LiGammon — Open-Source Online Backgammon Platform

In ProgressOpen SourceTypeScriptNext.jsNestJSPostgreSQLRedis

Open-source online backgammon gaming platform, featuring real-time multiplayer games, persistent game state, and a modern full-stack architecture.

LiGammon — Open-Source Online Backgammon Platform

Overview

LiGammon is an open-source online gaming platform that allows players to play backgammon matches in real time. The project is inspired by the Lichess model, focusing on a clean user experience, real-time gameplay, and an open, extensible architecture.

The platform is designed as a full-stack web application with a dedicated real-time game server to handle live match sessions.

Links

My Role

I am the creator and lead developer of LiGammon, responsible for the overall architecture, core feature development, and technical direction of the project.

My responsibilities include:

  • Designing and implementing the full-stack architecture
  • Developing real-time multiplayer gameplay logic
  • Building user-facing interfaces and game sessions
  • Integrating authentication, persistence, and state management systems

Architecture & Technical Design

LiGammon is built around a separation of concerns between the main web application and the real-time game engine.

  • The main application handles user accounts, matchmaking, game history, and UI
  • A dedicated game server manages live match sessions and real-time communication

This approach allows the system to scale and evolve independently.

Technical Scope

Full-Stack Application

  • Next.js used as a full-stack framework (server actions, APIs, UI)
  • A 100% client-side game session component for interactive gameplay

Real-Time Game Server

  • NestJS (BgServer) responsible for real-time game sessions
  • WebSocket-based communication for live gameplay events

Data & State

  • PostgreSQL for persistent game data and match history
  • Redis for real-time state management and session coordination

Authentication

  • Clerk for user authentication and identity management

UI / UX

  • Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui for consistent, accessible UI components
  • Focus on responsiveness and game-focused UX

Engineering Challenges

  • Designing real-time gameplay synchronization over WebSockets
  • Managing authoritative game state while keeping client interactions responsive
  • Separating persistent data from transient in-memory state
  • Ensuring clean boundaries between the UI layer and game logic

Current Status

LiGammon is actively under development. Core gameplay, real-time communication, and foundational architecture are implemented, with ongoing work focused on feature expansion and polish.