Gameserver
Dedicated game server guides for Linux: Minecraft, Hytale, Valheim, Palworld, Rust and more, with systemd, backups and tuning.
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Encrypting Game Server Backups Before They Leave the Node
Backup encryption in my open-source Hytale panel: ChaCha20-Poly1305 streaming, key never on the node, key rotation, old backups still restorable.
Running Security -
Daylight Saving Time on Servers: What Actually Breaks When the Clocks Change
Clocks went back tonight. What DST does to cron jobs, systemd timers, logs, databases, backups and game server restarts, and why my servers all run on UTC.
Running Linux -
Hytale Server Without a Panel: Back to Plain systemd
My game panel died, so my Hytale server runs as a plain systemd service again. Unit file, FIFO console helper, backups and a log-tailing alert bot.
Running Hytale -
Bridging a Hytale Forum and Discord Without Making a Mess
Bridging a XenForo forum and Discord: threads routed to channels, Discord replies posted under the user's own forum account, loop markers.
Running Hytale -
Hytale Server Files Explained: Where Your World Actually Lives
What each file and folder in a Hytale server directory does, where the world really lives (universe/, not world/), and what belongs in your backup.
Running Hytale -
PaperMC Download API v3: Why Your "latest" One-Liner Returns 404
The old api.papermc.io v2 "latest" URL returns 404. How to download Paper and Velocity from the fill v3 API with curl, jq and a SHA-256 check.
Running Minecraft -
How Much RAM Does a Hytale Server Need? The Formula I Actually Use
About 1 GB per player, 4 GB floor, view distance that scales with the square, 2–4 GB for the OS. The formula behind my Hytale RAM calculator.
Running Hytale -
Running a Hytale Server in Docker With a Web Panel (and Ditching My systemd Unit)
Move a Hytale server from a bare systemd unit into Docker behind a web panel — container layout, UDP ports, console access, and keeping systemd as a fallback.
Running Hytale -
Discord Alerts From Your Server Logs — A 100-Line Bot That Beats a Monitoring Stack
Tail a game server log, match crash and freeze patterns, ping a Discord webhook. Includes the noise-control rules that stop it becoming a channel nobody reads.
Running Gameserver -
Monitoring a Game Server Over WireGuard — Prometheus Without Exposing a Single Port
Scrape node_exporter across a WireGuard tunnel so no metrics port is public — plus the pps/bps alert that tells you a DDoS from a player spike.
Running Gameserver -
Counter-Strike 2 Dedicated Server on Linux
Install a CS2 dedicated server on Ubuntu/Debian with SteamCMD, get a GSLT, set the right ports and cvars, add Metamod/CounterStrikeSharp, and run it under systemd.
Running Gameserver -
Hytale Server Backups and Auto-Restart with systemd
Keep a Hytale dedicated server alive — clean nightly world backups with tar + restic, a scheduled daily restart via systemd timer, and crash recovery.
Running Hytale -
Factorio Headless Server on Linux
Set up a Factorio headless dedicated server on Ubuntu/Debian — download the official tarball, server-settings.json, port 34197 UDP, mods, RCON and a systemd unit.
Running Gameserver -
Rust Dedicated Server on Linux
Install a Rust dedicated server on Ubuntu/Debian with SteamCMD, set the server.* cvars, open the right ports, add Oxide/uMod plugins, and run it under systemd.
Running Gameserver -
7 Days to Die Dedicated Server on Linux
Install and run a 7 Days to Die dedicated server on Ubuntu/Debian with SteamCMD, serverconfig.xml, ufw ports, EAC notes and a systemd unit.
Running Gameserver -
Project Zomboid Dedicated Server on Linux
Run a Project Zomboid dedicated server on Ubuntu/Debian via SteamCMD. Configs, mods load order, memory, ports, systemd, and the gotchas that corrupt saves.
Running Gameserver -
Terraria Dedicated Server on Linux with TShock
Self-host a Terraria dedicated server on Ubuntu with TShock 5.x — dotnet runtime, config.json, REST API, systemd, ufw, and world backups.
Running Gameserver -
Enshrouded Dedicated Server on Linux — SteamCMD, Wine, and the RAM Reality
Run an Enshrouded dedicated server on Ubuntu via SteamCMD + Wine. Systemd unit, ports, the real RAM requirement, save backups, and the gotchas the wiki skips.
Running Gameserver -
Pelican Panel — the Pterodactyl Successor I Switched To
Pterodactyl is in maintenance mode. Pelican Panel is the fork that's actually moving. Install on Ubuntu 24.04 + first gameserver in 20 min.
Running Gameserver -
Tailscale for Gameservers — Friends-Only Without Port Forwards
Run a Minecraft, Valheim or Palworld server only your friends can reach. Tailscale mesh, MagicDNS, no DDoS surface, no router config.
Running Security