How to Host a Mindustry Server: A Complete Guide for Dev

Greetings Dev, as a developer and a gamer, you might have heard of the game Mindustry. It is a combination of a tower defense game and a strategy game. You can play it offline or online with your friends. If you want to host a Mindustry server, you came to the right place. In this guide, I will teach you how to host a Mindustry server easily and efficiently. Are you ready for it? Let’s get started!

1. Introduction to Mindustry Server

Before we dive into the hosting part, let’s get to know Mindustry server better. Mindustry server is a server that allows you and your friends to play Mindustry online. With a Mindustry server, you can set up your own game world, customize the gameplay, and invite your friends to join.

The server can be run on various platforms such as Windows, Linux, and macOS. It is also compatible with Raspberry Pi, which makes it suitable for low-spec devices. Moreover, Mindustry server can be hosted on a cloud server or on your own machine.

In this guide, we will focus on hosting a Mindustry server on a cloud server, which is the most convenient and efficient way to do it.

2. Choose a Cloud Server Provider

The first step to hosting a Mindustry server is choosing a cloud server provider. There are many cloud server providers out there such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure. You can choose the provider that suits your needs and budget.

In this guide, we will use DigitalOcean as our cloud server provider. DigitalOcean provides a simple and affordable way to host a server. Moreover, it is beginner-friendly, which makes it a suitable choice for those who are new to hosting.

3. Set Up a DigitalOcean Account

If you haven’t signed up for DigitalOcean yet, you need to create an account first. The process is straightforward and only takes a few minutes. Here are the steps:

1. Go to the DigitalOcean website.
2. Click on the “Sign up” button.
3. Fill in your email address and password, then click “Create Account”.
4. Verify your account by clicking on the link sent to your email.
5. Add your billing information.

Now you have a DigitalOcean account. You can proceed to set up your Mindustry server.

4. Create a Droplet

A droplet is a virtual machine that runs on DigitalOcean’s infrastructure. You need to create a droplet to host your Mindustry server. Here are the steps:

1. Log in to your DigitalOcean account.
2. Click on the “Create” button and select “Droplets”.
3. Choose the Mindustry server image from the “One-click apps” tab.
4. Select the server size and location. The server size depends on the number of players you expect to have. The location should be chosen based on the location of your target audience.
5. Add your SSH key or create a new one. SSH key is a secure way to log in to your server. It is recommended to use SSH key instead of a password.
6. Click “Create Droplet”.

Now your droplet is created. You can proceed to set up your Mindustry server.

5. Connect to your Droplet

To connect to your droplet, you need to use SSH. If you are using Windows, you need to install an SSH client such as PuTTY. If you are using macOS or Linux, you can use the built-in terminal. Here are the steps:

1. Open your SSH client.
2. Enter your server IP address and SSH key.
3. Click “Connect”.

Now you are connected to your droplet. You can proceed to install and set up your Mindustry server.

6. Install Mindustry Server

To install Mindustry server, you need to use the package manager called “snap”. Here are the steps:

1. Update your package list:

sudo apt update

2. Install snapd:

sudo apt install snapd

3. Install Mindustry server:

sudo snap install mindustry-server

Now Mindustry server is installed on your droplet. You can proceed to set it up.

7. Set Up Mindustry Server

Before you can start your Mindustry server, you need to set it up first. Here are the steps:

1. Change directory to the Mindustry server directory:

cd /var/snap/mindustry-server/common/

2. Edit the config file:

sudo nano serverconfig.yaml

3. Customize the settings based on your preferences. You can set the server name, description, port, and other settings.
4. Save the file and exit.

Now your Mindustry server is set up. You can proceed to start it.

8. Start Mindustry Server

To start your Mindustry server, you need to use the “snap” command. Here are the steps:

1. Start the Mindustry server:

sudo snap start mindustry-server

2. Check the server status:

sudo snap services

If the server status is “active”, your server is running. You can proceed to connect to it.

9. Connect to Mindustry Server

To connect to your Mindustry server, you need to use the game client. Here are the steps:

1. Open the Mindustry game client.
2. Click “Play”.
3. Click “Join”.
4. Enter your server IP address and port.
5. Click “Join server”.

Now you are connected to your Mindustry server. You can play the game with your friends.

10. Customize Mindustry Server

You can customize your Mindustry server to suit your preferences. Here are some of the things you can do:

• Change the server name and description.
• Set up a password for your server.
• Change the map seed.
• Enable or disable mods.
• Change the number of available resources.

You can customize these settings by editing the config file. Remember to restart your server after making the changes.

11. Monitor Mindustry Server

You can monitor your Mindustry server to make sure it is running smoothly. Here are some of the things you can do:

• Check the server status using the “snap services” command.
• Check the server log to see if there are any errors:

sudo journalctl -u snap.mindustry-server.mindustry-server

• Use a monitoring tool such as Monit or Nagios.

Monitoring your server regularly can help you prevent potential issues and ensure a better gaming experience for you and your friends.

12. Backup Mindustry Server

Backing up your Mindustry server is important to prevent data loss. Here are the steps to back up your server:

1. Stop your Mindustry server:

sudo snap stop mindustry-server

2. Create a backup folder:

sudo mkdir /var/snap/mindustry-server/common/backups

3. Copy the server files to the backup folder:

sudo rsync -a /var/snap/mindustry-server/common/ /var/snap/mindustry-server/common/backups/$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M-%S)/

Now your server is backed up. You can restore it if needed.

13. Restore Mindustry Server

If you need to restore your Mindustry server from a backup, here are the steps:

1. Stop your Mindustry server:

sudo snap stop mindustry-server

2. Delete the current server files:

sudo rm -rf /var/snap/mindustry-server/common/

3. Copy the backup files to the server folder:

sudo rsync -a /var/snap/mindustry-server/common/backups/[backup_folder]/ /var/snap/mindustry-server/common/

Now your server is restored to a previous state.

14. Troubleshoot Mindustry Server

If you encounter any issues with your Mindustry server, here are some troubleshooting tips:

• Check the server log for errors.
• Check the server status using the “snap services” command.
• Restart the server.
• Check your network connection.
• Disable mods to see if they are causing the issue.

If you still can’t solve the issue, you can seek help from the Mindustry community or hire a server administrator to help you.

15. Frequently Asked Questions

16. Conclusion

Congratulations, you have learned how to host a Mindustry server on a cloud server. Now you can enjoy playing Mindustry with your friends online. Remember to customize your server, monitor it regularly, and back it up to ensure a smooth and secure gaming experience. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below. Happy gaming!