Choose the Right Building Block¶

If you are new to Nalix, this page helps you choose the right entry point quickly.

Decision diagram¶

flowchart TD
    A["What are you trying to solve?"] --> B{"Need reliable ordered request/response?"}
    B -->|Yes| C["Use TCP: TcpListenerBase + Protocol + PacketDispatchChannel"]
    B -->|No| D{"Need low-latency datagrams?"}
    D -->|Yes| E["Use UDP: UdpListenerBase + session/auth flow"]
    D -->|No| F{"Need to change request behavior?"}
    F -->|Before packet deserialization| G["Use buffer middleware"]
    F -->|After packet deserialization| H["Use packet middleware"]
    F -->|Need custom policy tags or conventions| I["Use a metadata provider"]

Quick rules¶

Choose TCP when¶

• you want normal request/response
• ordering matters
• reliability matters
• you want the simplest starting path

Start with:

• TcpListenerBase
• Protocol
• PacketDispatchChannel

Choose UDP when¶

• you want lower-latency datagrams
• you can tolerate packet loss
• you already understand session identity and auth requirements

Start with:

• UdpListenerBase
• a TCP-backed session/bootstrap path
• IsAuthenticated(...)

Choose packet middleware when¶

• the packet is already deserialized
• you need PacketContext
• you care about permission, timeout, rate limit, audit, or handler policy

Choose buffer middleware when¶

• you need raw bytes
• you want to decrypt, decompress, validate, or drop before deserialization

Choose a metadata provider when¶

• you want custom attributes
• you want convention-based metadata
• you want middleware to read custom handler tags

Common examples¶

Suggested first path for most clients¶

If you are unsure, choose this order:

1. TCP
2. standard packet attributes
3. packet middleware
4. metadata provider
5. UDP

That path is easier to debug and easier for teams to adopt.

Related pages¶

• Glossary
• TCP Request/Response
• UDP Auth Flow
• Custom Middleware
• Custom Metadata Provider