Arma Reforger server settings are commonly stored in a JSON file loaded with the -config launch parameter. The important catch is that community guides disagree about the file name, schema layout, key casing, ports and defaults. Treat the examples below as a map of settings to check—not as an official, copy-and-run configuration. On a managed host, use the configuration it provides; on a self-hosted server, start with the file generated for your build and verify changes against that file.
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What the server config controls
The config file is the server’s collection of startup settings. Community guides describe a network section for listening and public addresses, a game section for the server name and match settings, and an operating section for runtime behavior. A server is launched with -config pointing to the file it should load. The exact filename is not settled: one guide calls it config.json, while another uses server.json. Confirm the expected name for your build or host rather than renaming a working file based on a guide.
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There is no official Bohemia Interactive config-schema reference established by the available sources. Their reported layouts and values are community guidance, not guarantees. In particular, a setting can be real in one game version or hosting environment and ignored, renamed, or placed differently in another.
Arma Reforger config.json example
This is a schematic example assembled from keys reported by community references. It is not an authoritative schema or a universal working preset. Check each key and its location against the config generated for your build before using it. The operating block is shown at the root because one guide puts it there; another schema may place it differently.
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{
"bindAddress": "",
"bindPort": 2001,
"publicAddress": "",
"publicPort": 2001,
"region": "US",
"game": {
"name": "Reforger Server",
"password": "",
"passwordAdmin": "",
"scenarioId": "{GUID}Missions/Name.conf",
"maxPlayers": 64,
"crossPlatform": true,
"visible": true,
"gameProperties": {
"serverMaxViewDistance": 1600,
"battlEye": true
}
},
"operating": {
"playerSaveTime": 120,
"aiLimit": -1,
"slotReservationTimeout": 60
}
}
Every value in this example needs build-specific confirmation. For instance, 2001 is a port reported as a default by one guide, while 2302 appears as an example elsewhere; 64 players and the operating values are also reported by individual references, not established as universal defaults. Empty address strings and the listed region labels are likewise community-reported. If your generated file uses another layout or omits a key, do not assume this sample should override it.
Keep JSON syntax valid
JSON requires double-quoted property names and string values, commas between adjacent items, and no trailing comma after the final item in an object. A malformed file may fail to load even if the settings themselves are appropriate. If you edit by hand, make one small change at a time and preserve the surrounding structure of the generated file.
Arma Reforger server config.json explained
Network addresses and ports
bindAddress describes the local interface the server listens on. One community guide reports an empty value as the default and says it resolves to 0.0.0.0, meaning all interfaces. That is a reported behavior, not a guarantee for every build or host. bindPort is the listening port in the commonly reported root-level layout. One reference gives 2001 UDP as the default; another uses 2302 as an example, and managed hosts may assign their own port. A guide states the valid port range as 1–65535, but a technically valid number is not necessarily available or appropriate for your server.
publicAddress is described as an address used for backend registration and is reportedly detected automatically. Set it only when that detection chooses the wrong interface. A community guide advises changing publicPort together with the internal port when a self-hosted server uses the same port internally and externally. These settings cannot make a server reachable on their own: the address and port must agree with the host’s network setup and firewall rules.
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Region labels reported by one guide are EU, US, AS, AU, SA and AF. Choose the region corresponding to most of your players if your build exposes that setting. These labels and their interpretation have not been confirmed against an official schema.
Game identity and access
Community references commonly show name, password, passwordAdmin, scenarioId, maxPlayers, crossPlatform and visible under game. The name is the server’s displayed identity; password fields are access controls; visibility and cross-platform options affect how the session is presented or who can join, subject to the build’s actual behavior. Confirm each field exists in your generated file before relying on it.
scenarioId is shown in one guide in the form {GUID}Missions/Name.conf. Use the identifier and mission path expected by your server version; the format alone does not identify which scenario you want to run. Do not substitute an arbitrary mission name and assume it will resolve.
One reference lists maxPlayers as having a default of 64 and a range of 1–128. Those are that reference’s figures, not a cross-version promise. Set a slot count your hardware and intended session can support, and check whether the value is accepted by your server build.
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Game properties
Guides put gameProperties inside game and associate it with view distance, grass rendering, third-person behavior and BattlEye. Keys reported in this area include serverMaxViewDistance, serverMinGrassDistance, networkViewDistance, disableThirdPerson, fastValidation and voice-over-network settings. The exact names, accepted values and nesting can vary; do not add every key from a list if your build’s config does not recognize it.
One reference gives serverMaxViewDistance a default of 1600. A guide reports battlEye defaulting to true and recommends leaving it enabled. Because casing and schema are not independently verified, use the spelling found in your own file—particularly for battlEye, whose capitalization is unusual.
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Operating settings
One reference lists playerSaveTime as 120 seconds and slotReservationTimeout as 60 seconds, with a reported range of 5–300 seconds for the latter. The same reference gives aiLimit a default of -1, meaning no limit, and recommends lowering it on weaker hardware. Another preset spells this key AILimit. That casing conflict and reports that some official-style templates omit the setting make it especially important to check the generated config.
The placement of operating is disputed: one guide shows it at the root, while another schema may nest it. Follow the structure used by your build rather than moving a block to match this illustration.
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Arma Reforger -config parameter
The -config launch option points the server to the JSON configuration file. Use the file path and filename expected by your server installation or host. The following is a shape, not a complete platform-specific launch command:
ArmaReforgerServer -config /path/to/config.json
The path above is illustrative; replace it with the actual location on your system. A community sample also includes -profile and -logStats. These are separate launch options, not keys that belong inside the JSON file.
Other launch switches can overlap with config settings. One guide says -bindIP and -bindPort override the config’s IP and port. Another describes -server as launching a specific world while bypassing -config; do not combine that behavior with an assumption that the JSON file will still control the launch. A setup guide lists -adminPassword, but another warns against putting real passwords in shared files. Treat command-line password handling cautiously, especially where launch arguments, logs or scripts may be visible to other users.
Arma Reforger maxPlayers / passwordAdmin / bindPort
| Setting | Commonly reported role | Reported value or constraint | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
maxPlayers |
Player-slot limit, generally shown inside game. |
One reference reports default 64 and range 1–128. | Accepted range and actual location in your build. |
passwordAdmin |
Administrative password, shown under game by community guides. |
One guide says no spaces; another says at least 3 characters. | Both constraints conflict or may be version-specific; verify the accepted rule and protect the credential. |
bindPort |
Server listening port, commonly shown at the root. | One guide reports 2001 UDP as default; another gives 2302 as an example. A guide states range 1–65535. | Port assigned by the host, protocol, firewall/NAT mapping and whether command-line options override it. |
For a managed server, the host may already control the binding values. One hosting guide advises leaving bindAddress and bindPort unchanged unless support instructs otherwise. A self-hosted server has more control, but must make the config, launch arguments, network forwarding and firewall rules consistent.
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Ports beyond bindPort: query and RCON
Do not treat every port mentioned in a guide as a substitute for the game listener. A community source describes an A2S Steam query listener on UDP 17777, used by server-list sites to poll server information. RCON reports conflict more sharply: one guide gives BattlEye RCON as UDP 19999, another example uses 2312, and a Docker-oriented document lists RCON as TCP. The protocol and port are therefore unsettled in the cited community material. Confirm the settings for the server package or host you actually run before opening firewall ports or connecting an RCON client.
Arma Reforger server settings: what to change
For a managed host
- Open the host’s server configuration editor or supplied config file and note its existing filename and structure.
- Set the server name, scenario and player limit only if the host exposes those options and confirms they are editable.
- Leave
bindAddressandbindPortas provisioned unless the host’s instructions or support say otherwise. - Save, restart using the host’s controls, and check the server’s own logs or status to confirm the configuration loaded.
For a self-hosted server
- Locate the JSON file the current server build expects. The name may be
config.jsonorserver.jsonaccording to community guides. - Back up the working file, then make one change at a time in the existing schema instead of replacing it wholesale with an example from a different version.
- Check JSON syntax and retain the exact key spelling and nesting present in the generated file.
- Launch with
-configfollowed by the actual file path. Check that no other launch option is overriding the address, port or selected world. - Align listening and public address/port settings with the interface and external network mapping. Configure firewall rules for the confirmed protocol and port rather than opening ports merely because a guide lists them.
- Restart and inspect server output or logs for load errors, ignored settings and successful startup. If it fails, restore the backup and reintroduce changes individually.
Change settings in a low-risk order
Begin with identity and access settings, then verify the scenario and player limit. Adjust networking only when you know which interface and externally reachable port the server should use. Tune view-distance, grass, AI or other performance-related settings after confirming the key names and collecting a baseline under your own server conditions; the sources do not establish a universal performance gain or ideal value for these options.
Schema and version pitfalls
- Root versus nested keys: community guides disagree about where
operatingbelongs. They also show more than one layout for the port setting. - Old network names: guides warn that
gameHostBindAddressandgameHostRegisterAddressbelong to a pre-0.9.12 schema. Do not carry those names into a newer config unless your build explicitly uses them. - Key casing:
aiLimitandAILimitare both reported. JSON property names are case-sensitive, so spelling differences matter. - Unsettled defaults: reported defaults are not proof that your server uses them. This includes the 30–60 FPS range reported across guides for
-maxFPS, as well as port and gameplay values. - Competing controls: launch options may override config values, while
-servermay bypass the config altogether according to one guide. - Passwords in shared material: do not publish a real admin password in a shared config, command script or support post. The community advice on password length and spaces is inconsistent, so validate it in your version.
Troubleshooting a config that does not work
The server does not start or settings seem ignored
- Confirm that
-configpoints to the correct file and that the filename matches what the build expects. - Check commas, braces, quotation marks and JSON property spelling. Restore the previous file if a recent edit caused startup failure.
- Compare the changed key and its nesting with the generated config for this build; do not assume a key from another guide is accepted.
- Review launch options for overrides, especially address and port switches, and check whether a world-launch option bypasses the config.
The server is not reachable or visible
- Check that the configured bind address is the intended local interface and that public-address auto-detection has not selected the wrong one.
- Verify that the listening port, public port, external forwarding and firewall rule match, including the required transport protocol.
- For a managed host, confirm the assigned network values with the host instead of changing them to a commonly quoted example.
- Distinguish the game listener from query and RCON ports; community reports for RCON protocol and port do not agree.
A password or setting is rejected
Check the exact key name and expected format in the server’s own generated file or version-specific guidance. For passwordAdmin, community advice about spaces and minimum length conflicts, so neither rule should be treated as universally established. For AI limits, check casing before assuming that an unrecognized setting is being applied.
What is and is not established
Community guides agree broadly on the purpose of a config file loaded through -config and on the kinds of settings it may contain. They do not establish a single current schema, filename, complete set of defaults or consistent port/protocol map. No official Bohemia Interactive server-config reference or published server-config statistic is established by the available sources. Use your server’s generated file and host-specific instructions as the operational authority, and treat third-party examples as leads to verify rather than canonical documentation.
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