How to make a Factorio server: ports, mods and admins
Updated 2 November 2026 · 6 minute read · Factorio and Space Age (PC, Mac, Linux), your own PC or a rented server · By Exclsv Support
Factorio’s headless server is a free download from factorio.com for Linux; on Windows and macOS the game itself can run as a dedicated server. Open UDP port 34197, create a save, and start it with a server-settings.json file.
What you need
- A computer that stays on: a Linux machine for the headless server, or Windows or a Mac with the game installed.
- Memory: 2 GB for a small vanilla factory, 4 GB as it grows, 8 GB for megabases and Space Age.
- Your factorio.com username and token (on your profile page at factorio.com) if you want the server in the public list or mods from the Mod Portal.
- The same Factorio version as your players.
Install and start it
- Download the headless server from factorio.com and unpack it.
- Copy data/server-settings.example.json to data/server-settings.json and fill it in (below).
- Make a map: ./bin/x64/factorio --create saves/factory.zip. Add --map-gen-settings data/map-gen-settings.json to control the map, from the example file next to it.
- Start it: ./bin/x64/factorio --start-server saves/factory.zip --server-settings data/server-settings.json.
On Windows, run bin\x64\factorio.exe from the game’s folder with the same options.
Ports to open
| Port | Protocol | What it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| 34197 | UDP | The game port. Forward it. Change it with --port. |
| Your choice | TCP | Remote console (RCON), only if you start the server with --rcon-port and --rcon-password. Keep it closed to the internet. |
Settings: server-settings.json
- name and description: what the server list shows.
- visibility: "public": true to list it publicly, "lan": true for your home network.
- username and token: your factorio.com details, needed for a public server. Keep the token private.
- game_password, max_players and require_user_verification.
- autosave_interval and autosave_slots: how often it saves and how many autosaves it keeps.
Mods and Space Age
Put mod .zip files in the mods folder next to the server and switch them on in mods/mod-list.json. Every player needs the same mods and versions; when they join, the game offers to download the matching ones from the Mod Portal.
Since Factorio 2.0 the server includes Space Age. Everyone joining a Space Age world needs to own the expansion; switch it off in mod-list.json for a base-game world.
Admins
List admin usernames in server-adminlist.json next to the server, or have an admin type /promote Name in game. Admins can use /kick, /ban, /demote and /players. For a private server, start with --use-server-whitelist and add players with /whitelist add Name.
The easy way: on Exclsv
On an Exclsv server the save, the port and server-settings.json are set up for you, and the factory keeps running when your PC is off. Pick the Factorio version in HQ; with your own factorio.com token, HQ downloads the mods from the Mod Portal and lists the server publicly.
| Size | Memory | Suits | Price a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friends | 2 GB | £4.99 | |
| Community | 4 GB | £9.99 | |
| Public | 8 GB | Megabases and Space Age | £17.99 |
Factorio plans and what each includes
If it doesn’t work
Players get “Version mismatch”
Everyone needs the same Factorio version as the server. On Steam, older versions are under Properties, Betas.
The server isn’t in the public list
Check visibility is public, and the username and token are right and current. A new token from factorio.com replaces the old one.
Players get “Mod mismatch”
Let the game download the server’s mods when it offers to. A mod that isn’t on the Mod Portal has to be copied to each player by hand.
Friends on your own home network can’t join with the public address
Some home routers don’t let devices inside the house reach the house’s own public address. People at home join with the server PC’s local network address instead; everyone else uses the public one.
Run this on Exclsv: Factorio server hosting, from £4.99 a month