Cookbook

Practical recipes for building with Starfish. Each recipe solves a specific problem with working code examples in TypeScript, Python, and Swift.

Recipes

Getting Connected

• Connect with Automatic Reconnection — configure resilient connections that recover from network failures
• Handle Connection State Changes — react to connection lifecycle events

Sessions & Presence

• Join a Session and Track Who's Online — monitor connected clients with Presence

Messaging

• Publish/Subscribe to a Topic — basic pub/sub messaging pattern
• Send Reliable vs Unreliable Messages — choose the right delivery mode
• Broadcast to Specific Clients — send messages to selected recipients
• Request/Reply Pattern — RPC-style communication with replyTo

Matchmaking

• Random Pairing with Auto Mode — pair strangers automatically with pools
• Attribute Filtering — match only compatible clients with filter
• Custom Matchmaker with Delegated Mode — form groups yourself with assign()
• Re-pairing When a Peer Disconnects — find a new partner when yours leaves

Data & State

• Store and Sync Shared State — use state operations for collaborative state

Advanced

• Filter Events by Type or Topic — selectively handle events
• Use WebRTC Data Channels — low-latency peer-to-peer messaging
• Share Realtime Media (Camera, Mic, Canvas) — send and receive live video/audio over the WebRTC mesh