ScrabbleSharp

ScrabbleSharp is a high-performance, feature-rich Scrabble solver and word finder. It combines a powerful .NET backend engine with an interactive React frontend, providing a fine tool for Scrabble enthusiasts and word game players.

The application supports multiple game modes, including Classic Scrabble, Super Scrabble, Scrabble Duel, and Letter League Classic.

Live Demo 🚀

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Features

• ⚡ High-Performance Solver: The core engine is written in C# and leverages parallel processing and optimized algorithms to find the best possible moves in milliseconds.
• 🧩 Multiple Game Modes: Out-of-the-box support for various board layouts and rules:
  • Scrabble Classic (15x15)
  • Super Scrabble (21x21)
  • Scrabble Duel (11x11)
  • Letter League (15x15, expandable)
• 🗺️ Expandable Board: A unique feature for the "Letter League" mode where the board can be expanded dynamically.
• 📡 Efficient API: Uses gRPC-Web for fast, strongly-typed communication between the frontend and backend.

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Tech Stack

ScrabbleSharp is a full-stack application composed of two main parts: a .NET backend and a React frontend.

Component	Technology	Description
Backend	C# 12, .NET 8, ASP.NET Core	Hosts the gRPC service and contains the core game engine logic.
Frontend	TypeScript, React 18, Vite, Redux Toolkit, Tailwind CSS	The client-side application that users interact with in the browser.
API	gRPC-Web, Connect-RPC	Defines the contract for efficient, low-latency client-server communication.
State Mgt	Redux Toolkit	Manages the frontend application state, persisted to localStorage.
Styling	Tailwind CSS	A utility-first CSS framework for rapid UI development.

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Project Structure

This is a mono-repository, housing both the frontend and the backend of the application. It is organized into several key projects:

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├── ScrabbleSharp.Contracts/   # Protobuf definitions for the gRPC API.
├── ScrabbleSharp.Engine/      # The core solver logic, game rules, and board layouts.
├── ScrabbleSharp.Gateway/     # The ASP.NET Core backend hosting the gRPC-Web service.
└── ScrabbleSharp.Frontend/    # The React/Vite frontend application.

Every major component - Gateway and Frontend feature dedicated Dockerfiles for ease of deployment.

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Getting Started

Follow these instructions to get a local copy up and running for development and testing.

Prerequisites

• .NET 8 SDK
• Node.js and npm (LTS version recommended)

Backend Setup (Gateway)

1. Navigate to the Gateway directory:

   cd ScrabbleSharp.Gateway

2. Restore dependencies:

   dotnet restore

3. Run the backend service:

   dotnet run

   The gRPC service will be running at http://localhost:5144.

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to the frontend directory:

   cd ScrabbleSharp.Frontend/scrabblesharp-frontend

2. Install npm packages:

   npm install

3. Run the development server:

   npm run dev

   The frontend application will be available at http://localhost:5173 (or another port if 5173 is in use). The app is configured to connect to the local backend by default. It uses env.production if compiled to Docker via the provided Dockerfile.

API Overview

Communication is handled via a gRPC service defined in ScrabbleSharp.proto.

Services

• rpc Solve(SolveRequest) returns (SolveResponse)
  • The primary endpoint for finding moves.
  • Request: Contains the current board state as a newline-separated string and the player's rack.
  • Response: A list of all valid Move objects, including word, position, score, and definition.
• rpc GetLayout(LayoutRequest) returns (LayoutResponse)
  • Fetches the initial board size and multiplier layout for a given game mode.
• rpc Expand(ExpandRequest) returns (ExpandDelta)
  • Requests the expansion of the board in a specific Direction.
  • Response: Returns only the newly added slice of the board (ExpandDelta), including its dimensions, offset, and multipliers, along with the new total board dimensions. This minimizes payload size.

Custom Headers

The gRPC context is enriched with custom headers to manage game state without complex request bodies:

• x-mode: Specifies the active game mode (e.g., letterleague_classic).
• x-up, x-down, x-left, x-right: Tell the server how many times the board has already been expanded in each direction, ensuring a correct layout is generated for the Solve call.

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Whether you're fixing a bug, improving a feature, or suggesting a new idea, your help is appreciated. Please feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.

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License

This project is distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE.txt for more information.