Setting Up a Dedicated Factorio Server: A Comprehensive Guide

Factorio1.9k views22 favorites2 min readby GhostwheelUpdated Jan 26, 2025View on Steam ↗

Introduction

Hosting a dedicated Factorio server allows for a persistent game world that players can join at any time. This setup is beneficial for continuous gameplay and managing larger groups of players.

Prerequisites

- System Requirements: Ensure your system meets the necessary hardware requirements to run a Factorio server smoothly.
- Network Configuration: Factorio uses UDP port 34197 by default. Ensure this port is open and forwarded in your router settings to allow external connections.

Setting Up on Windows

- Download Factorio:
- Visit the Factorio Downloads page[www.factorio.com] and download the latest version suitable for your system.

- Extract Files:
- Extract the downloaded files to a directory of your choice, e.g., C:\\FactorioServer.

- Create a Save File:
- Launch Factorio, set up your desired game settings, and save the game.
- Place the save file in the saves folder within your Factorio directory.

- Configure the Server:
- Navigate to the data folder and locate server-settings.example.json.
- Copy and rename it to server-settings.json.
- Edit this file to configure server settings such as name, description, and password.

- Create a Batch File to Start the Server:
- In the Factorio directory, create a new text file named start-server.bat.
- Add the following line, replacing YourSaveFile.zip with the name of your save file:

start factorio.exe --start-server saves\\YourSaveFile.zip --server-settings data\\server-settings.json

- Save and run this batch file to start your server.

Setting Up on Linux

- Update System Packages:
- Open a terminal and run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

- Create a User for Factorio:
- It's advisable to run the server under a dedicated user:

sudo adduser --disabled-login --no-create-home --gecos factorio factorio

- Download and Extract Factorio:
- Navigate to /opt and download the headless server:

cd /opt sudo wget -O factorio_headless.tar.gz https://www.factorio.com/get-download/latest/headless/linux64 sudo tar -xzf factorio_headless.tar.gz sudo rm factorio_headless.tar.gz

- Set Permissions:
- Assign ownership to the Factorio user:

sudo chown -R factorio:factorio /opt/factorio

- Configure the Server:
- Similar to the Windows setup, edit the server-settings.json file located in /opt/factorio/data.

- Create a Systemd Service:
- Create a service file for Factorio:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/factorio.service

- Add the following content:

[Unit] Description=Factorio Headless Server After=network.target [Service] User=factorio WorkingDirectory=/opt/factorio ExecStart=/opt/factorio/bin/x64/factorio --start-server /opt/factorio/saves/YourSaveFile.zip --server-settings /opt/factorio/data/server-settings.json Restart=on-failure [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target

- Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl enable factorio sudo systemctl start factorio

Example Batch Scripts

- Windows Batch Script (start-server.bat):

@echo off cd /d "C:\\FactorioServer" start factorio.exe --start-server saves\\YourSaveFile.zip --server-settings data\\server-settings.json

- Linux Shell Script (start-server.sh):

#!/bin/bash cd /opt/factorio ./bin/x64/factorio --start-server saves/YourSaveFile.zip --server-settings data/server-settings.json

Ensure the script has execution permissions:

chmod +x start-server.sh

Additional Tips

- Mod Support: To add mods, place them in the mods folder within your Factorio directory.
- Backups: Regularly back up your save files to prevent data loss.
- Troubleshooting: Check logs for errors and ensure all required ports are open for external connections.

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By following this guide, you can set up and manage a dedicated Factorio server with ease, ensuring smooth multiplayer gameplay for you and your friends. Happy building!