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What it does

The server loader (@nanoforge-dev/loader-server) runs the server app of your game. nf start starts one for each server app, pointed at the app’s build folder (-d, --dir <dir>, required). It lists the files of the build folder, finds main.js at its root, and starts a child process (the worker) that loads main.js and calls its main function. When the worker exits (a crash, or a process.exit() in your game), the server loader stops too, even with --watch.

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What your server’s main receives

The main.ts that nf new generates passes this object to app.init. files is built once, when the loader starts. A file added to the build later is not in it until the loader restarts (stop and start nf dev or nf start).

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Restart on change

With --watch (set by nf dev), the loader watches the build folder. When a file changes, it stops the worker and starts a new one, with a clean state. Changes closer than 100 ms count as one restart. Players connected to the old worker lose their connection when it restarts.

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Common errors

  • No game dir specified: the loader was started without -d. nf start always passes it; check the server’s out.dir.
  • No main.js found: the build folder has no main.js at its root. Run nf build, and keep the server entry file named main.ts.
  • An error thrown by your game: the worker prints it and exits, and the server loader stops with it. Fix the error, then restart nf dev (or nf start).