A Hybrid Overlay Architecture for Social Feature Integration in Browser-Based Cloud Gaming

Current cloud gaming platforms force a trade-off between streaming performance and integrated social features, typically requiring resource-intensive dedicated clients. This paper presents an architecture that eliminates this compromise through a Hybrid Overlay engine. Built with vanilla TypeScript/HTML5 and decoupled from the WebRTC video pipeline, the engine renders social overlays (chat, friend lists) directly onto the game canvas, avoiding DOM overhead. A Rust/Actix-web backend ensures low-latency streaming. The system was validated through comprehensive testing. Performance and security tests confirmed: automatic streamer binary compilation, successful WebRTC stream initiation, automated SSL generation, and strict HTTPS enforcement. Functional tests demonstrated robust authentication (registration, session persistence), real-time message synchronization (