The Front dedicated server: setup and ports

The Front's dedicated server is a free SteamCMD download (app id 2334200) with Linux and Windows builds, and it is configured almost entirely through launch parameters: server name, player cap, PvP or PvE, admin SteamIDs, save interval and dozens of gameplay rates are all -Key=Value arguments on one long command line (the Windows server manager writes the same keys into a ServerConfig_*.ini). It needs four UDP ports - game, beacon, query and a shutdown-service port - and it is a heavy Unreal Engine server: 6 GB of memory is a floor for a small group, 10 GB or more for a busy public world. The two settings that protect your world are a short SaveWorldInterval and a backup of the save folder before every update.

This guide covers installing and launching the server, the ports and why there are four, the settings that define the kind of server you are running, admins, saves and wipes, and the errors that stop people joining.

What a The Front server is#

The Front is a survival game with base building, PvP or PvE, NPC cities and vehicles, built on Unreal Engine. The dedicated server holds one persistent world: every base, container, vehicle and player character is stored server-side and saved on a timer.

A few things shape how you run it:

• Settings are launch parameters. There is no single config file that you edit and the server reads, in the way many survival games work. On Linux and on most panels, every setting is a command-line argument; the Windows server manager tool keeps them in an ini and builds the line for you.
• The world lives in a user folder. The -UserDir argument tells the server where to keep its world data, and -ConfigServerName names the save. Change either and the server starts a fresh world while the old one sits untouched beside it.
• Anti-cheat is on by default. The game's anti-cheat (UseACE) is enabled and should stay that way for any public server.
• Updates need care. The game updates often, and community hosting templates warn against automatic updates because a bad update can leave an install broken. Update deliberately, with a backup taken first.

Requirements and resource usage#

• Memory grows with the world: every structure, container and vehicle is held in memory. A server that starts at 5 GB can sit at 10 GB a month later on the same player count. Watch the peak, not the start.
• CPU is mostly one busy game thread plus helpers. Clock speed holds the server together when raids and NPC city attacks happen at once. CPU vs RAM for game servers explains how to read which one is short.
• Disk is moderate for the install and grows with saves. NVMe shortens the hitch during world saves, which is when players notice a slow disk.

Do not size from the empty server. The Front's load is driven by what players build, and a fresh world is the lightest it will ever be. When the graphs show memory near the limit at peak, either restart more often, lower base limits, or move up a tier.

Installing and the launch line#

$ steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/thefront/server +login anonymous \    +app_update 2334200 validate +quit

On Linux the server binary is ProjectWar/Binaries/Linux/TheFrontServer, and it is started with the map token and a long list of parameters:

$ ./ProjectWar/Binaries/Linux/TheFrontServer ProjectWar_Start?DedicatedServer \    -server -game -log \    -ServerName="Iron Harbour PvE | EU" -ServerPassword= \    -Port=7900 -BeaconPort=7901 -QueryPort=7902 -ShutDownServicePort=7903 \    -OutIPAddress=203.0.113.10 \    -ConfigServerName=ironharbour -UserDir="/home/thefront/saves/ironharbour/" \    -QueueThreshold=40 -MaxQueueSize=20 -QueueValidTime=120 \    -ServerFightModeType=1 -IsCanSelfDamage=0 -IsCanFriendDamage=0 \    -SaveWorldInterval=300 -GreenHand=true -UseACE=true \    -ServerAdminAccounts=76561198012345678;76561198087654321

On a panel host you do not type this line. Each of these values is a field on the Startup tab, and changing one is an edit and a restart. SteamCMD explained covers the download side.

The parameters that define the server:

Ports: why there are four#

The defaults differ between published templates - some use 7900 to 7903, others 27015 to 27018 - and it does not matter which you use as long as the four parameters match the ports actually open to the internet. Set them explicitly rather than relying on a default.

The classic failure is a server that appears in the browser but fails at the loading screen. That is the beacon port: the query port answered the browser, but the join handshake could not complete. A server that does not appear at all is usually the query port. Game server ports explained goes through why games split traffic like this.

-OutIPAddress matters on machines where the server cannot discover its own public address. If the browser shows your server with a private or wrong address, set it to the real public IP.

On RE:NODE, The Front plans come with three port allocations; add the fourth on the Network tab before the first start, so all four parameters point at ports that are really yours.

The settings that define your server#

Beyond identity and ports, The Front exposes a long list of gameplay rates. Nearly all default to 1 (normal), and they can be passed as parameters the same way as the settings above. Group them by the decision they represent.

PvP or PvE, and damage

A PvE server that still allows base damage from NPCs keeps city raids meaningful. A PvP server that blocks base damage is a peaceful server with extra steps.

Progression and gathering

Rates of 2 to 3 suit a small group with limited time. Beyond 5 the progression collapses and a world is "finished" in a weekend - which is a legitimate choice for a short-season server, but make it on purpose.

Bases, NPCs, death and survival

Build limits are the setting with the biggest effect on the server's health over time. Every piece is held in memory and saved; a server that raises GMSetGJConstructMaxNumRatio to let people build cities will need more memory a month later than the same server on defaults. If you raise it, pair it with a clear wipe schedule.

Some settings are read only when a world is created. If a change seems to do nothing, check whether it applies to existing worlds before concluding the key is wrong - the reliable test is a throwaway world with a different -ConfigServerName.

Admins#

Admins are SteamID64s in -ServerAdminAccounts, separated by semicolons. Add yourself before the first launch, and restart after any change - the list is read at start-up.

-ServerAdminAccounts=76561198012345678;76561198087654321-IsShowGmTitle=0

Admins get access to the game's GM tools in game, for moderation and fixing problems such as stuck players or lost items. IsShowGmTitle controls whether an admin's title is displayed to other players; most community servers turn it off so staff can play normally. The exact set of GM functions has changed with game updates, so explore them on a test world rather than discovering them during an incident.

Two rules for admin lists that apply to every game:

• Keep it short. Admin tools on a survival server can spawn items and alter bases, and every extra admin is someone who can ruin the economy by accident or on purpose.
• Use the 17-digit SteamID64. Not a profile URL or display name. A wrong ID fails silently.

Subusers and least privilege is the same principle applied to the panel: someone who only needs to restart the server should not have access to the startup parameters where the admin list lives.

Saves, backups and wipes#

The world is held in memory and written to disk every SaveWorldInterval seconds - 300 (five minutes) by default. Anything that ends the process without a save loses up to one interval:

• A clean stop saves. Stopping through the panel or the shutdown service lets the server write the world first. Wait for it to exit by itself.
• A kill does not. Killing the process, a host crash, or an out-of-memory stop loses everything since the last save.
• Shorter intervals cost hitches. A large world takes a moment to save. Five minutes is a sensible balance; going below two minutes on a big world makes the hitch noticeable.

On RE:NODE a server that reaches its memory limit is stopped and restarted clean rather than swapping, which is exactly the unsaved-stop case above - one more reason to keep the save interval short on a large world and to watch the memory graph as the world grows.

What to back up is the folder -UserDir points at, plus a note of your full launch parameters. The world data is useless without the matching -ConfigServerName, and your carefully tuned rates exist only in the startup settings. Back up on a schedule, before every game update, and before changing any setting that affects existing worlds. Then restore one occasionally to prove it works - backups that actually restore explains why that half matters more.

Wipes on The Front are a community decision rather than a forced cycle. The usual options:

• Fresh world, same settings. Change -ConfigServerName (or empty the save folder) and restart. Keep the old folder for a while in case of regret.
• Scheduled seasons. Public PvP servers often wipe every few weeks or months, announced well ahead.
• No wipes. Fine for a small PvE group, as long as memory and save size are watched.

ClearSeverTime (spelled that way in the game) is a setting that records a wipe date for display. Announce wipes in advance through WelcomeMessage and your Discord; rust wipes without losing your players covers the community side, and most of it applies to any survival game.

Running a public server versus a private one#

The same binary serves two very different jobs, and the settings that matter most change with the job.

For a private server for friends, the goals are convenience and keeping the world alive between sessions. Set a -ServerPassword, raise gathering and experience rates to match how much time the group actually has, consider IsCanFriendDamage=0, and leave QueueThreshold at the group size plus a couple. Memory is the only real constraint, and a weekly restart is usually enough.

For a public server, the goals are fairness and stability. Keep anti-cheat on, leave rates close to default or announce clearly what they are in the server name, and set QueueThreshold to what the server can carry at peak rather than what looks impressive in the browser. A server that holds 40 players smoothly keeps them; one that advertises 60 and stutters during every raid loses them. Use -MaxQueueSize and -QueueValidTime so players who drop during a crash can get back in without losing their place.

Public PvP servers also need a policy for griefing and raiding that the settings cannot enforce by themselves - offline raiding, base blocking, harassment of new players. GreenHand new-player protection helps with the last. Write the rest down and moderate it; server rules, moderation and staff covers building a staff team that can.

Troubleshooting#

The server is in the browser, but joining fails at loading. The beacon port is closed or mismatched. Check that -BeaconPort matches an open UDP port.

The server never appears in the browser. The query port, or -OutIPAddress advertising the wrong address.

After a restart everyone is on a fresh map. -ConfigServerName or -UserDir changed. Put the old values back; the original world is still there.

Admin rights do not work. The SteamID64 is wrong, the separators are not semicolons, or the server has not restarted since the edit.

Progress was lost after a crash. Expected up to one save interval. Shorten SaveWorldInterval and check the memory graph for limit hits.

The server broke after a game update. Restore the pre-update backup of the install and the save folder, then wait for a fix or validate the install with SteamCMD. This is why automatic updates are a bad idea here.

Memory climbs every day. The world is growing. Schedule a daily restart at a quiet hour - restart schedules that help - and review build limits.

FAQ#

How do I make a The Front server PvE?

Set -ServerFightModeType=1 and restart. Pair it with IsCanFriendDamage=0 and decide whether NPCs may still damage bases with CHFDamagedByNpc.

How many players can a The Front server hold?

The cap is set with -QueueThreshold, with extra players waiting in the queue. What the server can actually carry depends on memory and CPU; size from the peak of a mature world, not an empty one.

Where are The Front server saves stored?

Inside the folder given by -UserDir, under the save named by -ConfigServerName. Back up that whole folder, and record both values with the backup.

How do I add an admin?

Add their SteamID64 to -ServerAdminAccounts, separated from others by semicolons, and restart. Admins then have access to the game's GM tools in game.

Should I enable automatic updates?

No. Update deliberately: take a backup, update with SteamCMD, start the server and confirm it loads the world before players return. A broken update is then a restore rather than a lost world.

How do I wipe the world?

Start the server with a new -ConfigServerName, or move the current save folder aside and restart. Keep the old save for a few weeks in case you need to go back.