API Reference

This page summarizes the public API surface as documented across this site and the published examples. It is not a substitute for generated XML-doc/IntelliSense reference — treat it as a map of what exists, and cross-check exact signatures (parameter names, overloads, nullability) against the installed package before relying on details not shown elsewhere in this documentation.

NetworkClient (base class)

Abstract base class shared by Client and ServerClient. Members below are available on both.

Member	Description
bool IsConnected	Whether the underlying connection is currently active.
bool IsDisposed	Whether the instance has been disposed.
Task SendAsync(object message)	Sends a serializable message to the other side.
T GetController<T>()	Returns a proxy for a controller registered on the remote side.
void Close()	Closes the connection, waiting for in-flight data to finish sending.
void Dispose()	Disposes the instance, closing the connection without waiting for in-flight data.
Disconnected (event)	See Events.
Received (event)	See Events.
ReceivedError (event)	See Events.
ControllerResolve (event)	See Events and RMI advanced.

Client (extends NetworkClient)

Member	Description
Client(string host, int port)	Creates a client targeting the given host/port.
Client(string host, int port, ClientCredentials credentials)	Creates a client that will authenticate with the given credentials. See Authentication.
Client(string host, int port, NetworkConfig config)	Creates a client with custom configuration. See Configuration.
Client(string host, int port, ClientCredentials credentials, NetworkConfig config)	Combines credentials and custom configuration.
Client(IPEndPoint address) / (address, credentials) / (address, config) / (address, credentials, config)	Same as above, but targeting an IPEndPoint instead of separate host/port.
EndPoint RemoteEndPoint	The server’s endpoint (updated to the resolved endpoint once connected).
Task ConnectAsync()	Connects to the server (and authenticates, if configured). Throws ClientAuthenticationException on auth failure, NetworkConnectionOpenException if the TCP connection itself can’t be opened. Can be called again on the same instance after a Disconnected event to reconnect.
Task ConnectSslAsync()	Same as ConnectAsync(), but negotiates TLS over the connection. See FAQ.
Task ConnectSslAsync(string serverName)	Same as ConnectSslAsync(), additionally validating the server certificate against serverName.
void Use<TControllerInterface, TController>()	Registers an RMI controller implementation (instantiated via its parameterless constructor).
void Use<TControllerInterface, TController>(TController controller)	Registers an already-created RMI controller instance.
protected virtual bool OnValidateServerCertificate(...)	Override to customize SSL certificate validation (default: reject any certificate with policy errors).
Connected (event)	See Events.

Server (implements IDisposable)

Member	Description
Server(string host, int port)	Creates a server bound to the given host/port.
Server(string host, int port, NetworkConfig config)	Creates a server with custom configuration.
Server(string host, int port, X509Certificate certificate)	Creates a server that requires clients to connect over SSL. See FAQ.
Server(string host, int port, X509Certificate certificate, NetworkConfig config)	Combines SSL and custom configuration.
Server(IPEndPoint address) / (address, config) / (address, certificate) / (address, certificate, config)	Same as above, but targeting an IPEndPoint instead of separate host/port.
bool Listening	Set to true to start accepting connections on a background thread; set to false to stop.
Task ListenAsync()	Starts listening and returns a Task that completes when the listen loop ends (e.g. Listening set to false or a fatal accept error) — an awaitable alternative to Listening = true.
IPEndPoint LocalEndpoint	The address the server is actually bound to.
bool DisconnectClientsOnDispose	Whether connected clients are disposed when the server is disposed (default true).
bool IsDisposed	Whether the server has been disposed.
Task SendToAllAsync(object message, ServerClient exceptClient = null)	Broadcasts a message to all connected clients, optionally excluding one. Throws AggregateException if sending fails for one or more clients.
ServerClient[] GetClients()	Returns currently connected clients.
ServerClient GetClient(object identity)	Returns the connected client with the given identity, or null.
void Use<TControllerInterface, TController>()	Registers an RMI controller implementation shared by all clients.
void Use<TControllerInterface, TController>(Func<ServerClient, TController> controllerProvider)	Registers an RMI controller factory, invoked once per client connection (see RMI advanced).
void Dispose()	Stops listening and disconnects all clients (if DisconnectClientsOnDispose).
ClientAuthenticate (event)	See Authentication.
ClientConnectingError (event)	See Error handling.
ClientConnected (event)	See Events.
ClientDisconnected (event)	See Events.
Received (event)	See Events.
ReceivedError (event)	See Events.
ControllerResolve (event)	See Events and RMI advanced.

ServerClient (extends NetworkClient)

Represents a single connected client from the server’s perspective (obtained from Server.GetClients()/Server.GetClient(identity) or from e.Client in server events).

Member	Description
object Identity	The identity assigned during authentication (see Authentication).
Server Server	The Server that accepted this client; null once the server has been disposed.
EndPoint RemoteEndPoint	The client’s remote endpoint.
void Use<TControllerInterface, TController>() / (TController controller)	Registers an RMI controller for this specific client connection.

GetController<T>(), SendAsync, Close, Dispose, IsConnected, IsDisposed, and the Disconnected/Received/ReceivedError/ControllerResolve events are inherited from NetworkClient (see above).

NetworkConfig

Encoding and Serializer are both read-only — set only via constructor, never via object initializer. See Configuration for the full constructor list.

Member	Description
static NetworkConfig Default	The configuration used when none is passed explicitly to a Client/Server constructor.
Encoding Encoding	Encoding used for text/primitive payloads. Default: UTF8.
INetworkSerializer Serializer	Serializer used for object payloads. Default: built-in Json.NET-based serializer.

ClientCredentials

Member	Description
UserName	Basic auth username.
Password	Basic auth password.
Token	Alternative to username/password.

[Serializable]. Can be subclassed to pass additional/custom authentication data. See Authentication.

INetworkSerializer

public interface INetworkSerializer
{
    void Serialize(Stream stream, object value);
    object Deserialize(Stream stream, Type type);
}

See Writing a custom serializer.

Exceptions

Type	Thrown when
ClientAuthenticationException	ConnectAsync()/ConnectSslAsync() fails authentication (server did not set e.Authenticated = true, or the auth handshake itself errored). Derives from System.Security.Authentication.AuthenticationException.
NetworkConnectionOpenException	The client failed to open the underlying TCP/SSL connection (before authentication is attempted).
NetworkConnectionBreakException	The connection was unexpectedly closed while reading/writing (e.g. remote side disconnected mid-message).
NetworkObjectProtocolViolationException	An unexpected error occurred while reading/writing the message framing itself (not a serialization error). Derives from System.Net.ProtocolViolationException.
NetworkSerializationException	INetworkSerializer.Serialize/Deserialize threw while processing a specific message. Exposes TypeName and SerializationException (the original error). Derives from System.Net.ProtocolViolationException.
NetworkSerializationTypeNotFoundException	A message referenced a type name that couldn’t be resolved via Type.GetType(...) on the receiving side (e.g. type doesn’t exist/isn’t referenced there). Derives from NetworkSerializationException.
NetworkControllerInvocationException	An RMI call failed — see RMI advanced for the full breakdown via its Type/RemoteMessage/RemoteException properties.