Avorion Server Hosting - Persistent Galaxies, Managed

Avorion dedicated server requirements

Avorion's server load is driven by how many sectors are simulated at once, not by the raw player count. A sector stays loaded while anything is happening in it, so an alliance with production chains running in ten systems costs far more than ten players sitting in one. This is why an Avorion server that felt fine in week one starts stuttering in month three: the galaxy grew, not the player list.

Galaxy	RAM	CPU	Notes
Small co-op, early game	4 GB	2 fast cores	A few loaded sectors at a time
Alliance, mid game	6 GB	2-4 fast cores	Station production running unattended
Large or public, late game	8 GB+	4 fast cores	Many concurrent sectors, mods, past the barrier

Avorion is more sensitive to single-thread speed than to core count, because each sector is simulated on one thread. We place Avorion on our higher clock nodes for that reason.

Avorion server setup

On a managed plan the install is done for you. For reference, this is what happens underneath and what you can change:

1. The server build is installed from Steam as an anonymous app, so no Steam account of yours is involved.
2. A galaxy folder is created under your data directory, one folder per galaxy, which is what you back up and what you migrate.
3. server.ini is generated from the settings you pick in the panel. Editing it by hand over FTP also works; the panel reads it back.
4. The server starts, registers with the server list, and the galaxy begins simulating.

Bringing an existing galaxy across is a file copy: upload your galaxy folder over FTP, point the server at it, and restart. Nothing is regenerated and your sectors, ships and alliance data survive intact.

Avorion server settings that actually matter

Most of server.ini can be left alone. These are the ones that change how the galaxy plays:

• Difficulty and collision damage set how punishing mistakes are, and are the settings groups argue about most.
• Sector update rate and the simulated sector limit are the performance dials. Raising the limit on an undersized server is the usual cause of late-game lag.
• Infinite resources and drop rates decide whether the galaxy is a grind or a sandbox.
• Alliance limits matter as soon as more than a handful of people play.

Changes to most values apply on restart. A few are read only when a sector next loads, which is why a setting can look like it did nothing until you fly somewhere new.

Avorion server mods

Avorion mods come from the Steam Workshop and have to be present on the server as well as on each client. On our plans you paste Workshop IDs into the mod list and we fetch them at the next restart; you do not need to run SteamCMD yourself or hand-place folders over FTP.

The single most common mod problem is version drift: the server updates, a mod does not, and players get dropped at the loading screen. We take a backup before every update so a bad mod release is a rollback rather than a lost galaxy.

Avorion server ports

Avorion uses a small contiguous range rather than a single port. On a managed plan these are opened for you and shown in the panel:

Port	Protocol	Purpose
base	UDP	Game traffic
base + 1	UDP	Steam query, server list visibility
base + 2	UDP	Steam master server communication

Connection to server failed

Almost every "connection to server failed" in Avorion is one of four things, in this order of likelihood:

1. Version mismatch. The server updated and your client did not, or the other way round. Both must be on the same build.
2. Mod list mismatch. You are missing a mod the server requires, or you have one it does not.
3. The query port is closed, so the server runs but never appears in the list. Joining by direct IP still works in this case, which is the giveaway.
4. The galaxy is still loading. A large galaxy can take a few minutes after a restart before it accepts connections.

FAQ

Do I need a dedicated server to play Avorion with friends?

Not to play at all, but you do to keep a galaxy. Without one the galaxy only exists while the host is in game, so station production, mining and alliance progress stop when they log off. A dedicated server is what makes an Avorion galaxy persistent.

Does Avorion run on a Linux server?

Yes. Avorion ships a native Linux dedicated server, which is what we run. There is no Wine or compatibility layer involved, so performance and stability match the upstream build.

Can I move my existing galaxy across?

Yes. Upload the galaxy folder over FTP and restart. Ships, sectors, stations and alliance data all carry over because the folder is the save.

How much RAM does an Avorion server need?

4 GB is enough for a small early-game crew. Plan on 6 GB once an alliance is running production unattended, and 8 GB or more for large late-game galaxies with mods, because RAM scales with simultaneously loaded sectors rather than with player count.

Can I install Workshop mods?

Yes. Add the Workshop IDs to your mod list and they are installed on the next restart. Every player needs the same mods, and we back up before each update so a bad mod version can be rolled back.