--- title: "Factorio Dedicated Server: Headless Setup Guide" url: https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/factorio-dedicated-server/ lastmod: 2026-10-26 --- # Factorio Dedicated Server: Headless Setup, Space Age and Joining Run a Factorio dedicated server: the free headless build, server-settings.json, Space Age or vanilla, how friends join by address, admins and saves. By [Baurtock](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/author/baurtock/) Updated Oct 26, 2026 · 9 min read Read in[es](https://1up-servers.com/es/blog/servidor-dedicado-factorio/)[en](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/factorio-dedicated-server/) **Your game server, free**Ready in 60 seconds, no card.[Create free server](https://1up-servers.com/en/signup/) A Factorio dedicated server keeps your factory running for the whole group while nobody has the game open, and lets friends drop in on their own schedule. This guide covers Wube's free headless server, our [Factorio server hosting](https://1up-servers.com/en/factorio/), the settings that matter, Space Age versus vanilla, joining and saves. - **Version:** the stable release is 2.0.77. The 2.1 line is still experimental. - **Self-hosting:** download the free headless build, create a save with `--create`, start it with `--start-server-load-latest` and forward UDP 34197. - **Space Age:** the headless build ships the expansion, and a self-hosted map is a Space Age map by default. On 1up a new map is vanilla unless you turn **Space Age** on. - **Joining:** Multiplayer → Connect to address, with the address, the port and the password. - **On 1up:** Factorio needs 2 GB of RAM, so it runs on the Free plan for up to 4 players. We recommend 4 GB for a big base. If you are still weighing a free server against a paid one, our comparison of [free and paid game server hosting](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/free-vs-paid-game-server-hosting/) sets out the trade-offs. ## 1. Factorio 2.0, 2.1 and Space Age: what your server runs Factorio publishes two release lines. The [latest-releases API](https://factorio.com/api/latest-releases) lists **2.0.77** as stable for the game, the expansion and the headless server, and **2.1.21** as experimental. [2.0.77](https://wiki.factorio.com/Version_history/2.0.0) came out on 21 May 2026 as a bugfix release; [2.1.21](https://wiki.factorio.com/Version_history/2.1.0) followed on 6 October 2026. A server and its players must match: the [multiplayer page of the wiki](https://wiki.factorio.com/Multiplayer) says all game instances need "exactly the same" game versions and mods. Keep everyone on stable unless the whole group opts into the experimental branch. [Space Age](https://wiki.factorio.com/Space_Age) is the paid expansion released on 21 October 2024: space platforms, four new planets, quality and elevated rails, packaged as mods that ship with the game. Two facts matter for a server: - **The headless server includes it.** Wube staff confirmed on the [official forum](https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?p=622128) that the free headless build comes "with Space Age support", and that "by default --create will produce a space-age save". - **Players without it cannot join a Space Age map.** A player who does not own the expansion gets "Your active mods don't match the server's", as a [forum thread on running 2.0 without Space Age](https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?p=623897) shows. Section 5 explains how to start a vanilla map instead. ## 2. Self-host or hosting? A dedicated server, also called headless, runs the game without graphics. The [wiki](https://wiki.factorio.com/Multiplayer) lists what that changes: the server has no character of its own, it pauses while nobody is connected (unless you change that), and it saves on exit and autosaves as usual. - **Host from the game:** Multiplayer → Host new game. Free and quick, but the factory stops when the host quits. - **Self-host the headless server:** free and fully yours. A machine stays on, you forward a UDP port and you update it yourself. - **A hosted server:** the factory runs in a data centre and you manage it from a web panel. The [factorio.com FAQ](https://factorio.com/faq) offers "a free lightweight dedicated headless server package" for Linux and says the normal Windows game can run as a headless server. ## 3. Self-host the headless server These steps follow the [Multiplayer page](https://wiki.factorio.com/Multiplayer) and the [command line parameters](https://wiki.factorio.com/Command_line_parameters) of the official wiki. 1. **Download.** On Linux, get the headless package from [factorio.com/download](https://www.factorio.com/download). The wiki notes that it leaves out graphics and sound and is not linked against libraries such as Xlib or libGL, which makes it the right choice for a rented server. Factorio needs glibc 2.31 or newer. On Windows, use the normal game install. 2. **Extract and use a separate user.** For example, unpack it to `/opt/factorio`, create a `factorio` user and give it the folder. The wiki asks you not to run the server as root. 3. **Create a save.** The server needs one before it starts: `./bin/x64/factorio --create ./saves/my-save.zip`. Add `--map-gen-settings` and `--map-settings` here if you want custom terrain, pollution or biter settings; they only work together with `--create`. 4. **Write the settings file.** Copy `data/server-settings.example.json` and edit the copy (section 4 goes through the keys). 5. **Start it.** `./bin/x64/factorio --start-server-load-latest --server-settings ./data/server-settings.json`. On Windows, the wiki suggests a `.bat` file with `start /wait .\bin\x64\factorio.exe --start-server-load-latest --server-settings .\data\server-settings.json`. 6. **Open the port.** Factorio uses **UDP only**, on port **34197** by default. Forward it on your router, check that no firewall blocks it, and make sure the router does not randomise the source port of outgoing packets, which the wiki flags as a common trap. To give yourself admin rights, put a `server-adminlist.json` in the same folder as `factorio-current.log`, containing a list of names such as `["you", "friend"]`. The file is also written when you promote a player from the console. **Shortcut: on 1up it takes three clicks** Your free server in 60 seconds. No card. [Create your free Factorio server](https://1up-servers.com/en/signup/) ## 4. Create a Factorio server on 1up 1. Create an account and press **Create server**. 2. Choose **Factorio**. Pick a region, London or Paris; the wizard measures your ping and suggests the nearest one. 3. Leave the template on **Vanilla**, the only one, on Factorio 2.0.77, the current stable release. 4. Set a password, then create the server. The first start downloads the headless build and creates the map. 5. When it is online, copy the **IP** line from the **Overview**: it holds the address and the port. The port is not 34197 on our nodes, so take both from the panel. The **Game** tab holds Factorio's settings. Each one writes a key of `server-settings.json` (the seed goes to `map-gen-settings.json` and Space Age to `mods/mod-list.json`), and each applies on restart. The **Generated file** section shows the result, read only. | Panel field | Key | Default on 1up | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Server name** | `name` | your server's name | Not shown on the public game list; friends join by address | | **Description** | `description` | empty | | | **Server password** | `game_password` | empty | 5 to 64 characters, not part of the server name | | **Max players** | `max_players` | 32 | Capped by your plan's player slots | | **Autosave (min)** | `autosave_interval` | 10 | 1 to 60 minutes, as in Wube's example file | | **Pause when empty** | `auto_pause` | on | The factory stops while nobody is connected | | **Space Age** | `mods/mod-list.json` | off | Only used when a new world is created | | **Seed (new worlds only)** | `map-gen-settings.json` seed | random | Only used when a new world is created | Some keys are fixed. The server keeps five autosave slots, only admins can run commands or pause the game (`allow_commands` is `admins-only`), and `require_user_verification` stays on, which [Wube's example settings file](https://github.com/wube/factorio-data/blob/master/server-settings.example.json) describes as allowing only "clients that have a valid Factorio.com account". The server is not published on the public game list, because that requires a factorio.com login stored on the server, so friends join by address. Two notes from the panel: - **Pause when empty** saves resources but stops the factory clock. Turn it off if you want your trains and research to keep running overnight. - **Max players** counts connected players. Wube's example file notes that admins can still join a full server. ## 5. Space Age or vanilla On 1up a new server creates a vanilla map, so every friend can join whether or not they own the expansion. If everyone owns Space Age and you want it: 1. In the **Game** tab, turn **Space Age** on. It enables the `space-age`, `quality` and `elevated-rails` mods. 2. Start a new world from **Server → World**. The switch only applies when a world is created; on the Free plan there is no backup, so this deletes the current map for good. 3. Start the server. Turning the switch off works the same way, on a new world. Disabling the mods on a map that already has Space Age content is not the same as starting vanilla, so do it on a fresh map. Self-hosting works the same way: Wube staff [point to](https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?p=622128) a `mods/mod-list.json` with `space-age` disabled before you run `--create`. ## 6. How friends join The [wiki](https://wiki.factorio.com/Multiplayer) lists three ways to join from the main menu: browse public games, browse LAN games, or **Connect to address**. For a 1up server, use the last one: 1. Open **Multiplayer** → **Connect to address**. 2. Paste the address and port from the **IP** line of the Overview, for example `203.0.113.10:31234`. 3. Type the server password when the game asks for it. Every player needs the same Factorio version and the same mods as the server, and a factorio.com account, because user verification is on. ## 7. Admins and the console On 1up you are the server owner, not a player in the game. To give someone admin rights in Factorio, use **op** in the **Players** tab, or run `promote ` in the **Console**; only the server owner can promote or demote. The **Console** sends commands through Factorio's RCON, without the slash. Its quick commands are `shout`, `kick`, `ban`, `players online` and `server-save`, and it also accepts `unban`, `mute`, `unmute`, `purge`, `whisper`, `admins`, `mutes` and `banlist get`. All of these are standard [console commands](https://wiki.factorio.com/Console) from the wiki. Four extra commands, `teleport`, `daytime`, `alwaysday` and `give`, run small Lua scripts. The wiki is clear about the cost: as soon as a script command runs, "achievements will be permanently disabled for the save". The panel asks you to confirm each one; if your group cares about achievements, never use them. ## 8. Saves, backups and moving a factory Factorio saves a whole map as a single `.zip`. On your PC the saves live in the user data folder: `%appdata%\Factorio\saves` on Windows, `~/Library/Application Support/factorio/saves` on macOS and `~/.factorio/saves` on Linux, according to the wiki's [application directory page](https://wiki.factorio.com/Application_directory). To move a single-player or self-hosted map to 1up: 1. Stop the server. 2. Open **Files**, go to `factorio/saves` and upload your `.zip`. 3. Start the server. It starts with `--start-server-load-latest`, which loads the newest save in that folder, so the file you just uploaded wins. Keep the map's mods and version in mind: a Space Age save needs a server with the expansion enabled, and a save from the experimental 2.1 branch will not load on 2.0.77. Autosaves rotate through five slots in the same folder. For a copy outside the server, the Free plan keeps no backups, so download the latest save from **Files** now and then. Casual keeps 1 backup and Starter keeps 3. ## 9. RAM and plans for Factorio Factorio needs 2 GB of RAM on 1up, and we recommend 4 GB once the factory grows. With prices from [our pricing page](https://1up-servers.com/en/pricing/): - **Free (€0):** 2 GB of RAM, 6 GB of disk and 4 player slots, no backups. Enough for a starter base with friends. - **Starter (€5/month):** 4 GB of RAM, the size we recommend for a big base, 20 GB of disk, 10 slots and 3 backups. - **Pro (€10/month):** 8 GB of RAM, 60 GB of disk, 30 slots and 5 backups. Our pick for a megabase or a larger group. The simulation is the same for every player, so a bigger factory costs memory and CPU on the server, not just on the clients. If you also run survival games, our [Core Keeper dedicated server guide](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/core-keeper-dedicated-server/) follows the same steps. For factory building in 3D, our [Satisfactory server hosting](https://1up-servers.com/en/satisfactory/) runs Coffee Stain's dedicated server; it needs 8 GB, so 24/7 starts on Pro. **Shortcut: on 1up it takes three clicks** Your free server in 60 seconds. No card. [Create your free Factorio server](https://1up-servers.com/en/signup/) Tested on Factorio 2.0.77 (headless), 2026-10-07: versions, settings and paths checked against the factorio.com release API, the official wiki and our image on 1up v0.268.0. **Change log** - 2026-10-07: first version, for Factorio 2.0.77. - 2026-10-26: current Starter and Pro figures (€5/4 GB, €10/8 GB/30 slots). ## Frequently asked questions Download the free headless build from factorio.com, create a map with --create, copy server-settings.example.json and start the server with --start-server-load-latest and --server-settings. Then forward UDP port 34197. About the author[Baurtock](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/author/baurtock/)Founder, developer and support ## Keep reading [Space Engineers · 7 min**Space Engineers Dedicated Server: Setup, Worlds, Admins and RAM**](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/space-engineers-dedicated-server/)[Icarus · 7 min**Icarus Dedicated Server: Setup, Olympus, Admin Commands and RAM**](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/icarus-dedicated-server/)[Return to Moria · 6 min**Return to Moria Dedicated Server: Setup, Invite Code, Saves and RAM**](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/return-to-moria-dedicated-server/)