> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.playflowcloud.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Start the game > **Host only.** Starts the game for the lobby. This triggers a three-step process: 1. Lobby status transitions to `starting` 2. A game server is provisioned (uses the build and compute size from the lobby config) 3. Lobby status transitions to `in_game` with server connection details The response includes `server.ports` with host and port for game client connections. All players receive a `lobby_updated` event via SSE with the server details. **Server provisioning** typically takes 10-30 seconds (or ~5 seconds with pool servers). The lobby stays in `starting` status until the server is ready. If server provisioning fails, the lobby rolls back to `waiting` status. ## OpenAPI ````yaml https://api.computeflow.cloud/api/doc post /api/v3/lobbies/{config}/me/start openapi: 3.1.0 info: title: PlayFlow API version: 3.0.0 description: > PlayFlow is a game server hosting and orchestration platform. Deploy, manage, and scale multiplayer game servers globally with built-in matchmaking, lobby management, and billing. ## Authentication All API endpoints (except Health) require the `api-key` header: ``` api-key: pf_your_project_api_key ``` Find your API key in the PlayFlow dashboard under **Project Settings**. Each project has a server key (`pf_...`) for privileged operations and a client key (`pfclient_...`) for game client integrations. Both work in the `api-key` header. ## Quick Start 1. **Upload a build**: `POST /v3/builds/upload-url` → get presigned URL → `PUT` your ZIP → processing starts automatically 2. **Start a server**: `POST /v3/servers/start` → get connection info in `network_ports` 3. **Connect your game client**: Use `host:external_port` from the response ## Key Concepts - **Builds**: Your game server binary packaged as a ZIP or Docker image. Versioned per name per project. - **Servers**: Running game server instances. Each gets dedicated compute and network ports with automatic health monitoring. - **Pool Servers**: Pre-provisioned servers for instant startup (~5s vs ~30s cold start). - **Regions**: 12 global regions (us-east, us-west, eu-north, eu-west, eu-uk, ap-south, sea, ap-north, ap-southeast, south-africa, south-america-brazil, south-america-chile). - **Compute Sizes**: From micro (512MB) to dedicated-xlarge (16GB dedicated CPU). ## Server Lifecycle `launching` → `running` (game ports open) → `stopped` (game exits, TTL expires, or manual stop) ## Build Lifecycle `uploading` → `processing` (build pipeline creates deployable image) → `ready` | `failed` ## Rate Limits - General reads: 100 req/sec per API key - Write operations (start server, upload build): 10 req/sec per API key - Headers: `X-RateLimit-Limit`, `X-RateLimit-Remaining` ## Plan Limits - **Free**: 1 server max, forced 1hr TTL, small size only - **Pro**: Unlimited servers, all sizes, custom TTL, pool servers ## Error Format All errors return: `{ "error": "message", "detail": "context", "status": 404 }` servers: - url: https://api.computeflow.cloud security: - ApiKeyAuth: [] tags: - name: Servers description: >- Create, manage, and monitor game server instances. Each server gets dedicated compute, network ports, and automatic health monitoring with TTL enforcement. Servers start in `launching` status and transition to `running` when the game opens its ports. - name: Builds description: >- Upload and manage game server builds. Supports ZIP uploads (automatically processed into deployable images) and direct Docker image references. Builds are versioned per name per project — uploading a new build with the same name auto-increments the version. Servers always use the latest `ready` build unless a specific version is pinned. - name: Projects description: >- Configure project-level settings including network ports, player authentication, environment variables, server pooling, and lobby/matchmaking rules. Settings apply as defaults to all servers in the project and can be overridden per-server at start time. - name: Lobbies description: >- Player-centric lobby and matchmaking system. Every request identifies the player via the `x-player-id` header. Use `/me` endpoints to interact with your current lobby — the API resolves which lobby you're in automatically. **Quick start:** `POST /v3/lobbies/default` creates a lobby with sensible defaults (no dashboard config needed). Share the invite `code` with friends, or use `POST /v3/lobbies/default/me/matchmaking` to find opponents automatically. **Matchmaking** supports symmetric teams (2v2, 5v5), asymmetric roles (1 monster vs 5 hunters), FFA, battle royale duos, and skill-based matching with auto-expanding MMR buckets. paths: /api/v3/lobbies/{config}/me/start: post: tags: - Lobbies summary: Start the game description: >- **Host only.** Starts the game for the lobby. This triggers a three-step process: 1. Lobby status transitions to `starting` 2. A game server is provisioned (uses the build and compute size from the lobby config) 3. Lobby status transitions to `in_game` with server connection details The response includes `server.ports` with host and port for game client connections. All players receive a `lobby_updated` event via SSE with the server details. **Server provisioning** typically takes 10-30 seconds (or ~5 seconds with pool servers). The lobby stays in `starting` status until the server is ready. If server provisioning fails, the lobby rolls back to `waiting` status. operationId: startGame parameters: - schema: type: string description: Lobby configuration name or ID. required: true description: Lobby configuration name or ID. name: config in: path - schema: type: string description: Unique player identifier. Must be the lobby host. required: true description: Unique player identifier. Must be the lobby host. name: x-player-id in: header responses: '200': description: >- Game started. The `server` field contains connection details (instanceId, ports). Status is `in_game`. content: application/json: schema: type: object properties: id: type: string format: uuid description: Lobby ID. code: type: - string - 'null' description: >- Invite code for joining (null if private mode is disabled). config: type: string description: Lobby config name. status: type: string enum: - waiting - in_queue - starting - matched - match_found - in_game description: Current lobby status. host: type: string description: Player ID of the host. maxPlayers: type: number description: Maximum player capacity. currentPlayers: type: number description: Current number of players. region: type: - string - 'null' description: Preferred game server region. isPrivate: type: boolean description: Whether the lobby is hidden from browsing. allowLateJoin: type: boolean description: Whether players can join mid-game. settings: type: object additionalProperties: {} description: Custom game settings. players: type: array items: type: object properties: id: type: string description: Player's unique identifier. state: type: object additionalProperties: {} description: >- Player's custom state (ready, team, loadout, MMR, etc.). isHost: type: boolean description: True if this player is the lobby host. required: - id - state - isHost description: A player in the lobby with their current state. description: Players in the lobby with their state. server: type: - object - 'null' properties: instance_id: type: string description: >- Unique identifier for this server instance (UUID). Use this to reference the server in all other API calls. name: type: string description: Display name of the server, as provided when starting. status: type: string enum: - launching - running - stopped description: >- Current server status. "launching": machine is being created and game is starting up. "running": game is ready and accepting connections. "stopped": server has been shut down. network_ports: type: array items: type: object properties: name: type: string description: >- Port name matching the port_configs entry (e.g., "game_udp"). internal_port: type: number description: >- Port number the game server listens on inside the container. external_port: type: number description: >- Public port number that players connect to from outside. protocol: type: string enum: - udp - tcp description: Network protocol for this port. host: type: string description: >- Hostname or IP address players connect to. For UDP: a proxy IPv4 address. For TCP: "connect.computeflow.cloud" (Fly.io L7 routing). tls_enabled: type: boolean description: >- Whether TLS termination is enabled for this port (TCP only). required: - name - internal_port - external_port - protocol - host - tls_enabled description: >- A network port mapping showing how external traffic reaches your game server. Use host:external_port as the connection address for game clients. description: >- List of allocated network ports with connection details. Give host:external_port to game clients for connecting. Empty if the server has stopped. startup_args: type: - string - 'null' description: >- Command-line arguments passed to the game executable. Null if none were provided. service_type: type: string enum: - match_based - persistent_world description: >- Server type. "match_based" (default): short-lived servers for individual matches. "persistent_world": long-running servers for persistent game worlds. compute_size: type: string description: >- Machine size this server is running on (e.g., "small", "medium", "dedicated-large"). region: type: string description: >- Region where this server is deployed (e.g., "us-east", "eu-west"). version_tag: type: string description: >- Build name this server was started with (e.g., "default", "beta"). version: type: - number - 'null' description: >- Build version number this server is running. Null if no specific version was resolved. started_at: type: - string - 'null' format: date-time description: >- ISO 8601 timestamp when the server transitioned to "running" status (game ports opened). Null if still launching or never reached running state. stopped_at: type: - string - 'null' format: date-time description: >- ISO 8601 timestamp when the server was stopped. Null if the server is still active. auto_restart: type: boolean description: >- Whether the game process auto-restarts on crash (max 10 retries). custom_data: type: - object - 'null' additionalProperties: {} description: >- Arbitrary metadata attached to this server. Null if no custom data was provided. ttl: type: - number - 'null' description: >- Time-to-live in seconds. The server auto-stops after this duration from start. Null if no TTL was set (server runs until explicitly stopped). is_pool_server: type: boolean description: >- Whether this server was claimed from the pre-provisioned pool. Pool servers have faster startup times (~5s vs ~30s). pool_claimed_at: type: - string - 'null' format: date-time description: >- ISO 8601 timestamp when this pool server was claimed for use. Null for non-pool servers or unclaimed pool machines. match_id: type: - string - 'null' description: >- Match identifier for matchmaking integration. Auto-generated if not provided at start time. created_at: type: string format: date-time description: >- ISO 8601 timestamp when the server instance was created in the database. updated_at: type: string format: date-time description: >- ISO 8601 timestamp of the last update to this server record. required: - instance_id - name - status - network_ports - startup_args - service_type - compute_size - region - version_tag - version - started_at - stopped_at - auto_restart - custom_data - ttl - is_pool_server - pool_claimed_at - match_id - created_at - updated_at description: Game server info (null when no game running). matchmaking: type: - object - 'null' properties: mode: type: string description: Active matchmaking mode name. startedAt: type: string description: ISO 8601 timestamp when matchmaking started. queueStats: type: - object - 'null' properties: playersSearching: type: number description: >- Total players currently in the matchmaking queue for this mode. lobbiesInQueue: type: number description: Number of lobbies waiting for a match. avgWaitSeconds: type: number description: >- Average wait time in seconds for lobbies currently in queue. required: - playersSearching - lobbiesInQueue - avgWaitSeconds description: Live queue stats. Updated via SSE while searching. confirmation: type: - object - 'null' properties: deadline: type: string description: >- ISO 8601 deadline. The match cancels if any lobby hasn't confirmed by then. confirmed: type: boolean description: True if THIS lobby has confirmed. required: - deadline - confirmed description: >- Set when status=match_found and players are accepting/declining. required: - mode - startedAt - queueStats - confirmation description: Matchmaking info (null when not searching). createdAt: type: string description: ISO 8601 creation timestamp. updatedAt: type: string description: ISO 8601 last update timestamp. required: - id - code - config - status - host - maxPlayers - currentPlayers - region - isPrivate - allowLateJoin - settings - players - server - matchmaking - createdAt - updatedAt description: >- Full lobby state including players, server, and matchmaking info. '400': description: Missing x-player-id header or invalid lobby state for starting. content: application/json: schema: type: object properties: error: type: string description: Human-readable error message describing what went wrong. detail: type: string description: >- Additional error context. May contain the same text as error or more specific technical details. status: type: number description: HTTP status code (matches the response status code). required: - error - status description: >- Standard error response returned by all API endpoints on failure. '403': description: Only the host can start the game. content: application/json: schema: type: object properties: error: type: string description: Human-readable error message describing what went wrong. detail: type: string description: >- Additional error context. May contain the same text as error or more specific technical details. status: type: number description: HTTP status code (matches the response status code). required: - error - status description: >- Standard error response returned by all API endpoints on failure. '404': description: You are not in a lobby. content: application/json: schema: type: object properties: error: type: string description: Human-readable error message describing what went wrong. detail: type: string description: >- Additional error context. May contain the same text as error or more specific technical details. status: type: number description: HTTP status code (matches the response status code). required: - error - status description: >- Standard error response returned by all API endpoints on failure. '409': description: Game is already running or lobby is in an incompatible state. content: application/json: schema: type: object properties: error: type: string description: Human-readable error message describing what went wrong. detail: type: string description: >- Additional error context. May contain the same text as error or more specific technical details. status: type: number description: HTTP status code (matches the response status code). required: - error - status description: >- Standard error response returned by all API endpoints on failure. components: securitySchemes: ApiKeyAuth: type: apiKey in: header name: api-key ````