The Two-Map Party Game Server: Building GameNight Without a Database

Short summary

A developer shares the architecture of GameNight, a LAN party game server running five real-time games (Mafia-style, UNO, trivia, Scribble, Tic-Tac-Toe) using only two in-memory Maps — no database, no auth, no frontend build step. Key design decisions include zero shared abstraction across games, a consistent timer-cleanup pattern to prevent leaks, and mitigating timing-based deanonymization in social deduction games. The article demonstrates how extreme constraints can lead to simpler, more maintainable code.

• •Five real-time party games served from two in-memory Maps with no database or auth
• •Zero-abstraction architecture: each game gets its own functions and state shape
• •Consistent timer cleanup pattern prevents leaks across early game endings and disconnects

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