Vanguard Documentation¶

This directory is the complete guide and reference for Vanguard. The root project README is a quick introduction; these documents cover behavior, guarantees, edge cases, and the full public API.

Developer Notice

Vanguard is currently available through Wally. The source is available on GitHub.

Developer Notice

Vanguard is in early development and receives frequent updates. Check Wally for the newest published version and the changelog for work in progress.

Developer Workflow

Use Rojo and Wally together with Vanguard for the smoothest development experience.

Start Here¶

Guide	What it covers
Getting Started	Installation, project layout, first service, first controller, and bootstrap
Configuration	Every `StartOptions` field and server/client defaults
Lifecycle	Registration, init ordering, priorities, start hooks, and `OnStart`
API Reference	Every method and public field on the main Vanguard module
Type System	Exported Luau types and autocomplete patterns
Roadmap	Next release focus, later initiatives, sequencing, and completion criteria

Framework Concepts¶

Guide	What it covers
Services	Server-owned systems, client-facing methods, priority, and discovery
Controllers	Client-owned systems and service proxies
Components	CollectionService-backed behavior and per-instance cleanup
Classes	Constructors, inheritance, registries, and runtime checks
Plugins	Extension registration, lifecycle hooks, dependency ordering, and diagnostics
Networking	Remote functions, signals, properties, replicators, client proxies, and protocol checks
Replicators	Server-owned replicated state trees, partial updates, and path observers
Network Security	Validation, authentication, verification, rate limits, and rejection handling
Network Protocols	Protocol 2, legacy protocol 1, handshake attributes, transport semantics, and compatibility
Errors	Stable framework error codes, direct links, causes, and resolutions

Utilities¶

The utility index explains when to use each utility.

Utility	Guide
Cache	Cache
Class	Class
Cleaner	Cleaner
Component	Components
Logger	Logger
Math	Math
NetworkGuard	NetworkGuard
PluginHost	Plugins
Promise	Promise
RateLimiter	RateLimiter
Replicator	Replicators
RemoteProperty	Networking
RemoteSignal	Networking
Signal	Signal
Switch	Switch
Validator	Validator

Operations¶

Guide	What it covers
Troubleshooting	Startup errors, Wally paths, remote failures, and debugging checklists
Migrating from Knit	Hook aliases, API mapping, and migration differences
Roadmap	Toolbox distribution, utilities, tooling, docs, and contributions

What's Next¶

Vanguard 0.1.15 ships the Plugin Developer API, a protocol 2 compatibility boundary, and the first Replicator state-tree API. Later roadmap work includes a Roblox Toolbox release, additional utilities, expanded documentation, Studio tooling, and a clearer community contribution process.

Roadmap features are not available until they appear in the Changelog as released behavior.

Documentation Conventions¶

Vanguard.Method(...) and Vanguard:Method(...) are both supported by public methods on the main module.
Utility objects use normal Lua method conventions. Call instance methods with : unless a guide explicitly says otherwise.
Server examples belong in ServerScriptService; client examples belong in StarterPlayerScripts or another client container.
A callback shown as returning boolean, string? should return true on success or false, reason on rejection.
Ordering described as alphabetical uses the registered object's Name.

Version¶

These docs describe Vanguard 0.1.15 and network protocol 2. Vanguard 0.1.14 remains the last protocol 1 release; see the Changelog for compatibility notes.