FOR NEW PROJECTS - USE ProfileStore (Click here)
(This project is no longer supported - it's been stable for a long while and migration to ProfileStore is possible for most projects)
ProfileService is a stand-alone ModuleScript that specialises in loading and auto-saving DataStore profiles.
A DataStore Profile (Later referred to as just Profile) is a set of data which is meant to be loaded up
only once inside a Roblox server and then written to and read from locally on that server
(With no delays associated with talking with the DataStore every time data changes) whilst being
periodically auto-saved and saved immediately once after the server finishes working with the Profile.
The benefits of using ProfileService for your game's profiles are:
Easy to learn, and eventually forget - ProfileService does not give you any data getter or setter functions. It gives you the freedom to write your own data interface.
Built for massive scalability - low resource footprint, no excessive type checking. Great for 100+ player servers. ProfileService automatically spreads the DataStore API calls evenly within the auto-save loop timeframe.
Already does the things you wouldn't dare script yourself (but should) - session-locking is essential to keeping your data protected from multiple server editing - this is a potential cause of item loss or item duplication loopholes. ProfileService offers a very comprehensive and short API for handling session-locking yourself or just letting ProfileService do it automatically for you.
Future-proof - with features like MetaTags and GlobalUpdates, you will always be able to add new functionality to your profiles without headaches.
Made for ambitious projects - ProfileService is a profile object abstraction detached from the Player instance - this allows the developer to create profiles for entities other than players, such as: group-owned houses, savable multiplayer game instances, etc.
ProfileService is part of the Madwork framework Developed by loleris
It's documented: ProfileService wiki
It's open source: Roblox library
Watch while you eat pizza on the couch - YouTube tutorials:
ProfileService tutorial playlist by @okeanskiy
Session-locking explained and savable leaderstats by @EncodedLua
(Will add new tutorials as they come)