How to Host a StarMade Server for Friends or a Faction

To host a StarMade server, install StarMade on the machine that will run it, start StarMade.jar with the -server flag and a port (4242 is the default), let it generate server.cfg and the universe, then stop it, edit the settings and start it again. Open TCP port 4242 in your firewall and router so friends can type your address into Online Play. A small group of builders needs about 4 GB of RAM for the server, more once factions start parking big fleets.

StarMade's server is a Java program, so it runs the same on Windows and Linux. The steps below assume a fresh machine or a spare folder on your own PC.

What you need

• The StarMade game files. Install through Steam or the official launcher. The server uses the same files as the client.
• 64 bit Java. Memory flags above about 1.5 GB fail on 32 bit Java. Run java -version to check.
• RAM to spare. 4 GB for the server alone in a small group, 6 GB for a faction server with 15 or more players, 8 GB when players spread across many systems.
• A connection that accepts incoming traffic. If you are behind CGNAT, port forwarding will not help. How to tell if you are behind CGNAT explains the quick test.

Step 1: Put the files in a server folder

Copy the installed StarMade folder (the one with StarMade.jar in it) to a dedicated location like C:\StarMadeServer or ~/starmade-server. Keeping the server separate from your client install means a launcher update on your PC does not change the server version under your players, and the reverse.

On a headless Linux machine, copy the folder over from a PC where the launcher installed it, or use the launcher on that machine if it has a desktop.

Step 2: Start the server once

From inside the folder, run:

java -Xms1024m -Xmx4096m -jar StarMade.jar -server -port:4242

• -Xmx4096m is the maximum memory, here 4 GB. Raise it as the universe grows, but leave room for the operating system.
• -server starts the dedicated server without the game window.
• -port:4242 sets the listening port. Change it only if you run more than one server on the machine.

On Windows, save that line in a start.bat file so you can double click it. On Linux, run it inside screen or tmux so it keeps going after you log out.

The first start takes a while because it generates the universe. When it finishes, the folder has a server.cfg, a server-database folder with the universe, and text files for admins, bans and the whitelist.

Step 3: Stop it and edit server.cfg

Stop the server cleanly by typing /shutdown 0 in its console, then open server.cfg. Always edit with the server stopped, because the server can write the file back on shutdown and undo your changes.

The settings most owners change first:

Two settings deserve a warning. SECTOR_SIZE changes how the whole universe is laid out, so set it before anyone builds or leave it at the default. USE_STARMADE_AUTHENTICATION and REQUIRE_STARMADE_AUTHENTICATION tie player names to registry accounts at star-made.org. Turning on the require option stops name spoofing but blocks anyone without a registered account.

Step 4: Open the port

StarMade uses TCP, port 4242 unless you changed it.

1. Allow it in the firewall. Windows: netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="StarMade" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=4242. Linux with ufw: sudo ufw allow 4242/tcp. See Windows firewall rules for a game server for the menu route.
2. Reserve the server machine's local IP in your router.
3. Forward TCP 4242 to it. The port forwarding guide covers the common routers.

Step 5: Make yourself admin and connect

Start the server again. Then:

1. In the server console, type /add_admin YourName, using the exact name you play under. You can also put the name on its own line in admins.txt before starting.
2. On your PC, open StarMade, choose Online Play, type your.public.ip:4242 in the field at the bottom and connect. From the same network, use the local IP instead.
3. Once in, try /god_mode YourName true to confirm admin works, then turn it off.

The full set of commands for running the universe is in StarMade admin commands.

Keeping the universe healthy

• Back up server-database and blueprints before every StarMade update and before big faction wars. A corrupted database is the one thing you cannot rebuild.
• Keep everyone on the server's build. When the launcher updates a player's client and not the server, they get a version error. Players can pick an older build in the launcher, or you update the server. StarMade can't connect to server covers this and the other join errors.
• Watch memory, not CPU, first. Big ships and many loaded sectors are what eat RAM. If the server lags around fleets, cap ship size through blueprint rules or lower MAX_CLIENTS.
• Run /force_save before a planned restart so nothing built in the last few minutes is lost.

The easier route

A faction server only works if it is online when people want to play, and a home PC running a Java process with 6 GB of heap gets old quickly. A GamezServers StarMade server is live in about a minute with its own address and no ports to forward, lets you pick the server jar in the panel, and gives you the file manager and SFTP for server.cfg, blueprints and admin files. One click backups before a war night, and plans you can resize as fleets grow. For a crew sharing one universe, splitting the bill lets up to 10 friends each pay their share.

FAQ

What port does a StarMade server use?

TCP 4242 by default, set with -port: on the start command. Forward that port to the server machine.

How much RAM does a StarMade server need?

4 GB for a small group, 6 GB for a faction server with 15 or more players and 8 GB for a busy universe. Set the Java maximum with -Xmx.

Can I move my single player world to a server?

Yes. Copy the server-database folder from your client install into the server folder while both are stopped. Single player in StarMade runs a local server, so the format is the same.

Why did my server.cfg changes disappear?

You edited the file while the server was running, and it wrote its settings back on shutdown. Stop the server, edit, then start it.

Do players need a StarMade account to join?

Only if you set REQUIRE_STARMADE_AUTHENTICATION to true. By default any name can join, which is fine for a whitelisted friends server.