Friends & approved CurseForge access

Understand the Thendrask Relay

Beta 6 uses https://relay.sxarlos.store by default. It holds short-lived friend presence in memory and forwards only the approved CurseForge API operations the launcher needs.

How it works

Friend codes

Every Thendrask Launcher install generates a unique 10-character code. Share yours with friends and add theirs in-app - no accounts or sign-ups needed.

Live presence

While you play, the launcher pushes your status - username, modpack, Minecraft version - to your relay every 30 seconds. Friends poll that code to see if you're online.

No persistent presence

Entries drop off 90 seconds after the last update. Close the game and you disappear from your friends' list automatically - no stale "online" statuses.

Run a private presence relay (optional)

Five steps to a private relay

STEP 01

Fork the repo

Head to github.com/Sxarlos/ThendraskLauncher and click Fork. The relay lives in the relay/ folder - Render can deploy it straight from the monorepo.

STEP 02

Create a Web Service on Render

Sign up at render.com (free), click New → Web Service, and connect your forked GitHub repo.

STEP 03

Set the root directory and commands

In the Render settings, set Root Directory to relay, then:

Build command: npm install Start command: npm start

Render injects the PORT environment variable automatically - no extra config needed.

STEP 04

Deploy and copy your URL

Click Create Web Service. Once the build completes, Render gives you a URL like:

https://ender-relay-xxxx.onrender.com

Copy it - you'll paste it into Thendrask Launcher next.

STEP 05

Connect it in Thendrask Launcher

Open Thendrask Launcher, go to Settings → Connections → Combined Relay URL, and paste your Render URL. Everyone who should share presence must use the same relay.

Other hosting options

Run locally

Good for testing. Requires Node.js 18 or newer.

cd relay npm install npm start

Runs on http://localhost:3001. Note that friends won't be able to reach a locally-running relay unless you expose it to the internet.

VPS or other cloud

Works on any host with Node.js 18+. Set the PORT env var if your host requires a specific port.

PORT=8080 npm start

Make sure the port is open in your firewall and that the relay URL you paste into Thendrask Launcher is publicly reachable.

Good to know

  • Private hosting is optional. New installs use the hosted Thendrask relay automatically.
  • Presence needs no database. Friend status is held in memory and expires after 90 seconds.
  • CurseForge needs an approved project key. A private relay without CURSEFORGE_API_KEY can power friends but cannot provide CurseForge catalogue access. Never copy or request the Thendrask project's private key.
  • CurseForge responses are not cached. The hosted relay returns them with Cache-Control: no-store.
  • Render's free tier spins down after inactivity. The first poll after a cold start may take a few seconds. Thendrask Launcher handles reconnection automatically.
  • Restarting clears all presence data. Clients re-register within 30 seconds on their next heartbeat - no manual action needed.
  • One relay can be shared by multiple people. All your friends just need to point their Thendrask Launcher at the same URL.

Ready to play with friends?

Download Thendrask Launcher View relay source