Hytale Server Best Practices

Checklist

• [ ] Memory and view distance matched to your players. Memory and view distance
• [ ] Signed in with persistence, so restarts don't need a new login. Sign-in
• [ ] Allow Self-OP off, and ops only for people you trust. Access
• [ ] Hytale's world backups on, and panel backups every 6 hours. Backups
• [ ] Release patchline for normal play; pre-release only on a test server.
• [ ] A locked backup before every update and before changing patchline.
• [ ] Mods added one at a time, matched to your server version.
• [ ] Settings edited with the server stopped.

Memory and view distance

Hytale's own server manual says the server needs at least 4 GB, and that view distance is the biggest driver of memory use. It recommends a maximum view distance of 12 chunks (384 blocks).

• MaxViewRadius is in config.json, in chunks (1–32). Some setups start at 32, which is far too high for most servers. Check yours. You can test a value live with /maxviewradius <chunks> before saving it.
• Players spread out across the map load far more of the world than players building together. A big map with everyone exploring needs more memory than the same group at one base.
• MaxPlayers only limits who can join; it doesn't reserve anything. Set it to what your memory can handle.

Stay signed in

Every Hytale server must be signed in to a Hytale account, and the sign-in only survives restarts if it's saved. How to sign in

• Run /auth status after signing in. If persistence says Memory, run /auth persistence Encrypted, or you'll need to sign in again after every restart.
• A signed-in server stays signed in while it keeps running. If it's been offline for about a month, sign it in again.
• Keep the server in authenticated mode. Offline mode lets anyone join with any name.

Operators, whitelist and passwords

• Leave Allow Self-OP off. With it on, anyone who joins can make themselves an operator. Make operators from the console instead. Become an operator
• Friends-only servers: turn the whitelist on (/whitelist on, then /whitelist add Name), or set Password in config.json.
• Use permissions.json groups for helpers who need some commands but not full operator rights.

Backups

Your worlds and player data live in universe/, with your settings in config.json, permissions.json, whitelist.json and bans.json. Back them all up together.

1. On Startup, turn on Enable World Backups: for example every 30 minutes, keeping 5. These are quick rollbacks.
2. Also turn on Enable Server Backup so the whole server folder is copied before updates.
3. Hytale's backups sit on the same disk as the world, so also keep panel backups every 6 hours, and download one now and then. Backup schedules
4. To restore, stop the server first, then restore the whole universe/ folder.

Versions and updates

• The server and players must run exactly the same version, on the same patchline. Release is what players' launchers use by default; pre-release players must switch their launcher too.
• With Auto Update on, restarting the server installs the latest build for its patchline.
• After each update, check your mods still load (the console lists them). Hytale mods are tied to game versions.
• Restart soon after an update comes out: players who've updated can't join an older server.

Mods

• Install one at a time, from trusted sources, for your server version. How to install
• A world that was saved with a mod expects it: removing a plugin or pack the world uses can stop that world loading. Make a locked backup before removing mods.
• Early plugins (the Load Early Plugins option) load before the game itself and aren't supported by Hytale. Only turn it on for a mod that says it needs it.
• Ignore Broken Mods is for finding a broken mod, not for running with one. Turn it back off once you've fixed the problem.

Common problems