# Socket and servers

Source: https://libtmux.org/en/csharp/latest/topics/socket-and-servers/

> Select a server socket, check liveness, and detect a replacement daemon.

A tmux server is selected by its Unix-domain socket. Use different sockets for
independent servers, such as a development session and an isolated test server.
Choose the default socket, a named socket (`-L`), or an explicit path (`-S`).

## Naming a server

`new ServerConnectionOptions()` selects the default socket. Supply
`socketName` for a named socket or `socketPath` for an explicit path.

```csharp
using LibTmux;

Server named = await Server.ConnectAsync(new ServerConnectionOptions(socketName: "work"));
```

Choose either a socket name or a socket path. tmux uses `TMUX_TMPDIR` to
resolve the directory for default and named sockets.

[`ServerConnectionOptions(socketNameFactory: ...)`](<https://libtmux.org/en/csharp/latest/reference/libtmux-serverconnectionoptions/>) accepts a callable that
generates socket names. Use a unique name for each isolated test server.

## Is the server actually there?

A server handle does not prove that the target server is running. Use a liveness
check when your program needs to distinguish a live server from an unavailable
socket:

[`Server.IsAliveAsync`](<https://libtmux.org/en/csharp/latest/reference/libtmux-server-isaliveasync/>) returns `Task<bool>`.

```csharp
if (await server.IsAliveAsync())
{
    await server.GetSessionsAsync();
}
```

## Killing a server, and telling two apart

Killing a server ends all its sessions. Use this only for a server your program
owns; for narrower cleanup, kill the session or pane you created.

Call [`await server.KillAsync()`](<https://libtmux.org/en/csharp/latest/reference/libtmux-server-killasync/>) and handle a cleanup failure before returning.

A restarted server can reuse a socket path while having different state. Do
not treat a matching path as proof that a cached object still exists.