maintaining a mooR server. Unlike traditional MOO servers that consisted of a single executable, mooR is designed as a modular system with multiple components working together.

Component Overview

A complete mooR installation consists of several specialized components:

Core Components

moor-daemon : The heart of the system. This component manages the MOO database, executes verbs, handles object manipulation, and coordinates all MOO operations. Think of it as the "brain" that understands MOO code and maintains the virtual world's state.

moor-telnet-host : Provides traditional telnet access for players. This component handles the classic MOO experience that players familiar with LambdaMOO expect - text-based connections over port 8888 (by default).

moor-web-host : Offers modern web browser access via HTTP and WebSocket connections. This component enables players to connect through web browsers and provides the foundation for web-based MOO clients.

curl-worker : Handles outbound HTTP requests from MOO code. When your MOO needs to fetch data from external APIs, send webhooks, or interact with web services, this component manages those network operations safely.

How Components Communicate

All components communicate through authenticated RPC (Remote Procedure Call) connections:

  • The daemon acts as the central coordinator
  • Hosts (telnet and web) connect to the daemon to relay player commands and receive responses
  • Workers (like curl-worker) connect to the daemon to handle specific tasks
  • Authentication uses cryptographic keys (moor-signing-key.pem and moor-verifying-key.pem)

Advantages of This Design

Flexibility: You can run different components on different machines or scale them independently based on your needs.

Security: Network operations are isolated in separate workers, reducing security risks to the core MOO environment.

Modernization: The modular design allows adding new connection types (like web interfaces) without changing the core MOO logic.

Reliability: If a host crashes, only that connection type is affected - the core MOO world continues running.

Deployment Considerations

This modular architecture means there are more pieces to coordinate compared to traditional MOO servers. However, mooR provides several approaches to make this manageable:

  • Docker Compose: Orchestrates all components automatically (recommended for most users)
  • Debian Packages: Handles system integration for Debian-based systems
  • Manual Setup: For custom deployments or development environments

The next sections cover each of these deployment approaches in detail.