Signaling Server

The CloudGaming signaling server is a Node.js application that facilitates WebRTC peer connection establishment between hosts and clients.

Architecture Overview

The signaling server provides:

WebSocket Signaling: SDP offer/answer exchange and ICE candidate relay
Redis Pub/Sub: Multi-node horizontal scaling
Room Management: Isolated signaling channels per game session
Health Checks: Railway-compatible health/readiness endpoints
Rate Limiting: Redis-backed rate limiting for abuse prevention

Implementation

Server Initialization

// From Server/ScalableSignalingServer.js:478-511
async function main() {
    // Connect to Redis for pub/sub and state management
    await redisClient.connect();
    await subscriber.connect();
    log('info', 'Connected to Redis');
    
    // Subscribe to room pattern for cross-node message forwarding
    await subscriber.pSubscribe('room:*', handleRedisMessage);
    log('info', 'Subscribed to Redis channel pattern', { pattern: 'room:*' });
    
    // Start combined HTTP + WebSocket server
    const listenPort = process.env.PORT || config.wsPort;
    httpServer.listen(listenPort, () => {
        log('info', 'Scalable Signaling Server listening', { port: listenPort });
    });
}

WebSocket Protocol
Redis Pub/Sub
Session Management
Health & Metrics

WebSocket Signaling Protocol

Connection Flow

Client connects with room ID:

ws://signaling-server:3002?roomId=GAME-ABC-123

Server validates and joins room:

// From Server/ScalableSignalingServer.js:177-336
async function handleNewConnection(ws, request) {
    const parameters = new url.URL(request.url, `ws://${request.headers.host}`).searchParams;
    const roomId = parameters.get('roomId');
    
    // Validate room ID
    if (!validateRoomId(roomId)) {
        ws.close(1008, 'Invalid roomId');
        return;
    }
    
    // Check rate limits
    const allowed = await rateLimiter.allow({
        namespace: 'conn',
        id: ip,
        limit: config.rateLimitConnPer10s,
        periodSeconds: 10
    });
    
    // Atomically join room via Redis
    const result = await atomicJoin(redisClient, roomKey, clientId, config.roomCapacity);
    if (result === -1) {
        ws.close(1000, 'Room is full');
        return;
    }
    
    // Add to local room map and start heartbeat
    localRooms.get(roomId).add(ws);
    startHeartbeat(ws);
}

Exchange signaling messages:

// Client -> Server
{
  "type": "offer",
  "sdp": "v=0\r\no=..."
}

// Server -> Peer
{
  "type": "offer",
  "sdp": "v=0\r\no=..."
}

// Peer -> Server
{
  "type": "answer",
  "sdp": "v=0\r\no=..."
}

// Server -> Client
{
  "type": "answer",
  "sdp": "v=0\r\no=..."
}

Message Types

SDP Messages

Offer: Initial connection proposal from client

{
  "type": "offer",
  "sdp": "v=0\r\n..."
}

Answer: Host response to client offer

{
  "type": "answer",
  "sdp": "v=0\r\n..."
}

ICE Candidates

Candidate: Network connectivity information

{
  "type": "candidate",
  "candidate": "candidate:1 1 UDP 2130706431 192.168.1.100 54321 typ host",
  "sdpMid": "0",
  "sdpMLineIndex": 0
}

Control Messages

Peer Disconnected: Notification when peer leaves

{
  "type": "peer-disconnected"
}

Schema Error: Validation failure notification

{
  "type": "control",
  "action": "schema-error"
}

Schema Validation

// From Server/validation.js (referenced in ScalableSignalingServer.js:385-392)
const validation = validateSignalingMessage(parsedMessage);
if (!validation.ok) {
    log('warn', 'Dropping invalid signaling message');
    ws.send(JSON.stringify({ type: 'control', action: 'schema-error' }));
    incSchemaRejects();
    return;
}

Ensures all messages conform to expected structure before forwarding.

Redis-Based Multi-Node Scaling

Room-Based Channels

Each room uses a dedicated Redis channel:

// From Server/ScalableSignalingServer.js:140-176
function handleRedisMessage(message, channel) {
    const roomId = channel.replace(/^room:/, '');
    
    // Parse message payload
    const { senderId, data, originServerId } = JSON.parse(message);
    
    // Skip messages from this server (avoid loops)
    if (originServerId === serverInstanceId) {
        return;
    }
    
    // Forward to local clients in this room
    const clientsInRoom = localRooms.get(roomId);
    clientsInRoom.forEach(client => {
        if (client.clientId !== senderId && client.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) {
            // Check backpressure before sending
            if (client.bufferedAmount > config.backpressureCloseThresholdBytes) {
                log('warn', 'Closing client due to excessive backpressure');
                client.close(1013, 'Server overloaded');
                return;
            }
            client.send(JSON.stringify(data));
        }
    });
}

Message Flow

Client A sends to Server 1:
Client A -> Server 1 (WebSocket)

Server 1 publishes to Redis:

await redisClient.publish(roomKey, JSON.stringify({
    senderId: ws.clientId,
    data: validation.data,
    originServerId: serverInstanceId
}));

All servers receive via pub/sub:

Redis Pub/Sub -> Server 1, Server 2, Server 3, ...

Each server forwards to local clients:

Server 2 -> Client B (WebSocket)
Server 3 -> Client C (WebSocket)

Local Fanout Optimization

// From Server/ScalableSignalingServer.js:413-425
// Local fanout for same-instance peers (faster than pub/sub)
const peers = localRooms.get(ws.roomId);
if (peers && peers.size > 0) {
    const payload = JSON.stringify(validation.data);
    peers.forEach((peer) => {
        if (peer !== ws && peer.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) {
            peer.send(payload);
        }
    });
}

Clients on the same server instance receive messages directly without Redis round-trip.

Atomic Operations

// From Server/redisScripts.js (referenced in ScalableSignalingServer.js:281)
const atomicJoin = async (client, roomKey, clientId, maxCapacity) => {
    // Lua script ensures atomic room size check and add
    const script = `
        local size = redis.call('SCARD', KEYS[1])
        if size >= tonumber(ARGV[2]) then
            return -1
        end
        redis.call('SADD', KEYS[1], ARGV[1])
        return 1
    `;
    
    return await client.eval(script, {
        keys: [roomKey],
        arguments: [clientId, maxCapacity.toString()]
    });
};

Prevents race conditions when multiple clients join simultaneously.

Room & Session Handling

Room Lifecycle

// From Server/ScalableSignalingServer.js:276-306
// Join room atomically
const roomKey = `room:${roomId}`;
const clientId = safeClientId();
const result = await atomicJoin(redisClient, roomKey, clientId, config.roomCapacity);

if (result === -1) {
    log('info', 'Room is full, rejecting connection');
    ws.close(1000, 'Room is full');
    return;
}

// Add to local tracking
ws.roomId = roomId;
ws.clientId = clientId;
if (!localRooms.has(roomId)) {
    localRooms.set(roomId, new Set());
}
localRooms.get(roomId).add(ws);

Heartbeat & Connection Monitoring

// From Server/ScalableSignalingServer.js:308-325
ws.isAlive = true;
const heartbeat = setInterval(() => {
    if (!ws || ws.readyState !== WebSocket.OPEN) return;
    
    if (!ws.isAlive) {
        log('warn', 'Terminating unresponsive client');
        ws.terminate();
        return;
    }
    
    ws.isAlive = false;
    ws.ping();
}, config.heartbeatIntervalMs);

ws.on('pong', () => {
    ws.isAlive = true;
});

Default heartbeat interval: 30 seconds

Graceful Disconnection

// From Server/ScalableSignalingServer.js:441-472
async function handleDisconnection(ws, roomKey) {
    // Clear heartbeat
    if (ws._heartbeat) clearInterval(ws._heartbeat);
    
    // Remove from local map
    const roomClients = localRooms.get(ws.roomId);
    if (roomClients) {
        roomClients.delete(ws);
        if (roomClients.size === 0) {
            localRooms.delete(ws.roomId);
        }
    }
    
    // Remove from Redis and notify peers
    await atomicLeave(redisClient, roomKey, ws.clientId, config.roomTtlSeconds);
    await redisClient.publish(roomKey, JSON.stringify({
        senderId: ws.clientId,
        data: { type: 'peer-disconnected' }
    }));
}

Room Capacity & TTL

Configurable via environment variables:

# Maximum clients per room
ROOM_CAPACITY=10

# Room data expiration (Redis TTL)
ROOM_TTL_SECONDS=3600

Health Checks & Monitoring

Railway-Compatible Endpoints

// From Server/ScalableSignalingServer.js:94-122
const httpServer = http.createServer(async (req, res) => {
    // Liveness probe (always healthy if process is running)
    if (req.url === '/healthz') {
        res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
        res.end('ok');
        return;
    }
    
    // Readiness probe (checks Redis connection)
    if (req.url === '/readyz') {
        try {
            const pong = await redisClient.ping();
            if (pong === 'PONG' && !draining) {
                res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
                res.end('ready');
            } else {
                res.writeHead(503, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
                res.end('not-ready');
            }
        } catch (_) {
            res.writeHead(503, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
            res.end('not-ready');
        }
        return;
    }
    
    // Prometheus-style metrics
    if (req.url === '/metrics') {
        return metricsHandler(req, res);
    }
});

Prometheus Metrics

// From Server/metrics.js (referenced in ScalableSignalingServer.js:9-22)
const metrics = {
    activeConnections: new Counter('active_connections'),
    localRooms: new Counter('local_rooms'),
    messagesForwarded: new Counter('messages_forwarded'),
    schemaRejects: new Counter('schema_rejects'),
    rateLimitDrops: new Counter('rate_limit_drops'),
    backpressureCloses: new Counter('backpressure_closes'),
    redisLatency: new Histogram('redis_latency_ms'),
    fanoutLatency: new Histogram('fanout_latency_ms')
};

Circuit Breaker

// From Server/ScalableSignalingServer.js:67-84
let redisFailureCount = 0;
let redisCircuitOpenUntil = 0;

function noteRedisFailure() {
    redisFailureCount += 1;
    if (redisFailureCount >= config.cbErrorThreshold) {
        redisCircuitOpenUntil = Date.now() + config.cbOpenMs;
        setCircuitBreakerOpen(true);
        log('warn', 'Redis circuit opened', { until: redisCircuitOpenUntil });
    }
}

function noteRedisSuccess() {
    redisFailureCount = 0;
    if (redisCircuitOpenUntil && Date.now() >= redisCircuitOpenUntil) {
        redisCircuitOpenUntil = 0;
        setCircuitBreakerOpen(false);
    }
}

Circuit breaker settings:

Threshold: 3 consecutive failures
Open duration: 5000ms
Prevents cascade failures when Redis is unavailable

Configuration

Environment Variables

# Server
PORT=3002                              # HTTP + WebSocket port
NODE_ENV=production                    # Environment mode

# Redis
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379      # Redis connection URL

# Security
REQUIRE_WSS=true                       # Force WSS in production
ALLOWED_ORIGINS=https://example.com    # CORS origins (comma-separated)
SUBPROTOCOL=cloudgaming-v1            # WebSocket subprotocol

# Rate Limiting
RATE_LIMIT_CONN_PER_10S=10            # Connection attempts per IP
RATE_LIMIT_IP_MSGS_PER_10S=500        # Messages per IP
RATE_LIMIT_ROOM_MSGS_PER_10S=1000     # Messages per room

# Capacity
ROOM_CAPACITY=10                       # Max clients per room
ROOM_TTL_SECONDS=3600                  # Redis key expiration
MESSAGE_MAX_BYTES=65536               # Max message size
BACKPRESSURE_THRESHOLD_BYTES=1048576  # Backpressure limit

# Monitoring
HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL_MS=30000           # Ping interval
DRAIN_TIMEOUT_MS=5000                 # Graceful shutdown timeout

Authentication (Optional)

# JWT Authentication
ENABLE_AUTH=true
JWT_SECRET=your-secret-key
JWT_ISSUER=cloudgaming-issuer
JWT_AUDIENCE=cloudgaming-audience
JWT_ALG=HS256
JWT_ROOMS_CLAIM=rooms                 # JWT claim containing allowed rooms

# Or JWKS URL for validation
JWT_JWKS_URL=https://auth.example.com/.well-known/jwks.json

Key Source Files

ScalableSignalingServer.js

Main signaling server implementation with WebSocket and Redis integration.

config.js

Configuration loader with environment variable parsing and defaults.

validation.js

Message schema validation using Zod for type safety.

rateLimiter.js

Redis-backed token bucket rate limiter implementation.

Deployment Tips:

Use Redis Cluster for high availability
Deploy multiple server instances behind a load balancer
Monitor /metrics endpoint with Prometheus
Set REQUIRE_WSS=true in production

Getting Started

Deployment

Components

Configuration

Operations

Signaling Server

Signaling Server

Architecture Overview

Implementation

Server Initialization

WebSocket Signaling Protocol

Connection Flow

Message Types

Schema Validation

Redis-Based Multi-Node Scaling

Room-Based Channels

Message Flow

Local Fanout Optimization

Atomic Operations

Room & Session Handling

Room Lifecycle

Heartbeat & Connection Monitoring

Graceful Disconnection

Room Capacity & TTL

Health Checks & Monitoring

Railway-Compatible Endpoints

Prometheus Metrics

Circuit Breaker

Configuration

Environment Variables

Authentication (Optional)

Key Source Files

ScalableSignalingServer.js

config.js

validation.js

rateLimiter.js

​Signaling Server

​Architecture Overview

​Implementation

​Server Initialization

​WebSocket Signaling Protocol

​Connection Flow

​Message Types

​Schema Validation

​Redis-Based Multi-Node Scaling

​Room-Based Channels

​Message Flow

​Local Fanout Optimization

​Atomic Operations

​Room & Session Handling

​Room Lifecycle

​Heartbeat & Connection Monitoring

​Graceful Disconnection

​Room Capacity & TTL

​Health Checks & Monitoring

​Railway-Compatible Endpoints

​Prometheus Metrics

​Circuit Breaker

​Configuration

​Environment Variables

​Authentication (Optional)

​Key Source Files

ScalableSignalingServer.js

config.js

validation.js

rateLimiter.js

Signaling Server

Architecture Overview

Implementation

Server Initialization

WebSocket Signaling Protocol

Connection Flow

Message Types

Schema Validation

Redis-Based Multi-Node Scaling

Room-Based Channels

Message Flow

Local Fanout Optimization

Atomic Operations

Room & Session Handling

Room Lifecycle

Heartbeat & Connection Monitoring

Graceful Disconnection

Room Capacity & TTL

Health Checks & Monitoring

Railway-Compatible Endpoints

Prometheus Metrics

Circuit Breaker

Configuration

Environment Variables

Authentication (Optional)

Key Source Files