Server

The server (ishtaria-server, AGPL-3.0) is authoritative: clients send intentions, the server decides outcomes.

Sharding by cells

The planet surface is divided into H3 cells. A simulation node owns a set of cells. Empty cells run in an economy mode; busy cells can be split across more nodes. When an entity crosses a cell boundary owned by another node, it is handed over through NATS.

A small world runs everything in one process. Sharding is an operator choice, not a requirement.

Tick rates

• Active zone around players: 20–60 Hz, full physics.

• Surroundings: a few Hz, simplified entities, no physics.

• Rest of the planet: aggregate models, minutes to hours of game time per step. See Simulation and persistent time.

Process layout

• ishtaria-server – gateway, simulation, federation endpoint.

• systemd unit ishtaria-server.service running as user ishtaria.

• Configuration in /etc/ishtaria/server.toml, state in /var/lib/ishtaria.