networking.lua

local dict = {
  "commonly",
  "used",
  "strings", -- these strings, are not just values but keys too in a table!
}
-- send dict to client from server, so they are in sync and can decode the messages
local buffer = require("string.buffer)"
local data = buffer.encode(dict) -- send string to client, and do buffer.decode on it, so it can use it same as the server

-- recive dict, or already has dict if the server
local options = {
  dict = dict
}
local encoder, decoder = buffer.new(options), buffer.new(options)
local encode = function(val)
  return encoder:reset():encode(val):get()
end
local decode = function(val)
  return decoder:set(val):decode()
end
-- encode outgoing data, decode incoming data
-- it's a little more complex after that, but that's the basics for how I handle making the actual lua data, I have other systems that handle the direction for where it goes
-- but simply:

-- shared file between client + server
network.addType("chatMessage", "c") -- "c" is appended infront of the message sent

-- server
network.addHandle("chatMessage", function(client, message) -- incoming chatMessage
  -- ... validation
    network.sendAll("chatMessage", client.username .. ">" .. message) -- sends message to all clients
  -- ... logging
  end)

-- client
chat.addSink(function(message) -- get messages from chat table when user hits enter
    network.send("chatMessage", message) -- encoded within func, send to server
  end)
network.addHandle("chatMessage", function(message) -- incoming chatMessage
    chat.addMessage(message)
  end)

-- so usually ends up looking like
-- <type><data>, e.g. c&Hello world&
-- I also take advantage of enet's channels if I want to send a encoded Lua object, or a bytedata object so I know what kind of data they are without having to append anything