It’s core features are white-list control, authentication, and player collaboration via an online interface.
This is the official post for the MIT licensed server mod, which syncs with https://portal.minepass.net, a free web-application.
With MinePass players can receive instant visitor passes or submit resident/worker applications to gain access to worlds (configurable of course). Once a pass is issued, server authorization files are automatically updated, keeping them in-sync with the web-gui.
The minetest/opensource edition of this mod both authorizes and authenticates players.
I.E. It not only establishes your membership to worlds, but uniquely identifies who you are. In-game usernames/passwords are synced from the web-portal, and usernames are unique (reserved) across the MinePass universe. More information on this is provided in the Password Security section below.
Existing players from auth.txt are imported by the plugin to the Import/Bypass section of your MinePass world and merged with any new players as they join via the portal. Therefore, current players can continue to play as normal without having to sign-up to the portal.
Server privileges are also configurable via the web-gui and assignable based on player rank/role. The default policy grants moderators all privleges, residents interact and shout, and visitors shout only. You’ll review this policy as part of the setup wizard.
More good stuff:
* Players receive a serverlist_url endpoint for their Minetest clients that configures them for any worlds they have passes to.
* Servers synced to MinePass upload their mod details and version information for players to search in the portal.
* The mod/wrapper also provides free dynamic DNS if desired, giving your server a mt-a1b2c3.gamr.link format address that is updated automatically.
* A temporary maintenence-mode feature can be date/time scheduled to limit worlds to moderators, and will count-down/notify/kick active players before it takes effect.
License: MIT
Mod dependencies: none
Download: http://files.minepass.net
Source code: http://github.com/minepass
== Installation ==
Please note that this mod has two server components, a Lua mod that gets installed to the server game/mods directory, and a Java wrapper executed around the Minetest server binary, which communicates with the internal mod, and also provides an interactive console.
The mod and wrapper are open-source and compiled/distributed in the same archive linked above. It requires Java 1.8, which if you’ve played another popular Voxel game you likely already have installed. If not grab it from https://java.com/en/download
Instructions are provided in the download, HOWEVER it is strongly recommended to install the mod by following the Add Server wizard at minepass.net:
1. Create a New World
2. From the Setup > Servers section add a new server
3. Select Minetest as the server type when prompted
4. Follow mod setup instructions
== Password Security ==
Local passwords are hashed/salted in the new Minetest SRP format, before being synced to game servers via a secure HTTPS connection. Access to the web-portal is secure as well, so at no point are player passwords transmitted unsecured.
That means there should be no additional security risks beyond those that may already be present in the standard Minetest server/client (or in using a weak password).
However, use this mod and minepass.net at your own risk.
What happens if the “login” servers are down? Like with Minecraft…
MinePass actually doesn’t use login servers at all.
The MinePass plugins are based on SolidTX, which provides asyncronous syncing/caching of player information. Platform servers being down (or under high volume) might prevent newly issued world-passes from being immediately recognized, but will never impact existing players or live gaming.
== Future Development ==
Multi-Player Skins
MinePass could add the ability to upload player skins via the web-portal, and then provide a CDN backed url to Minetest servers.
Updates to Minetest’s core/api could provide a full multi-player skin experience. I.E. where you can set your skin globally, and see other player’s custom skins in-game.
However this will involve some future pull-requests (or a fork) to Minetest such that it’s possible to:
- Inject a skin url via the LUA authentication API
- Sending that url as part of the network stream to clients (much like player names/positions)
- Having the clients download/cache the skin and render to the correct player.
Multi-Player skins would then be possible via any current or future authentication mananger. (Not just limited to MinePass)
If there are any community members that are keen on helping with these code contributions, please let me know.
== Just release your own build of Minetest ==
It would be possible … of course … to fork Minetest and re-brand it as something different, with the benefit of login servers. But that isn’t what MinePass is about. MinePass exists to build an online infrastructure capable of powering **ANY** voxel game. The more the merrier.
== Getting in touch ==
If you have a question about getting going with the mod or web-portal feel free ask on this thread. Otherwise stuff pertaining to MinePass as a whole, features, the platform, development is probably best handled through the portal forums or Slack channel.
