Your Enshrouded server: installation and setup on a VPS/dedicated server

To create your own Enshrouded server on a VPS or dedicated server, you will need a Linux operating system (Ubuntu 20.04/22.04 LTS is recommended), a minimum of 4 vCPU/cores with a clock speed of 3.5 GHz or higher, 8-16 GB of RAM, and an 80-100 GB NVMe disk for stable operation with 4-8 players, as well as open ports 15636 and 15637 UDP.

Enshrouded is a new co-op survival action RPG that has quickly gained popularity thanks to its unique graphics, deep gameplay, and the ability to build your own shelters. Despite the availability of official servers, many players prefer to run their own Enshrouded server. This provides full control over the gameplay, the ability to set your own rules, invite only friends, and customize the world to your needs. In this article, we will detail how to install and configure an Enshrouded dedicated server on your VPS or dedicated server, and provide recommendations for choosing the optimal Enshrouded hosting.

Why You Need Your Own Enshrouded Server and Its Advantages

Running your own Enshrouded server opens up many possibilities and solves several problems that players encounter on public or official servers. It's not just a way to play with friends, but also a tool for creating a unique gaming experience.

Full Control Over Gameplay and Community

One of the key advantages of your own Enshrouded server is full control over all aspects of the game. You can set your own rules, moderate chat, ban unwanted players, and create a comfortable atmosphere for your community. Unlike public servers, where griefers, cheaters, or simply unfriendly players are often found, on your server, you decide who has access to the game. This is especially important for those who want to play in a small, friendly group without being distracted by external annoyances.

Furthermore, you gain the ability to manage the game world: choose restart times, update the server at your convenience, roll back saves in case of unforeseen situations, or experiment with settings. This level of control is not available on official servers, where all decisions are made by the developers.

Stability, Performance, and No Lag

Public servers often suffer from overloads, leading to high pings, delays, and connection drops. When you rent a VPS or dedicated server for Enshrouded hosting, you get guaranteed resources that are not shared with hundreds of other players. This ensures significantly better performance, a stable connection, and minimizes lag, which is critically important for Enshrouded's dynamic gameplay.

Your server will run 24/7, even when you're not playing, allowing your friends to join and continue developing the world at any time. This eliminates the need to constantly keep your game client running, as is the case with in-game hosting.

System Requirements for Enshrouded Dedicated Server

Before proceeding with the installation, it's important to understand what resources will be required for your Enshrouded dedicated server to run stably. Requirements can vary significantly depending on the number of concurrent players and the chosen world settings.

Minimum and Recommended CPU, RAM, and Disk Requirements

Enshrouded developers have provided basic recommendations, but for a comfortable game with several friends on a dedicated server, it's worth aiming for higher specifications. The Enshrouded server is quite resource-intensive, especially regarding CPU clock speed and RAM.

• Processor (CPU): The Enshrouded server is very sensitive to single-thread performance. A minimum of 2 CPU cores with a clock speed of 3.0 GHz is required. 4 CPU cores with a clock speed of 3.5 GHz (or higher) are recommended. The higher the base core frequency, the better the server will perform, especially with a large number of players and active building.
• Random Access Memory (RAM): The minimum RAM for a small server with 2-4 players is 8 GB. 16 GB of RAM is recommended for 4-8 players. With 10+ players and active world exploration, especially after extended server operation, memory consumption can reach 20-24 GB.
• Disk Space: The server client itself occupies about 20-30 GB. However, world saves can grow significantly over time, especially with active building and exploration. An NVMe disk of at least 80-100 GB is recommended. NVMe drives provide high read/write speeds, which is critical for fast world loading and preventing delays when saving data.
• Network Connection: A stable internet connection with a bandwidth of at least 100 Mbps. For larger servers or servers with active traffic, 1 Gbps is recommended.

Dependency on the Number of Players

The number of players is the main factor influencing server load. The more players simultaneously in the world, the higher the CPU and RAM requirements.

• 2-4 players: A VPS with 4 vCPU (3.5+ GHz), 8 GB RAM, 80 GB NVMe should suffice.
• 5-8 players: 6-8 vCPU (3.5+ GHz), 16 GB RAM, 100-150 GB NVMe are recommended.
• 9-16 players: A more powerful dedicated server with 8+ physical cores (3.8+ GHz), 24-32 GB RAM, 200+ GB NVMe will be required.

Remember that these recommendations may change as developers optimize the game or as new features and mods emerge. It's always better to have a slight surplus of resources to avoid performance issues in the future.

Choosing a VPS or Dedicated Server for Enshrouded Hosting

The choice between a VPS and a dedicated server depends on your needs, budget, and the expected number of players. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages for Enshrouded hosting.

VPS vs. Dedicated: Which to Choose for Enshrouded?

• Virtual Private Server (VPS):
  • Pros: More affordable price, easy scalability (resources can be quickly increased or decreased), fewer technical knowledge requirements for basic management. Ideal for small groups (up to 8 players).
  • Cons: While resources are guaranteed, they might be "neighboring" other VPS on the same physical hardware, which can sometimes affect performance during peak loads from neighbors. Less control over hardware.
• Dedicated Server:
  • Pros: Maximum performance and stability, all hardware resources belong exclusively to you. Full control over the hardware. The best choice for large communities (8+ players) or for those planning to run multiple game servers.
  • Cons: Significantly more expensive, requires deeper technical knowledge for management and configuration. Scaling is more complex and takes longer.

For most users looking to run their own Enshrouded server to play with friends, a quality VPS will be the optimal solution. If you plan to create a large gaming community or are not satisfied with VPS performance, then a dedicated server should be considered.

Provider Selection Criteria

When choosing a provider for your Enshrouded dedicated server or VPS, pay attention to the following points:

1. Data Center Location: Choose a data center that is geographically closer to most of your players. This minimizes ping and improves the gaming experience.
2. Disk Type: Always prioritize NVMe drives. The performance difference compared to SSDs or HDDs is enormous and critical for game servers.
3. Processor: Clarify the processor model and its base clock speed. The higher the core frequency, the better. Some providers only specify the number of cores but not their frequency, which can be misleading.
4. DDoS Protection: Game servers often become targets for DDoS attacks. Ensure your provider offers adequate protection. Valebyte.com offers advanced DDoS protection.
5. Technical Support: High-quality and prompt 24/7 support is very important, especially if you are not an experienced system administrator.
6. Price and Tariff Flexibility: Compare prices and scaling options. Make sure you can easily upgrade or downgrade your plan as your needs change.

When choosing hosting for a game server, you can also look at the experience with other games, for example, how to choose your own ARK Survival Ascended server or your own Palworld server, as the general principles for selecting resources for games are similar.

Server Preparation: OS Selection and Basic Settings

For installing an Enshrouded dedicated server, we recommend using the Linux operating system, specifically Ubuntu Server LTS (Long Term Support) versions 20.04 or 22.04. These distributions are stable, well-documented, and have a broad support community.

Operating System and User Creation

After gaining access to your VPS or dedicated server (usually via SSH), first ensure that you are using a supported OS. If you haven't chosen yet, select Ubuntu 22.04 LTS when ordering the server.

For security and better organization, it is recommended to create a separate user for running the game server, instead of using root. Let's call it enshrouded.

sudo adduser enshrouded
sudo usermod -aG sudo enshrouded # Optional, if you need to grant sudo privileges

Switch to this user:

su - enshrouded

Now all subsequent commands will be executed as the enshrouded user in their home directory.

System Update and Dependency Installation

Before installing the Enshrouded server, you need to update the system and install all necessary packages and dependencies. This ensures that you have the most up-to-date versions of libraries and tools.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y steamcmd lib32gcc-s1 screen # steamcmd for downloading the server, lib32gcc-s1 for 32-bit libraries, screen for sessions

If steamcmd is not directly available via apt (which can happen on some distributions or versions), it can be installed manually:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y lib32gcc-s1 steamcmd screen

If that doesn't work either, you can download SteamCMD directly:

mkdir ~/steamcmd
cd ~/steamcmd
wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
tar -xvzf steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
chmod +x steamcmd.sh

Now you are ready to install the Enshrouded server itself.

Installing and Running the Enshrouded Dedicated Server

After preparing the operating system, you can proceed with downloading and the first launch of the game server.

Downloading Enshrouded Server via SteamCMD

Navigate to the directory where you want to install the server. For example, to the home directory of the enshrouded user:

cd ~

Launch SteamCMD. If you installed it via apt:

steamcmd

If you downloaded it manually:

~/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh

Inside the SteamCMD console, execute the following commands:

login anonymous
force_install_dir ./enshrouded_server
app_update 2278670 validate
quit

• login anonymous: Log in without a Steam account.
• force_install_dir ./enshrouded_server: Specifies the directory for server installation. In this case, it will be the enshrouded_server folder in your current directory (~/enshrouded_server).
• app_update 2278670 validate: Command to download or update the Enshrouded game server. 2278670 is the AppID for the Enshrouded dedicated server on Steam. validate checks file integrity.
• quit: Exit SteamCMD.

The download process may take some time depending on your internet connection speed and file size.

First Launch and Verification

After successfully downloading the files, navigate to the server directory:

cd ~/enshrouded_server

Now try to launch the server. It is recommended to use screen to run the server in the background, so it continues to operate even after closing the SSH session.

screen -S enshrouded_server ./enshrouded_server

If successful, you will see the Enshrouded server console output. Wait for the server to fully load. This may take several minutes. Typically, when the server is ready, it stops actively outputting information to the console.

To detach from the screen session, press Ctrl+A, then D. The server will continue to run in the background.

To reattach to the session:

screen -r enshrouded_server

To stop the server, attach to the screen session and press Ctrl+C. Or, if you are not in a session, find the process and kill it (not recommended):

pkill -f enshrouded_server

After the first launch, a savegame folder will appear in the ~/enshrouded_server directory, where world saves and configuration files will be stored. If you want to learn more about running other game servers, you can check out the article on your own Valheim server.

Enshrouded Server Configuration: Ports and Game Settings

Configuring an Enshrouded server involves opening the necessary ports in the firewall and editing the configuration file to change game parameters.

Opening Ports in the Firewall

For players to connect to your Enshrouded dedicated server, you need to open the corresponding UDP ports in your server's firewall. Enshrouded uses two main ports:

• 15636 UDP
• 15637 UDP

If you are using ufw (Uncomplicated Firewall) on Ubuntu, execute the following commands:

sudo ufw allow 15636/udp
sudo ufw allow 15637/udp
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status

The command sudo ufw status will show the current firewall rules and confirm that the ports are open. If you have a different firewall or are using a control panel from your hosting provider, ensure these ports are also open there.

Enshrouded_server.json Configuration File

The main Enshrouded server settings are stored in the enshrouded_server.json file. This file is automatically created on the first server launch. You will find it in the ~/enshrouded_server directory.

Example content of the enshrouded_server.json file:

{
  "name": "My Awesome Enshrouded Server",
  "password": "my_password",
  "saveDirectory": "./savegame/",
  "logDirectory": "./logs/",
  "ip": "0.0.0.0",
  "gamePort": 15636,
  "queryPort": 15637,
  "maxUsers": 16,
  "serverPassword": "my_connection_password",
  "shardCount": 1,
  "shardName": "shard1"
}

Important parameters for configuration:

• "name": The name of your server, which will be displayed in the server list.
• "password": Password for server access. Be sure to set a strong password!
• "saveDirectory": Path to the directory where world saves will be stored. Default is ./savegame/.
• "logDirectory": Path to the directory for server logs. Default is ./logs/.
• "ip": The IP address on which the server will listen for connections. For most cases, leave "0.0.0.0" for the server to listen on all available IPs.
• "gamePort": The main game port (default 15636).
• "queryPort": Port for querying server information (default 15637).
• "maxUsers": The maximum number of players that can be on the server simultaneously.
• "serverPassword": This parameter might be a duplicate or used for a different type of password. In most cases, "password" is sufficient.

To edit the file, use a text editor, for example nano:

nano ~/enshrouded_server/enshrouded_server.json

After making changes, save the file (Ctrl+O, Enter) and exit the editor (Ctrl+X). After any changes to enshrouded_server.json, you must restart the server for them to take effect.

Server Management, Updates, and Mods

Effective Enshrouded server management includes running it as a service, regular updates, and, in the future, possibly installing mods.

Running the Enshrouded Server as a Service (systemd)

Running the server via screen is convenient for quick testing, but for continuous operation, it's better to configure it as a systemd service. This will allow the server to start automatically on system boot and simplify management (start, stop, restart).

Create the service file enshrouded.service:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/enshrouded.service

Insert the following content, replacing YOUR_USERNAME with your username (e.g., enshrouded):

[Unit]
Description=Enshrouded Dedicated Server
After=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=YOUR_USERNAME
Group=YOUR_USERNAME
ExecStart=/home/YOUR_USERNAME/enshrouded_server/enshrouded_server
WorkingDirectory=/home/YOUR_USERNAME/enshrouded_server
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save the file and close the editor.

Now activate and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable enshrouded
sudo systemctl start enshrouded

You can check the service status with the command:

sudo systemctl status enshrouded

Main commands for service management:

• Start: sudo systemctl start enshrouded
• Stop: sudo systemctl stop enshrouded
• Restart: sudo systemctl restart enshrouded
• View logs: sudo journalctl -u enshrouded -f

Updating the Enshrouded Server

Enshrouded developers regularly release updates, adding new content, fixing bugs, and optimizing performance. To update your Enshrouded dedicated server, follow these steps:

1. Stop the server: sudo systemctl stop enshrouded
2. Navigate to the directory where SteamCMD is installed (or to your home directory if you ran it from there): cd ~/steamcmd (or cd ~)
3. Launch SteamCMD: ./steamcmd.sh (or steamcmd)
4. Execute the update commands:

   login anonymous
   force_install_dir ~/enshrouded_server
   app_update 2278670 validate
   quit

5. After the update is complete, start the server again: sudo systemctl start enshrouded

It is always recommended to back up the savegame folder before major updates to avoid losing progress in case of unforeseen issues.

Mod Installation (Prospects)

As of the writing of this article (Enshrouded early access), there is no official mod support for dedicated servers. However, as the game develops and the community grows, third-party modding tools will likely emerge. If this happens, the mod installation process will depend on their type:

• Server-side mods: Typically installed by placing files in a specific server directory or through specialized mod managers.
• Client-side mods: Require installation on each player's side.

Keep an eye on official developer announcements and the game community on forums or Discord to stay informed about the latest news regarding Enshrouded modding.

Protecting Your Enshrouded Server from DDoS Attacks

Game servers, especially popular ones, often become targets for DDoS attacks. This can lead to server unavailability, high latency, and a ruined gaming experience. Ensuring adequate protection is critically important for the stable operation of your Enshrouded dedicated server.

Main Threats and Types of DDoS Attacks

DDoS attacks (Distributed Denial of Service) aim to exhaust server resources or network bandwidth. The most common types of attacks faced by game servers include:

• UDP Flood: Sending a large number of UDP packets to game ports. This is the most common type of attack on game servers.
• SYN Flood: Sending numerous TCP connection requests without completing the handshake, which exhausts server resources.
• ICMP Flood: Overloading the channel with ICMP packets ("ping flood").
• Application-layer attacks: More sophisticated attacks that mimic legitimate application requests to cause it to crash.

Protection Methods and Valebyte.com Solutions

DDoS protection should be multi-layered. Here are the main approaches:

1. Firewall (UFW, iptables): A basic level of protection. As we've already configured, the firewall allows only necessary ports (15636, 15637 UDP) to be open, blocking all others. This helps to cut off simple scans and some types of floods to non-existent ports.
2. Provider-level traffic filtering: This is the most effective method. Reliable hosting providers, such as Valebyte.com, offer built-in DDoS protection. This protection operates at the network layer (L3/L4) and is capable of filtering malicious traffic before it even reaches your server.
   • Advantages of provider-side protection:
     • High bandwidth: Providers have much greater bandwidth than your server, allowing them to absorb powerful attacks.
     • Specialized equipment: Specialized hardware and software are used for traffic analysis and filtering.
     • Automation: Protection is often activated automatically upon attack detection.
3. Using proxy services (not for Enshrouded): For some games, specialized proxy services can be used to hide the server's IP address and filter traffic. However, this is not yet relevant for Enshrouded, as the game uses direct UDP connections.
4. Resource monitoring: Regularly monitor CPU, RAM, and network traffic on your server. Unusual spikes can indicate the start of an attack or performance issues.

By choosing Enshrouded hosting from a provider that offers reliable DDoS protection, you significantly enhance the stability and security of your game server.

Which Enshrouded Server Configuration to Choose for Your Player Count?

Choosing the optimal Enshrouded server configuration directly depends on the number of players you plan to host. Below is a table with resource recommendations and approximate prices to help you navigate when selecting a VPS or dedicated server.

Resource Recommendations and Approximate Prices

It's important to remember that prices can vary depending on the provider, its location, and current promotions. The figures below are approximate average market values for quality servers with NVMe drives and good CPUs.

Number of Players	CPU (cores/frequency)	RAM (GB)	Disk (NVMe, GB)	Network	Approx. VPS Cost/Month
2-4 players	4 vCPU (3.5+ GHz)	8 GB	80 GB	100 Mbps	$15 - $25
5-8 players	6-8 vCPU (3.5+ GHz)	16 GB	100-150 GB	1 Gbps	$30 - $50
9-16 players	8+ physical cores (3.8+ GHz)	24-32 GB	200+ GB	1 Gbps	$60 - $120+ (Dedicated)
16+ players	Dedicated server: 12+ physical cores (4.0+ GHz)	32-64 GB	500+ GB	1 Gbps	$150+ (Dedicated)

Important notes:

• CPU Frequency: Always prioritize servers with high core clock speeds, as Enshrouded, like many game servers, heavily relies on single-thread performance.
• NVMe Drives: Using NVMe drives is essential for a comfortable gaming experience. Slow disks will lead to long loading times and potential in-game freezes.
• Scalability: Start with a minimally sufficient configuration and be prepared to scale resources as the number of players grows or if performance issues arise. Flexible VPS plans are ideal for this.
• DDoS Protection: Consider the availability and quality of DDoS protection when choosing a provider, especially for larger servers.

When choosing a plan, focus not only on the number of cores but also on their real performance. VPS from Valebyte.com offer powerful processors and fast NVMe drives, making them an excellent choice for Enshrouded hosting.

Conclusion

Running your own Enshrouded server on a VPS or dedicated server provides maximum control, stability, and performance for your gaming session. For comfortable play with 4-8 players, a VPS with 4-6 vCPU (3.5 GHz or higher), 16 GB RAM, and a 100 GB NVMe disk is recommended, while for larger communities, a dedicated server should be considered.