Hosting a Dedicated Server

	Data is up-to-date
	Last updated for version 0.18.15.0 Last mentioned in changelog 0.8.9.4 The current game version is 1.4.6.0

A Dedicated Server is a command-line application that has no graphical interface, meaning it has a lesser impact on your computer's performance than hosting a server through the full game.
If you want to host a server without needing to be in the game, this is the best way to do it.

Hosting Options

You are able to host a dedicated server with either the built-in application, or through SteamCMD. This guide will walk you through on how to do both.

DedicatedServer.exe

• Before starting the server, make sure your server settings are in their desired state, and that port forwarding is setup correctly.
• After you have finished tweaking server settings and setting up port forwarding, run the server executable "DedicatedServer.exe", located in the main Barotrauma folder.
• Finally, after the command line reads "Server started", your dedicated server is ready to use!

SteamCMD

• Before using SteamCMD to host a server, you will need to install it using these instructions.
• After SteamCMD has been installed, log in using the command "login anonymous".
• Next, install the Barotrauma Dedicated Server application by using the command "app_update 1026340 validate".
• Then, before starting the server, make sure your server settings are in their desired state, and that port forwarding is setup correctly.
• After you have finished tweaking server settings and setting up port forwarding, use the command "app_run 1026340" to start the server.
• Finally, after the command line reads "Server started", your dedicated server is ready to use!

Port Forwarding

• If your router supports Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), you can enable it in the server settings file; however this may occasionally not work.
• To port forward manually, you will have to either open your service provider's website, or an IP Address link.
  • For the latter option, open command prompt and enter the command "ipconfig" in.
  • Then, copy the IPv4 address under "Default Gateway" and paste it into your browser in the format of "http://xxx.xxx.x.x"
  • Finally, log in to the router config page. The default username is typically "admin".
• After logging in to your account, navigate to the "Port Forwarding" section.
• Next, add two new port forwards, both over UDP, with the ports listed in the serversettings.xml file.
• Finally, save the new port forwards and return to setting up your dedicated server.

Server Settings

Main article: Serversettings.xml

• To edit the default server settings, navigate to and open the file "serversettings.xml".
  • If you are hosting using DedicatedServer.exe, this will be located in the main Barotrauma folder. -> steamapps/common/Barotrauma
  • If you are hosting using SteamCMD, this will be located where you installed Barotrauma - either the default location under steamapps/common/Barotrauma, or in a folder specified when you installed it.
• Change the settings to their desired state, and save the file.

Client Permission Settings

Main article: clientpermissions.xml

• To edit the client permission settings, navigate to and open the file "clientpermissions.xml".
  • If you are hosting using DedicatedServer.exe, this will be located in the data folder in the main Barotrauma folder. -> steamapps/common/Barotrauma Dedicated Server\Data
  • If you are hosting using SteamCMD, this will be located where you installed Barotrauma - either the default location under steamapps/common/Barotrauma/Data, or in a folder specified when you installed it.
• Change the permissions to their desired state, and save the file.

Linux Dedicated Server Hosting

You can host Barotrauma on certain Linux distros. The basic requirements are as follows:

• You need access to an older version of libssl-dev for Debian or Ubuntu based Distros or openssl-devel for Redhat/Centos/Fedora based Distros. Barotrauma will start with an exception that it cannot find the libraries if it is missing, but keep in mind it is looking for the older version.
• You must make the following path for the server to start: ~/.local/share/Daedalic Entertainment GmbH/Barotrauma/

Note: It does not appear to be possible to run the dedicated server out of the box with Ubuntu 22.04 due to it lacking the openssl-devel lib for compatibility. Older versions of Ubuntu such as 20.04 are fine. The reason is Ubuntu 22.04 does not include a compat lib for libssl1.1

Tested on Fedora 36 Barotrauma runs fine once you install the above dependency.

Work around for hosting on Ubuntu:

Ubuntu has updated the OpenSSL version in their repo to a newer version that isn't compatible with Barotrauma. To work around this run the following to manually download and install the older verison:

Note: Add http:// in front of the link, the spam filter blocks it. wget archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl1.0/libssl1.0.0_1.0.2n-1ubuntu5.10_amd64.deb dpkg -i libssl1.0.0_1.0.2n-1ubuntu5.9_amd64.deb

See: Enabling Mods on a Dedicated Server for more information about modding your experience.