name: odin-fundamentals
description: |
ODIN Platform Fundamentals - Core concepts, architecture, authentication, and pricing.
Use when: learning about ODIN platform basics, understanding access keys vs tokens,
exploring pricing tiers, understanding room-based architecture, working with authentication,
or getting overview of ODIN Voice/Fleet/Rooms products. Covers platform fundamentals,
authentication workflows, security best practices, and billing models for developers
integrating real-time voice/video communication or game server hosting.
license: MIT

ODIN Platform Fundamentals

Comprehensive guide to ODIN platform architecture, authentication, pricing, and core concepts.

Platform Overview

ODIN is a unified real-time communication and server management platform by 4Players:

ODIN Voice

Cross-platform voice chat SDK for games, apps, and websites.

Platforms: Unity, Unreal Engine, C/C++, Web (JS/TS), NodeJS, Swift/iOS/macOS

Key Features:
- 3D Spatial Audio (automatic in Unity/Unreal)
- Noise Suppression & Echo Cancellation
- Low Latency (optimized for gaming)
- Cross-Platform (mobile, web, desktop in same room)
- Data Channels (custom game data beyond voice)

ODIN Fleet

Game-server hosting across a global network.

Key Features:
- Engine-agnostic architecture
- Automatic scaling
- API and CLI for deployment automation
- Dashboard for monitoring, logging, backups

ODIN Rooms

Browser-based, decentralized video conferencing.

Key Features:
- End-to-end encrypted
- GDPR compliant
- Custom branding and self-hosting options

Core Architecture

Room-Based Model

• Rooms: Virtual spaces that route voice/video packets
• Peers: Individual users connected to a room
• Media Streams: Audio/video streams added/removed dynamically

Infrastructure

• Globally hosted by 4Players
• HTTP/3 and WebTransport
• Automatic scaling and routing
• Optional self-hosted deployment

Audio Processing (APM)

• Echo cancellation
• Noise suppression
• Automatic gain control (AGC)
• Voice Activity Detection (VAD)
• Volume gating

Authentication & Security

Access Keys

Server-side credentials used to generate tokens.

• Server-Side Only: Never embed in client code
• Used to Generate Tokens: Create signed JWTs for room access
• Managed in Dashboard: Available at console.4players.io

Security:
- Store in environment variables or secret managers
- Never expose in repositories or client code
- Use separate keys for dev/staging/production

Access Tokens

Signed JWTs used by clients to join rooms.

Token Structure:
- rid: Room identifier
- uid: User identifier
- lifetime: Optional expiration (seconds)

Backend Token Generation (Node.js):

const { TokenGenerator } = require('@4players/odin-tokens');
const generator = new TokenGenerator(process.env.ODIN_ACCESS_KEY);
const token = generator.createToken('room-id', 'user-123', { lifetime: 300 });

Client Usage:

const { token } = await fetch('/api/odin-token').then(r => r.json());
await room.join(token, { gateway: 'https://gateway.odin.4players.io' });

Gateway Options

• EU (Default): https://gateway.odin.4players.io
• US: https://gateway-us.odin.4players.io

Pricing Summary

Voice Pricing (Pro): €0.19–€0.29 per Peak Concurrent User based on volume.

See references/pricing-details.md for full breakdown.

Core Concepts

Rooms

Virtual spaces where users communicate.

Properties: Room ID, Peers, Media Streams, User Data, Position (3D), Connection Status

Operations: Join/leave, send messages, add/remove audio, update position, monitor stats

Peers

Individual users within a room.

Types: LocalPeer (you), RemotePeer (others)

Properties: Peer ID, User ID, User Data, Media Streams, Volume

Media Streams

Audio/video streams transmitted within rooms.

Audio Inputs: Microphone with APM, volume control, VAD, power level monitoring

Audio Outputs: Remote peer playback with per-stream volume, pause/resume

Data Channels

Binary data transmission alongside voice/video.

Use Cases: Game state sync, player positions, chat messages, custom events

Integration Workflow

1. Obtain Access Key: Sign up at 4players.io/odin, create app, copy key
2. Set Up Backend: Install @4players/odin-tokens, create token endpoint
3. Install SDK: Platform-specific package (npm, Unity Asset Store, etc.)
4. Initialize: Create room, register events, fetch token, join
5. Configure Audio: Set output device, create input, add to room
6. Handle Events: Peer joined/left, audio start/stop, messages
7. Cleanup: Remove inputs, leave room, release resources

Minimal Example

// Backend
app.get('/api/odin-token', (req, res) => {
    const generator = new TokenGenerator(process.env.ODIN_ACCESS_KEY);
    res.json({ token: generator.createToken('room-id', req.user.id) });
});

// Client
const { token } = await fetch('/api/odin-token').then(r => r.json());
const room = new ODIN.Room();
room.onPeerJoined = (p) => console.log('Peer joined:', p.peer.userId);
await room.join(token, { gateway: 'https://gateway.odin.4players.io' });

Best Practices

Security

• Never expose Access Keys in client code
• Always generate tokens server-side
• Use HTTPS for token exchanges
• Set appropriate token lifetimes (5-15 min)

Performance

• Register events before joining
• Implement reconnection with exponential backoff
• Release resources properly

User Experience

• Allow device selection
• Show connection status and peer list
• Implement mute/unmute and volume controls
• Show voice activity indicators

Additional Documentation

• Pricing Details: See references/pricing-details.md
• Integration Patterns: See references/integration-patterns.md for push-to-talk, reconnection, multi-room

Resources

• Main Docs: https://docs.4players.io/
• Voice: https://docs.4players.io/voice/
• Fleet: https://docs.4players.io/fleet/
• Rooms: https://docs.4players.io/rooms/
• Console: https://console.4players.io
• Discord: https://4np.de/discord
• Support: [email protected]

Summary

ODIN provides a complete platform for real-time voice communication and game server hosting with:
- Simple Integration (few lines of code)
- Flexible Pricing (free tier for dev, scalable paid tiers)
- Global Infrastructure (hosted by 4Players)
- Cross-Platform (unified API)
- Enterprise Security (JWT auth, server-side keys)

For platform-specific implementation, refer to the corresponding SDK skill (odin-voice-web, odin-voice-unity, odin-voice-unreal, etc.).