Game servers
Running Valheim and Minecraft servers for friends, from setup to mods to weird bugs.
- Game servers
Why Valheim crops don't grow on a dedicated server when nobody's online
I measured the world clock in the server's save files: it stops about 13 minutes after the last player leaves. Crops, smelters and kilns only progress while someone is connected.
- Game servers
Hosting a Valheim dedicated server with Docker (the setup I use)
A complete docker-compose for a Valheim server: ports, auto-updates only when nobody's online, hourly world backups, and how friends connect.
- Game servers
Moving a Valheim world to a dedicated server (the new folder save format)
Valheim no longer saves worlds as .db + .fwl. Where the new world folder lives, how to get it out of Steam Cloud, and how to load it on a server.
- Game servers
Fixing Valheim server lag with Better Networking (server-side only)
Valheim caps how much data it sends per player. On a big base that's the real bottleneck, not your internet. How Better Networking raises the cap, and why vanilla friends can still join.
- Game servers
Valheim server without a password: use a Steam ID whitelist instead
Valheim never remembers server passwords. permittedlist.txt lets only your friends' Steam IDs in, with no password prompt, and it's arguably more secure.
- Game servers
Valheim mods on a dedicated server: which ones need the server, and which are client-only
Some mods only change your own game, others need every player and the server on the same version. How to tell the difference so vanilla friends can still join.
- Game servers
Running a big Minecraft modpack (ATM10) in Crafty Controller with Docker
Crafty can't import a server from a folder, only from an uploaded zip. The placeholder-and-swap workaround, the Java 21 command for NeoForge and where the memory setting really lives.