yojimbo review
A focused UDP library for secure, reliable, and unreliable multiplayer messaging.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
yojimbo is an open-source C++ networking library for competitive multiplayer games using a client-server model over UDP. It is intended for game engines written in C++ and supports Windows, macOS, and Linux. The library is designed for client/server games with up to 100 players, making it a focused option for desktop titles that need control over transport, messaging, and connection behavior rather than a broader hosted multiplayer platform.
Its standout feature is the combination of secure transport and practical message handling. Connect tokens provide cryptographically secure authentication, while UDP packets are encrypted and signed. Developers can use unreliable-unordered messaging for time-sensitive traffic and reliable-ordered messaging with acknowledgements and resend for delivery-sensitive data. Packet fragmentation and reassembly, bitpacking, serialization, and large data blocks attached to reliable messages extend the library beyond basic socket handling. Per-connection latency, jitter, packet-loss, and bandwidth metrics also provide useful network visibility within the middleware layer.
yojimbo is distributed as source code under the BSD 3-Clause license and can be built with CMake, so its open-source model suits teams that want to integrate and maintain a C++ library directly. Its platform scope is limited to Windows, macOS, and Linux, and the published feature set centers on client/server UDP transport, authentication, messaging, and metrics. Teams building a desktop C++ multiplayer game with these requirements should find the scope well aligned. Teams seeking higher-level multiplayer services, broader platform coverage, or a non-C++ integration should choose a different type of networking solution.
yojimbo pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Encrypted, signed UDP with cryptographically secure connect-token authentication
- Reliable and unreliable messaging with fragmentation and reassembly
- Per-connection latency, jitter, packet-loss, and bandwidth metrics
- Where it doesn't
- Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux desktop platforms
- Requires a C++ game engine and source-based CMake build
- Focused on networking middleware rather than higher-level game services
yojimbo fact sheet, pricing and score →
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