Asset request/response pipeline #3

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opened 2026-03-16 06:58:10 +00:00 by kit · 0 comments

kit commented

2026-03-16 06:58:10 +00:00

Owner

Implement the asset delivery system so the client can request and receive raw Source engine files from the server.

Server side (native module)

Handle asset_request JSON messages from clients
Read requested file via IFileSystem::Open() (already have the interface pointer)
Validate/sanitize paths — only serve files under game content paths, reject .. traversal
Send file contents as binary WebSocket frames with MSG_ASSET_DATA (0x10) header: u8 type | u16 path_len | utf8 path | raw bytes

Client side

When a new model_id appears in a snapshot, check IndexedDB cache first
If not cached, send asset_request to server
Store received raw data in IndexedDB keyed by path
This is the foundation for Phase 2 (BSP maps) and Phase 3 (MDL models)

Security considerations

Path validation is critical — the module has access to the full engine filesystem
Whitelist allowed file extensions (.mdl, .vtx, .vvd, .vtf, .vmt, .bsp)
Reject any path containing .. or starting with /

Implement the asset delivery system so the client can request and receive raw Source engine files from the server. ### Server side (native module) - Handle `asset_request` JSON messages from clients - Read requested file via `IFileSystem::Open()` (already have the interface pointer) - Validate/sanitize paths — only serve files under game content paths, reject `..` traversal - Send file contents as binary WebSocket frames with `MSG_ASSET_DATA` (0x10) header: `u8 type | u16 path_len | utf8 path | raw bytes` ### Client side - When a new `model_id` appears in a snapshot, check IndexedDB cache first - If not cached, send `asset_request` to server - Store received raw data in IndexedDB keyed by path - This is the foundation for Phase 2 (BSP maps) and Phase 3 (MDL models) ### Security considerations - Path validation is critical — the module has access to the full engine filesystem - Whitelist allowed file extensions (`.mdl`, `.vtx`, `.vvd`, `.vtf`, `.vmt`, `.bsp`) - Reject any path containing `..` or starting with `/`