lua/luasql/mysql for db server vs. modpython/mysqldb etc...

["Thomas Blom" <thomasblom@...>]

Hello,

I'm an indy game developer using Lua for the first time to script portions  
of my C++ app.  It's very cool.

I'm now wondering if I might use Lua on the server-side to do mysql  
queries & pass relatively low-frequency & latency-tolerant data to  
instances of the client app running on the player machines.  I write for  
advice as my experience is primarily win32 c/c++.

The game architecture calls for a publicly available server which can  
accept connections to receive and transmit data to clients - the client  
app being written in a combination of portable c/c++ and lua.

Having little experience with Linux server development/deployment, I  
assume the following two options as primary, with the goal of implementing  
as much server code in as high level a language as possible (read Lua,  
Python, etc), while still giving good performance:

1. Linux server runs modpython, and server "app" is written in python,  
making use of mySQLdb or equivalent.  Client app network IO handled by Lua  
using luasocket.  I know modpython is quite common, and so this seems a  
good option if the server app is to be easily deployed on servers that I  
don't completely control (even if just for testing).

2. I lease or maintain a dedicated linux server, on which I install LUA,  
and write the server app in Lua, making use of luasocket and luasql or  
equivalent.  Client network IO handled as in (1).  (Will I need to write a  
C app, embed lua, or can I write the whole app in Lua?)


After exploring various languages, I chose Lua to go with on the client  
side for a number of reasons, including primarily it's small footprint &  
this intelligent community with great S/N ratio.  I'd rather stay with Lua  
on the client (than go to Python).

My intuition is that Python is perhaps a more straightforward solution on  
the server side; am not sure the ease with which I can deploy a Lua server  
app on a linux server as described in (2).

All advice appreciated.  Thanks!

-thomas blom in austin, tx