Your own Factorio dedicated server, open whenever your group is

What kind of server does Factorio want?

Factorio does multiplayer in an unusual way. Instead of the server working everything out and sending results to players, every copy of the game, the server's and each player's, simulates the entire factory, and only what players do is sent across the network. The official wiki calls this a lock step architecture.

• A fast processor per core is what keeps a big factory running at full speed, on the server as on every PC.
• Bandwidth needs are small, because only player actions travel.
• Memory grows with the size of your save and your mods; the wiki gives no fixed figure, so test with your own save.
• A faster server cannot rescue a slow PC: if a friend's computer struggles with the factory's size, they will fall behind wherever the server is.

Installing the headless server

1. Order a server with Ubuntu and log in over SSH. Make a separate user for Factorio; the wiki recommends it for security.
2. Download the headless Linux package from factorio.com and unpack it into /opt/factorio. It leaves out the graphics and sound, so it is small.
3. Make your settings file from the example one in the data folder, saving the copy as server-settings.json.
4. Create a world with ./bin/x64/factorio --create ./saves/my-save.zip.
5. Open UDP 34197 in the firewall, keeping SSH open, and start the server with --start-server-load-latest --server-settings ./data/server-settings.json.

Then turn that start command into a systemd service running as your Factorio user, so the world comes back on its own after a reboot.

The settings worth changing

• Name and description: what people see in the server list.
• Visibility: public, LAN only, or hidden. A public listing needs your factorio.com username plus a password or an authentication token. The wiki recommends the token, because the settings file keeps it as plain text.
• Game password: so only your group gets in.
• Max players: set a limit, or 0 for none.
• Auto-pause: by default the game pauses when nobody is connected. Change auto_pause to false in the settings file if you want the factory to keep producing overnight.

Who gets to be an admin?

You decide, with a small file. Create server-adminlist.json listing the usernames you trust, in the same folder as the server's factorio-current.log. The server also creates this file for you if you promote a player from the game's console.

Your saves are zip files in the saves folder. Copy them, along with the mods you use, to another computer every so often; a big factory is a lot of evenings.

What trips up a group server

• Everyone has to match. The wiki says every game instance needs exactly the same game version and mods. Update the server on the evening your group updates, and add or remove mods on the server and on every player's PC together; anyone who differs cannot join until they match.
• Old distributions will not start it. Factorio needs glibc 2.31 or newer, the wiki notes, which rules out CentOS/RHEL 7 with its glibc 2.17. A current Ubuntu LTS avoids the problem.
• The settings file holds secrets. Your game password and factorio.com token sit in it as plain text, so make it readable only by the Factorio user with chmod 600 data/server-settings.json. That last step is our advice, not the wiki's.
• A faster server is not the cure for every lag. If one player falls behind while the others are fine, look at that player's PC first; if everyone slows down together as the factory grows, the server's per-core speed is the limit.

Pick the machine for clock speed, not core count

Because the server runs the whole factory itself, every tick, you want its processor to be quick and all yours. Our game servers on bare metal are whole HPE enterprise machines that nobody else shares, with your choice of configuration and operating system; pick a line with high clock speeds rather than the most cores. Each server's port is not shared with any other customer at the access switch.

Racked machines go out about half an hour after approval, though payment checks can add time before that. Choose a data centre close to your friends. People answer chat, phone and email at any hour, and every machine we offer is on the dedicated servers page.

When you can skip it

If your group always plays together, one of you can simply host from the game. A dedicated server helps when people want to drop in at different times, when you live in different time zones, or when you would like a public server with its own admins. Building something bigger still? Our Satisfactory guide covers the other great factory game.

Questions people ask

Is the Factorio server software free?

Yes. factorio.com lets anyone download the 64-bit Linux headless server without paying. Each player still needs their own copy of the game.

Which port should I open for Factorio?

Just one: 34197, over UDP. Factorio uses UDP only, so adding a TCP rule achieves nothing.

Why does the game stop when my friends log off?

Factorio pauses by default when no one is connected. If you want it to keep running, set auto_pause to false in your server settings file.

Will a powerful server stop my friend's lag?

Not if their own PC is the bottleneck. Every computer in the game simulates the whole factory, so each player needs a machine that can keep up.

How do I list my server publicly?

Set visibility to public and fill in your factorio.com username and an authentication token in the settings file. Without those, keep it LAN-only or hidden and share the address directly.

Where are my saves kept?

In the saves folder of your Factorio server, as zip files. Copying that folder is the simplest backup.