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Introduction

What is Mesh?

Mesh is a command-based WebSocket framework for real-time apps. It uses Redis to coordinate connections, rooms, presence, and shared state across distributed servers—with built-in support for structured commands, latency tracking, and automatic reconnection.

Core Concepts

Mesh is built from a small set of primitives. Each one is simple, but together they let you build powerful real-time systems.

Quickstart

Here’s the fastest way to get a server and client talking.

1. Install the package

npm install @mesh-kit/core

2. Start a Redis server (if needed)

docker run -p 6379:6379 redis

3. Create a server

import { MeshServer } from "@mesh-kit/core/server"; const server = new MeshServer({ port: 8080, redisOptions: { host: "localhost", port: 6379 }, }); server.exposeCommand("echo", async (ctx) => { return `echo: ${ctx.payload}`; });

4. Connect from a client

import { MeshClient } from "@mesh-kit/core/client"; const client = new MeshClient("ws://localhost:8080"); await client.connect(); const response = await client.command("echo", "Hello!"); console.log(response); // "echo: Hello!"

Who is this for?

Mesh is for the 95% of real-world apps that need real-time sync—but don’t want to build a protocol, socket engine, or multi-server infra from scratch.

Common use cases where Mesh works well:

Collaborative apps

  • Live cursors
  • Shared documents or boards
  • Co-browsing

Dashboards and control panels

  • IoT devices
  • Live analytics
  • Monitoring & alerts

Real-time social features

  • Chat and presence
  • Typing indicators
  • Notification feeds

Async or turn-based games

  • Card or strategy games
  • Shared inventories and positions
  • Multiplayer state syncing
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