How to Create a Server

Setting up a server is easy! Depending on what your goals are, you and your friends can be playing in your very own server in no time. The first step is to decide what method of hosting is right for you.

Deciding How to Host

Already know what you want? Jump straight to Self Hosting or Hosting Provider

Effectively, your two most likely options will be deciding between self-hosting (free), or by using a hosting provider (usually a paid service). Here are some of the differences between the two:

Self-Hosted	Hosting Provider
Free! Hosted on your own PC, limited only by your hardware and network availability	Paid service (though very affordable depending on desired specs), usually hosted on Enterprise-grade equipment and often has higher speeds and reliability than residentially available
Requires access to your network (router) configuration to enable port-forwarding, which allows others access to your network	Requires no networking experience and doesn't compromise your network security.
Is only online when your computer is online	Can be online 24/7
Host as many server instances as your equipment can handle	Often only allows one server instance per rental

Option 1: Self Hosted

Before getting started with your self-hosted server, make sure you have the following:

• A computer or server machine running Windows or Linux with an administrative user account
• A stable internet connection with a publicly accessible IP address (not behind CGNAT)
• Administrative access to your router (and a comfortable understanding of how to use it)

Important

All of these requirements are necessary to self-host your own server. If one or more of these are unavailable to you, you'll have a better shot at using a Paid Hosting Service (see Option 2).

Windows Installation

Step 1: Download the Server

Head over to https://www.beammp.com, scroll down to "Or Host It Yourself", and download the Windows Server file.

TIP

Give it a home! Your Downloads folder can get messy, so we don't suggest leaving it in there.

It is advisable to choose a location for this file that will be easy to access. If you plan on running multiple servers, you'll want to make sure that it and each instance is in its own dedicated folder.

Step 2: Initialize the Server

Once you have your BeamMP-Server.exe file where you'd like it, double-click it for the first time.

This will create all of the necessary files and folders needed to get started.

Step 3: Configure Your Server

One of the newly created files should be ServerConfig.toml.

Open the file with Notepad or similar a text editor (avoid using document editors, such as Word) and make any desired changes. Most of it is self-explanatory, but here's a bit more detail in some of the places where people hit snags:

Port = 30814

This is the port that you'll open up in your Port Forwarding rules (see Port Forwarding).

If your goal is to host multiple servers from the same machine, each server will be identified by its own port (30814, 30815, etc...) and each port that you assign to a server will equally need to be opened up in your Port Forwarding rules.

AuthKey = ""

The AuthKey field must always have something in it. However, it only needs to have a valid auth key if you plan on hosting your server on the public list. If you're keeping your server private, just put something random here (such as 1234).
Example: Authkey = "1234"

If you'd like your server on the public list, you can acquire an AuthKey from the Keymaster Tab within your BeamMP Accounts Portal. You may need to link your Discord via Profile > Linked Accounts.

Patreon Subscribers!

If you're a Patreon Subscriber using your perks for additional keys, you'll also want to to ensure that your Discord is linked in your Patreon account so that the system knows about your extra keys.

IP = "::"

In most cases, you'll leave this as-is. Do not touch it unless there's some specific configuration requirement leading you to do so.

Map = "/levels/gridmap_v2/info.json"

This is where you'll specify the map for your server. We'll go into a bit more detail on this later, but for now let's leave it on gridmap_v2 until you're able to verify that everything is connecting correctly.

Make sure you save the file File > Save when you're done!

Step 4: Configure Port Forwarding

Warning

Port forwarding is a risk.

By port forwarding, you understand the risks of opening up ports on your home network to the public and therefore void the right to hold BeamMP accountable for any and all damages that may happen to you or your household.

We take no responsibility for any content on any externally linked services or websites.

In order for your friends (or anyone not inside your home) to join your server, you'll need to configure your router to allow this additional traffic. Otherwise, other players will get "Connection Failed" errors when trying to connect.

When setting up your port forwarding, you'll need to forward the port that you specified in Step 3. The default port is 30814, however if you changed this or are running multiple servers (i.e. using multiple ports), you'll need to ensure that this matches your server configuration.

Both TCP and UDP should be forwarded to the local IP address of the machine running the server.

Note

Unclear on port forwarding? Check your router manufacturer's documentation or search online for instructions specific to your router model. BeamMP's Support Team is unable to provide support for this stage of the server hosting process.

Step 5: Set up Firewall Rules

In Windows Defender, you'll need to set up Inbound and Outbound rules to allow traffic, similar to the process in Step 4.

Defender Firewall exclusion for the BeamMP-Server

1. Open Windows Defender Firewall with advanced setting
2. Click New Rule...
3. Select Port, click Next
4. Enter the same port you specified in Step 3
5. Specify the path to BeamMP-Server.exe
6. Select Allow the connection
7. Give the exclusion a name (e.g. "BeamMP-Launcher") and save it.
8. Create both an Inbound and an Outbound rule
9. Restart your PC

Additional, if needed:

Defender Antivirus Exclusion for the BeamMP-Launcher/Server

1. Open the Windows Security app
2. Click the first item virus and threat protection
3. Click Manage Settings beneath "Virus & threat protection settings"
4. Scroll down to navigate to the Exclusions tab
5. Click Add an exclusion and select process
6. Enter BeamMP-Launcher.exe or BeamMP-Server.exe into the field and save it.
7. Restart your PC

Ready to Join?

You can use a tool like Port Checker to verify that your port-forwarding is working properly. Otherwise, let's get connect!

• You - If you're joining from the same PC that you're hosting from, you can use localhost to connect to your server. In BeamMP, go to the Direct Connect tab, and connect to IP: 127.0.0.1 Port: 30814 (or whatever port you opened up)
• Your Friends - If your server is public, they can simply search for your server by name in the Public Server List. Otherwise, if you ran your server as private, you'll need to provide them with your Public IP Address (Google "What is my IP?") and the port number that you have opened up/specified for your server. They'll then use this information in the Direct Connect page, similar to how you used localhost.

Option 2: Hosting Provider

If self-hosting doesn't feel right for you, BeamMP has partnered with several great hosting companies that can provide you with a great service; and it likely costs a lot less than you'd expect.

Step 1: Choose a Provider

This is truly the hard part, but as long as you are checking for who can provide a server in the best geographical location for you, there is no wrong answer!

Check out our Partnered Hosting Providers, and once you're set up with wheover you've decided on, come back here for some guidelines on getting your server working.

Step 2: Server Configuration

The great thing about Hosting Providers, is they do most of the hard work for you. Often, it's as simple as filling in a few text fields, and clicking Start.

TIP

Many hosting providers use a Pterodactyl Panel or similar for their server management. In these cases, it's very common to see their panels override the ServerConfig.toml file.

What this means is that instead of finding that file within the File Manager and configuring it as if you were self-hosting, you would instead set the values in something like a Startup tab within your hosting panel.

Important Fields

In the Startup tab (or similar) within your hosting panel, the important things to note are the "Private" field, and the "Auth Key" field.

• Private - Marking a server as Private means that it will not show up on the Public Server List.
• Auth Key - This field is required whether your server is public or private, however, it only requires a valid auth key if you are planning to host your server publicly.

Auth Key: Private Servers

For a private server, you do not need to provide an auth key here, but the field cannot be left blank. You can put anything into this field, such as 1234. If it is left as blank, the server will not start or may provide an error "The server is still starting..." when you try to join.

Auth Key: Public Servers

For a public server, you will need to ensure that a valid auth key is pasted into this field.

You can acquire an AuthKey from the Keymaster Tab within your BeamMP Accounts Portal. You may need to link your Discord via Profile > Linked Accounts.

Patreon Subscribers!

If you're a Patreon Subscriber using your perks for additional keys, you'll also want to to ensure that your Discord is linked in your Patreon account so that the system knows about your extra keys.

Ready to Join?

You can use a tool like Port Checker to verify that your port-forwarding is working properly. Otherwise, let's get connect!

• Public Server - If your server is public, you and your friends can simply search for your server by name in the Public Server List.
• Private Server - If your server is public, you and your friend will need to connect to the IP Address and Port that the hosting company assigned to your server. This usually found in the same page as the server console. You can then use this information in the Direct Connect page of BeamMP.

General Setup - Done!

That's it! Your server should be set up and able to be play! If not, please visit our Discord Server where you can create a Server Support Ticket for assistance from our team.

Ready to Make it Yours?

Check out Server Customization for more information on how to make your server what you want it to be!