AsaApi is the server-side plugin framework for Windows dedicated servers running ARK: Survival Ascended. A working installation requires the supported x64 Microsoft Visual C++ runtime, the AsaApi files extracted into ARKShooterGameBinariesWin64, server startup through AsaApiLoader.exe with the server’s normal launch parameters, and plugins placed under ArkApiPlugins using the folder structure required by each plugin. The exact current AsaApi release number is not established in the available documentation, so download the current archive from the official AsaApi resource before installing.
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What AsaApi does and what this setup supports
AsaApi loads server-side extensions into an ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server. It is not a client mod and does not replace the game server executable. The documented setup targets Windows, with the official ASA: Server API listing naming Windows 10 or Windows Server 2019 as minimum operating-system requirements. The framework runs alongside the dedicated server and exposes the ArkApi plugin directory, dependency checks and log files that you use to confirm whether an extension loaded.
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This guide covers a manually managed Windows server. A hosting panel may use a different file browser or startup command, but the underlying requirements remain the same: the server must be able to run the loader executable, and the loader must receive the same arguments normally passed to the ASA server.
Prepare the server before installing
Confirm the operating system and server type
- Use a Windows machine running the ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server.
- The official API listing specifies Windows 10 or Windows Server 2019 as minimum platforms. Newer supported Windows releases may work, but the listing does not establish a different minimum.
- Install AsaApi on the server machine, not only on a game client. Players do not need AsaApi files in their local ARK installation to connect to a server using server-side plugins.
Record the existing startup command
Before changing files, save the command or panel configuration that currently launches ArkAscendedServer.exe. AsaApiLoader must be started with those same map, session, gameplay and other launch parameters. Keeping an untouched copy gives you a known-good fallback if the loader is temporarily unavailable.
Stop the server and make a backup
Shut down the dedicated server cleanly. Back up the ShooterGameBinariesWin64 directory and any plugin configuration files before extracting an archive. A backup lets you remove AsaApi without having to rebuild the server installation.
Install the required Visual C++ runtime
AsaApi and native plugins require Microsoft’s 64-bit Visual C++ runtime. The documentation is inconsistent about the year: the official ASA: Server API listing names the Visual C++ 2019 redistributable, a hosting guide names the 2022 redistributable, and the ASA Plugin Template asks developers to use the latest x64 MSVC redistributable. Treat the year labels as documentation-era differences rather than installing several random packages.
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Use the latest supported x64 Visual C++ redistributable from Microsoft. A Microsoft Q&A community answer says the current Visual C++ 2015–2022 package covers applications built for the 2019 and 2022 runtimes and points to the x64 installer at https://aka.ms/vc14/vc_redist.x64.exe. That answer is community guidance, not a formal Microsoft compatibility statement, so verify the package and requirements on Microsoft’s Visual C++ downloads page when you deploy to production.
- Download the x64 redistributable on the Windows server.
- Run the installer as an administrator. If it reports that a newer version is already installed, use the repair option or continue only after confirming the x64 runtime is present.
- Restart the server machine if Windows requests it.
- Do not substitute an x86-only package. A 32-bit runtime does not satisfy a 64-bit ASA server or 64-bit plugin DLL.
If AsaApiLoader.exe exits immediately or Windows reports a missing runtime DLL, return to this step before changing plugin files.
Download and extract AsaApi
Get an official release archive
Download the release from the official resource at ark-server-api.com or from the ArkServerApi GitHub organisation. Check the release notes and any included README for the ASA build it supports. The exact current release number was not confirmed in the available documentation, so do not assume an old tutorial’s version is current.
Extract to the Win64 directory
- Locate the root of the dedicated server installation.
- Open
ARKShooterGameBinariesWin64. This is the directory containing the ASA server executable. - Extract the contents of the AsaApi archive directly into that
Win64directory. Do not create an extra nested folder such asWin64AsaApiWin64. - After extraction, confirm that
AsaApiLoader.exeis directly insideWin64and that the archive’s accompanying AsaApi files are beside it.
If your archive opens with a top-level folder, open that folder and move its contents into Win64 so the loader is at the expected path. Keep the original archive until the server has started successfully.
Start ARK through AsaApiLoader.exe
AsaApi is loaded only when the server starts through the loader. Starting ArkAscendedServer.exe directly bypasses the framework and produces a normal, plugin-free server.
- Open the launcher, service definition or panel entry that currently starts the ASA server.
- Replace the server executable with
AsaApiLoader.exefromARKShooterGameBinariesWin64. - Preserve the existing launch parameters exactly. The loader must receive the same map and query-string arguments, server name, port settings and other switches that were passed to the original executable.
- Start the server and wait for the normal startup sequence to finish. The first run may take longer while the framework inspects installed plugins and their dependencies.
- Verify that the process remains running and that the server appears in the usual administration or server-list workflow.
Do not append a second copy of the arguments or move them into a different executable field unless your panel requires that format. If the panel has separate fields for executable and arguments, put only AsaApiLoader.exe in the executable field and leave the existing arguments unchanged.
Install ARK ASA plugins in ArkApiPlugins
Use the directory under Win64
The standard plugin location is ARKShooterGameBinariesWin64ArkApiPlugins. Create the ArkApi and Plugins directories if the AsaApi archive did not create them. Each plugin should have its own clearly named location rather than being mixed with the loader files.
Resolve the two documented folder layouts
Installation guides describe two closely related layouts. One says the plugin DLL name and its folder name must match; renaming the folder prevents the DLL from loading. A third-party server manager documents a per-plugin subfolder below ArkApiPlugins. In practice, the safe rule is to follow the plugin author’s README and preserve the exact DLL-to-folder name relationship it specifies.
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|---|---|---|
| Per-plugin folder with matching DLL | Win64ArkApiPluginsExamplePluginExamplePlugin.dll |
The plugin README or manager explicitly shows a subfolder and matching names. |
| Flat plugin directory | Win64ArkApiPluginsExamplePlugin.dll |
The plugin package is supplied as a DLL intended to sit directly in Plugins, or its README specifies the flat layout. |
Do not rename a plugin folder for cosmetic reasons. If a package contains a DLL and a folder with the same base name, retain both names exactly, including capitalization and punctuation. If the package includes configuration files, keep them where its README places them instead of moving only the DLL.
Install dependencies before testing the plugin
AsaApi checks plugin dependencies during startup and displays warnings when a required dependency is missing. Read the plugin’s dependency list before launching the server. Install each required dependency in the same ArkApiPlugins tree, then restart the server so the dependency check runs again.
Verify that AsaApi and plugins loaded
Check the regular ArkApi log
The regular framework log is located at ARKShooterGameWin64logsArkApi.log. Open the newest log after a startup and look for the loader initialization, plugin discovery and dependency messages. A plugin warning identifies a missing or unmet dependency; it is not proof that the plugin itself is corrupt.
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Crash reports are written under ARKShooterGameSavedLogs. Compare the timestamp of the crash report with the startup attempt and inspect the first plugin-related error. Keep a copy of the log before making another change so you can tell which modification altered the result.
Perform a controlled test
- Start with AsaApi installed but no optional plugins. Confirm that the loader starts and produces
ArkApi.log. - Stop the server and add one plugin using its documented layout.
- Start again and check the log for that plugin and any dependency warning.
- Repeat one plugin at a time. This isolates a bad package or incompatible dependency instead of making several failures appear at once.
Troubleshoot common ARK ASA plugin failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The loader will not open or closes immediately | Missing or incorrect x64 Visual C++ runtime, wrong extraction path, or a damaged archive | Confirm the latest supported x64 redistributable is installed, verify that AsaApiLoader.exe is directly in Win64, re-download the official archive, and inspect ArkApi.log if it was created. |
| The server starts but no plugins load | The server was launched with ArkAscendedServer.exe instead of the loader |
Change the executable to AsaApiLoader.exe and retain the original launch parameters. |
| A specific plugin is absent from the log | Incorrect directory, wrong layout, or a renamed folder | Move the package under Win64ArkApiPlugins, follow its README, and restore the DLL and folder to matching names when the package requires that relationship. |
| A dependency warning appears | A required plugin is missing or installed in the wrong location | Install the named dependency, use the dependency’s required folder layout, then restart and check the warning again. |
| The server crashes after adding one plugin | The newly added DLL or one of its dependencies is the immediate trigger | Stop the server, remove only that plugin, confirm that AsaApi starts without it, then check the plugin’s supported ASA/AsaApi version and installation instructions before trying again. |
| The log exists but is in an unexpected place | The path was checked relative to the wrong directory | Use ARKShooterGameWin64logsArkApi.log for the regular log and ARKShooterGameSavedLogs for crash logs; both are relative to the server installation root. |
Update or remove plugins safely
- Stop the dedicated server before replacing a DLL. Never overwrite a loaded plugin while the process is running.
- Copy the existing plugin folder and configuration files to a backup location.
- Read the new release’s README for dependency or folder changes. A newer DLL may require a newer dependency even when the plugin name has not changed.
- Replace the old files while preserving the documented folder name and layout.
- Start through
AsaApiLoader.exeand inspectArkApi.logfor load messages or dependency warnings.
To remove a plugin, stop the server, back up its configuration, and remove its complete documented folder or DLL. Leaving a stale dependency file behind can make later troubleshooting harder, so remove only files that belong to that plugin and retain shared dependencies used by others.
Build your own AsaApi plugin
Developers can use the ASA Plugin Template as a starting point. Its build notes target AsaApi v1.19 and require Visual Studio 2022 with the Desktop development with C++ workload and vcpkg integration. The template links against AsaApi.lib.
- Install Visual Studio 2022 and select the Desktop development with C++ workload.
- Configure the vcpkg integration required by the template.
- Obtain
AsaApi.libeither by building the AsaApi solution in the Release/x64 configuration or by taking the library from an AsaApi release archive. - Build the plugin for 64-bit Windows and place the resulting DLL in the plugin layout required by your package.
- Test on a separate server or with optional plugins removed, then inspect
ArkApi.logafter each build.
The template’s v1.19 target is a build reference, not confirmation that v1.19 is the current runtime. Match the library, headers and server framework versions specified by the AsaApi release you are actually deploying.
Using a managed game-server host
Some hosts expose only a panel rather than the full Windows file system. Managed-host support for AsaApi varies, and the available documentation confirms only that hosting guides describe the installation; it does not establish a universal panel procedure. Ask the host whether it supports Windows ASA server loaders, custom executables and DLL plugins. If it does, provide the provider with the required executable, the original launch parameters and the ArkApiPlugins path. If the panel forces ArkAscendedServer.exe and offers no way to select AsaApiLoader.exe, server-side AsaApi plugins cannot load through that configuration.
Quick Recap
Deployment checklist
- Windows dedicated server meets the documented operating-system minimum.
- Latest supported x64 Visual C++ redistributable is installed.
AsaApiLoader.exeis directly insideShooterGameBinariesWin64.- The loader uses the same launch parameters as the original server command.
- Plugins are under
Win64ArkApiPluginsand follow each package’s README. - DLL and folder names match wherever the plugin documentation requires it.
- Dependencies are installed before first plugin testing.
ArkApi.logis checked after every startup, with crash reports reviewed underSavedLogs.
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