How to Set Up a Sons of the Forest Dedicated Server

Option 1: on Windows with SteamCMD

The Sons of the Forest Dedicated Server is a free, anonymous download from Steam, application 2465200, about 3.4 GB. You do not need to own the game on the server.

1. Install SteamCMD, then run: +login anonymous +app_update 2465200 validate +quit (Endnight ships VerifyUpdateSOTFDedicated.bat, which does the same).
2. Start the server once with StartSOTFDedicated.bat. On that first start it writes dedicatedserver.cfg and ownerswhitelist.txt with their defaults and stops, asking you to restart it.
3. Edit dedicatedserver.cfg: at least ServerName, and Password if you want one. MaxPlayers goes up to 8.
4. Put your SteamID64 in ownerswhitelist.txt, one per line, to manage the server from the in-game menu.
5. Open UDP 8766, 27016 and 9700 in the firewall and forward them on the router, then start the server again.

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), give Wine a virtual display (Xvfb), and start SonsOfTheForestDS.exe with -userdatapath.

Option 3: Docker

runonflux/sotf-server-flux, our image, installs and updates the Windows server with SteamCMD on every start, runs it under Wine 10 on a virtual display, writes dedicatedserver.cfg and ownerswhitelist.txt from environment variables (SOTF_SERVER_NAME, SOTF_PASSWORD, SOTF_MAX_PLAYERS, SOTF_GAME_MODE, SOTF_OWNERS, the three ports...), saves the world on stop, restarts onto new game builds and keeps backups. Its source is on GitHub, RunOnFlux/sotf-server-flux.

• Mount /mnt/sotf/data on a volume: the settings, the owners and every save slot live there.
• Mount /mnt/sotf/server too, or every start downloads the 3.4 GB install and rebuilds Wine's prefix again.
• Publish the three UDP ports, and keep the numbers the same outside and inside: the server announces the ports it binds.

Option 4: managed on Flux

Deploy a Sons of the Forest 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 every server setting and custom game rule, save slots, your co-op save uploaded, owners, a file browser, a live terminal and backups. Plans start at $8.49 a month.

1. Pick the 4 Players, 8 Players or 8 Players Plus plan.
2. Choose a region close to your players.
3. Name the server, set a password and a game mode if you want, and deploy. The first start downloads about 3.4 GB and loads the island in about three minutes.
4. Your friends find it by name in Multiplayer, Join, or with Direct and the address from the dashboard.