# Installation

RconDataBridge is a server-side-only mod. There's no client component to
install; players don't need it, and it does nothing to the game client. It
only needs to run on the dedicated server process itself.

## Requirements

- A Project Zomboid dedicated server, Build 42.0.0 or newer.
- RCON enabled on that server, meaning `RCONPort` and `RCONPassword` are set
  in the server's `.ini` file. RconDataBridge has no transport of its own;
  every interaction happens over the RCON connection the server already
  exposes, so if RCON isn't reachable, this mod isn't reachable either.

## Getting the mod onto the server

Install it like any other Project Zomboid mod:

1. Copy, or Steam Workshop subscribe to, the mod so that its folder,
   containing `mod.info`, `poster.png`, and the `common/` tree, ends up
   under the server's `mods` search path (typically the server's
   `Zomboid/mods/` directory, or the Workshop cache if installed that way).
2. Add the mod to the server config, either through the in-game or admin
   server settings screen, or by editing the server's `.ini` directly: add
   `RconDataBridge` to the `Mods=` list, and, if installed via Steam
   Workshop, the corresponding Workshop item id to `WorkshopItems=`.
3. Restart the server. Lua mods in Project Zomboid have no hot reload, so
   any install or update requires a full server restart to take effect.

## Verifying it's running

Once the server is back up, connect with any RCON client and run:

```text
showoptions
```

You should see, among the roughly 140 built-in server options, a handful of
`RconDataBridge_*` entries:

- `RconDataBridge_ProtocolVersion`
- `RconDataBridge_WorldStats`
- `RconDataBridge_Request`
- `RconDataBridge_Response`
- `RconDataBridge_LastResponse`

All of their values are base64 encoded; see [Protocol
Reference](Protocol-Reference) before trying to read them by eye.

If the server has a very large `showoptions` output, be aware that Project
Zomboid's RCON implementation chunks large responses across multiple
packets with no explicit end-of-response marker. A client that stops
reading after the first packet can appear to be missing these options
intermittently, even though the mod registered them correctly; that's a
client-side accumulation issue, not a sign the mod isn't running. If in
doubt, check the server's own log for a `[RconDataBridge] bootstrap
complete` line, which is printed once boot finishes successfully.

`RconDataBridge_PlayerStats_<id>` options are not present at boot; they're
created lazily, the first time a `get_player` request is made for that
specific player (see [Operations Reference](Operations-Reference)). Don't
expect to see them until then.

## Configuring it

Everything tunable, such as rate limits, poll cadence, and the idempotency
window, is exposed through Project Zomboid's own Sandbox Options system,
under an `RconDataBridge` page reachable either when creating a new save
("Sandbox Settings"), or from the in-game admin panel on an already running
server. See [Configuration](Configuration) for the full list and what each
value does.