The gaming and database development communities are discussing SpacetimeDB, a combined database and server system designed for multiplayer applications. While its technical capabilities have garnered interest, community members have raised questions about its licensing model and practical applications for game development.
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| A GitHub repository page for SpacetimeDB showcasing its collaborative development |
Licensing Concerns Emerge
SpacetimeDB is licensed under the Business Source License (BSL) 1.1, which later converts to AGPL v3.0 with a custom linking exception. This licensing choice has sparked debate among potential users. One community member succinctly pointed out the project is not open source, highlighting a potential adoption barrier for developers who prefer fully open-source solutions. The creators explain their motivation is ensuring contributions to SpacetimeDB are shared with the community while not forcing users to open-source their own code when linking with SpacetimeDB.
Gaming Applications Missing Key Features
Despite SpacetimeDB's marketing focus on multiplayer game development, some users have noted significant gaps in its feature set. The database lacks built-in motion prediction and multiversion capabilities that would be expected for a gaming-focused database solution.
I kept on reading expecting to see motion prediction, multiversion, or similar given the name and focus on games, but no. This is a totally normal database, designed for low latency and with support for WASM stored procedures.
This observation suggests that while SpacetimeDB provides a foundation for persistent multiplayer worlds, developers will still need to implement their own lag masking netcode and other game-specific optimizations.
Scalability Questions Remain Unanswered
Community members have raised concerns about SpacetimeDB's scalability capabilities, which remain largely unaddressed in the available documentation. When one user directly asked how does one scale this?, another responded that scaling appears to be primarily vertical, noting the absence of any mention of scale tests or multiserver support. This limitation could be significant for developers looking to build applications that might need to scale horizontally across multiple servers.
Marketing Language Draws Criticism
The project's promotional language has also attracted criticism from the technical community. One comment specifically called out the README's claim that SpacetimeDB eliminates the need for microservices, containers, Kubernetes, Docker, VMs, DevOps, infrastructure, ops, and servers as excessive marketing hyperbole. This reaction highlights the technical community's preference for measured claims and realistic assessments of capabilities.
Despite these criticisms, SpacetimeDB has generated positive interest. Its innovative approach of combining database functionality with server-side processing through WASM stored procedures (called modules) represents an interesting technical direction. One user expressed enthusiasm, noting that the project addresses a long persisting itch in the back of my mind, suggesting that SpacetimeDB's core concept resonates with developers looking for simplified multiplayer backend solutions.
As SpacetimeDB continues to develop, the balance between its technical capabilities, licensing model, and marketing approach will likely determine its adoption among game developers and other potential users seeking streamlined database solutions for real-time applications.
Reference: SpacetimeDB