How to Set Up an Abiotic Factor Dedicated Server

Option 1: on Windows with SteamCMD

The Abiotic Factor Dedicated Server is a free, anonymous download from Steam, application 2857200, about 2.8 GB. You do not need to own the game on the server.

1. Install SteamCMD, then run: +login anonymous +app_update 2857200 validate +quit.
2. Start AbioticFactor/Binaries/Win64/AbioticFactorServer-Win64-Shipping.exe with arguments such as -log -newconsole -PORT=7777 -QUERYPORT=27015 -MaxServerPlayers=6 -SteamServerName="My Server" -WorldSaveName=Cascade. Add -ServerPassword=<password> for a join password and -AdminPassword=<password> for an in-game admin password.
3. Open UDP 7777 and 27015 in the firewall and forward them on the router.
4. Put the SteamID64 of each admin in Admin.ini, under [Moderators], one Moderator=<id> line each, and restart the server.

Option 2: on Linux, under Wine

There is no native Linux build, but the Windows server runs under Wine. Download it with SteamCMD forced to the Windows build (+@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType windows) and start the same executable with wine. In our runs it needed no virtual display (Xvfb only added memory and threads), and a Wine with fsync or esync support matters: without one the idle server used about 40% more CPU.

Option 3: Docker

runonflux/abioticfactor-server-flux, our image, installs and updates the Windows server with SteamCMD on every start, runs it under Wine 10 with no display, writes the launch line and Admin.ini from environment variables (ABIOTIC_SERVER_NAME, ABIOTIC_PASSWORD, ABIOTIC_MAX_PLAYERS, ABIOTIC_PLATFORM, ABIOTIC_ADMINS, ABIOTIC_WORLD, the two ports...), restarts onto new game builds and keeps backups. Its source is on GitHub, RunOnFlux/abioticfactor-server-flux.

• Mount /mnt/abiotic/data on a volume: the worlds, Admin.ini, the settings and the backups live there.
• Mount /mnt/abiotic/server too, or every start downloads the 2.8 GB install and rebuilds Wine's prefix again.
• Publish the two UDP ports, and keep the numbers the same outside and inside: the server binds exactly the ports it is given.

Option 4: managed on Flux

Deploy an Abiotic Factor server on the Flux decentralized cloud, on that same image, with the ports opened and routed for you, DDoS protection included, and a dashboard with the launch settings and every sandbox rule, worlds, your PC save uploaded, admins, a file browser, a live terminal and backups. Plans start at $5.49 a month.

1. Pick the 6, 12 or 24 Players plan.
2. Choose a region close to your players.
3. Name the server, set a password and who can join if you want, and deploy. The first start downloads about 2.8 GB and loads the world in a minute or two.
4. Your crew finds it by name in the in-game server list.