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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Most Starbound dedicated-server failures fall into four patterns: the game port is unreachable, the server and clients have different mods, incompatible patches stop startup, or a world/player file is corrupted. Fix the problem in that order: confirm the server actually finishes initializing, test the network path, make the mod set identical, then repair individual save files from a backup rather than deleting the entire universe.
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Start with a symptom-based diagnosis
Read the server console or log before changing files. A useful error usually identifies whether the failure happened before initialization, during mod loading, while accepting a connection, or when reading a save. Use this quick map to choose the right branch:
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| What you see | Most likely area | First action |
|---|---|---|
| “NetworkException” or a timeout when joining | Port forwarding, firewall, address, or ISP restrictions | Confirm the server is running, then test TCP port 21025 and firewall rules. |
| The server is absent from the browser | Initialization did not complete or a browser filter hides it | Read the console for startup errors and clear name, region, game-mode, and password filters. |
| Clients are rejected after connecting | Different mods or game versions | Compare the complete mod list and use one shared Steam Workshop collection. |
| JsonPatchException or “Could not apply patch” | Conflicting or outdated mod patches | Identify the file named in the error and remove or update the mod that patches it. |
| A world will not load, or the universe crashes while travelling | Corrupted coordinate file | Stop the server, back up storage, and restore only the affected world file. |
| A newly installed mod has no effect | Incorrect folder placement or a disabled mod | Put the .pak directly in the server’s mods/ folder and restart. |
Fix a Starbound NetworkException
A NetworkException means the client could not establish or maintain the connection. An Appuals troubleshooting guide identifies an unforwarded game port as a common cause. Its guidance is several years old, so treat the router-specific examples as dated, but the basic network checks still apply.
Verify the server is listening
- Start the dedicated server and wait until its console finishes initialization. If it exits, loops, or reports a patch or asset error, solve that startup problem before testing the network.
- On the host computer, confirm that the server is bound to the expected local address and port. The default game port reported by the Starbounder wiki is 21025.
- Have a player test from a different network, such as a phone hotspot. A test from the same LAN can succeed even when internet forwarding is wrong.
Port reference
The Starbounder wiki reports the following defaults. The protocol details below are reported documentation, not a verification of the current game binary; check your generated configuration and server version if your setup differs.
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| Purpose | Reported default | Protocol or qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Game connections | 21025 | TCP; allow it through the router and host firewall. |
| Steam query | 21025 | UDP in the wiki’s Steam-query description. |
| RCON | 21026 | Separate remote-console port listed by the wiki. |
Do not open extra ports “just in case.” Forward only the services you use, and restrict administration ports to trusted addresses whenever your router allows it.
Try UPnP first, then forward manually
UPnP can ask a compatible router to create the forwarding rule automatically. Enable UPnP in the router, restart the dedicated server, and check the router’s UPnP or port-mapping list for Starbound. UPnP is router-dependent: some networks disable it, place the host behind carrier-grade NAT, or create a rule for the wrong computer.
For a manual rule, the labels differ by manufacturer, but the required values are consistent:
- Give the host computer a stable local IPv4 address with a DHCP reservation. Otherwise, a reboot can assign a different address and silently invalidate the rule.
- Open the router’s port-forwarding page and create a rule for the host’s local address.
- Forward external TCP port
21025to internal TCP port21025. If you use the reported Steam query service, create the corresponding UDP rule; if you use RCON, forward its configured port separately. - Save the rule, restart the router only if it requires that step, and test from outside the LAN. Do not use the router’s public address from inside the same network unless it supports NAT loopback.
Allow the host firewall and launcher
Permit the Starbound server executable and the launcher used to start it through the operating system firewall. A port-forwarding rule cannot help if the host drops the packet. If you previously denied the prompt, remove the old blocked rule and create an explicit inbound rule for TCP 21025 on the private and, only when necessary, public profiles. Re-test after changing one layer at a time so you know which change mattered.
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When your ISP blocks inbound IPv4
Some connections use carrier-grade NAT or block unsolicited inbound IPv4, leaving you without a public address to which a router can forward. Compare the router’s reported WAN address with an external “what is my IP” result; if they differ, ask the ISP whether you are behind CGNAT and whether a public IPv4 option exists. A tunnelling tool such as Hamachi is a workaround reported for this situation, not a repair to the underlying routing. Every player must join the same virtual network, and latency, trust, and software compatibility become new concerns.
When the server does not appear in the browser
Browser visibility is separate from direct reachability. A server that has not completed initialization may never publish a listing. Read the console and log first; a JsonPatchException, asset error, or immediate process exit must be fixed before changing browser settings.
- Confirm the process remains running after startup and that it reaches its normal listening state.
- Clear browser filters for region, game mode, password status, version, and server name. A filter can hide a healthy server.
- Check that the query service is enabled with the key your version actually recognizes. Documentation disagrees on the key name, so do not assume that a setting copied from another host applies to your file.
- Try a direct connection using the host’s public address and game port. If direct connection works but the listing does not, the problem is query or registration rather than game traffic.
Make the server and every client use the same mods
The most frequently reported mod-related connection failure is an asymmetric mod set: a package exists on the server but not on a client, or exists on a client but not on the server. Matching only the visible names is not enough; versions, dependencies, load order, and replacement assets can differ.
Build one authoritative mod set
- Choose one administrator as the source of truth.
- Create a shared Steam Workshop collection containing every required item and record any non-Workshop packages separately.
- Have the administrator export the list and version information. Each player should unsubscribe from obsolete duplicates, subscribe to the collection, and let downloads finish before launching.
- Compare the server’s enabled files with the collection. Remove old copies that can shadow newer packages.
- Restart the server and have every player join with the same game build.
Keeping the dedicated server updated matters too. The Game Server Kings maintenance guide, reported as updated July 31, 2026, notes that game updates, framework changes, and third-party tooling can break an outdated installation. Update during a maintenance window, back up the save first, and test the complete mod set before inviting players.
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Do not use the asset-digest switch as a permanent fix
Setting checkAssetsDigest=false is reported as a way to hide a mismatch symptom. It does not make incompatible assets compatible; it merely suppresses a check. Use it only for controlled diagnosis, then restore the check and make the server and clients genuinely identical. Suppressing the digest can permit subtle crashes, missing objects, or divergent world behavior later.
Repair JsonPatchException and startup crashes
A JsonPatchException indicates that a JSON patch could not be applied to the base asset. Single-player may still work because its enabled mods differ from the dedicated server’s list or load order. Reports associate this failure with large mod collections, but no reliable frequency statistic is established.
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Read the first specific patch path
A message such as Could not apply patch from file /objects/outpost/shipyardwelding/shipyardwelding.object.patch in source identifies the asset being changed. The path is more useful than the final stack trace: it tells you which object has competing, malformed, or outdated patches.
- Stop the server and copy the entire installation and
storagedirectory to a safe backup. - Write down the exact patch path and the mod files loaded immediately before the error.
- Temporarily remove the most recently added or updated mod that touches that object, then restart.
- If the server starts, update the removed mod and its dependencies. If no compatible version exists, leave it disabled or find an alternative that targets your game build.
- If the error remains, use a binary search: disable half of the suspect mods, test, and continue halving the failing group until the conflicting pair or package is isolated.
- Re-enable compatible mods one at a time, restarting after each change. This preserves a clear cause-and-effect record.
Do not edit the base game JSON to force a patch through. A later update can overwrite that change, and it makes every client’s assets harder to reproduce.
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Recover a corrupted universe, world, or player
A crash during a write can damage one world while leaving the rest of the universe usable. The safest repair is a targeted restore, not deletion of the whole universe.
Back up before touching saves
- Stop the dedicated server cleanly and ensure no server process remains.
- Copy the complete
storage/directory to another disk or dated archive. Keep at least one copy that will not be overwritten by automated cleanup. - Record the date, server version, mod list, and the affected character or coordinate.
Hosting documentation commonly recommends daily snapshots; whether your host provides a Backups tab or you create archives yourself, retain multiple generations so a newly discovered corruption does not overwrite the only good copy.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsUnderstand the reported save layout
Search documentation commonly places universe data in storage/universe/, with one file named for each world coordinate, and player characters in storage/player/<PlayerName>.player. These paths are reported rather than confirmed against every installation. Open your own generated folders and verify the location before deleting anything; operating-system paths and server wrappers can differ.
Reset one world without wiping the universe
- Identify the coordinate file for the world that fails to load.
- Move that single file to a quarantine folder instead of permanently deleting it.
- Start the server and travel to the coordinate. The game should generate a fresh world file.
- Confirm that other visited worlds and player inventories remain intact.
- If the result is worse, stop the server and restore the original file from your backup.
Never delete the entire universe folder as a first response: that removes every generated world and can turn a single-world failure into permanent, broad data loss.
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When only a player file is damaged
If one character fails while other characters can join, isolate that player file rather than resetting world data. Restore the newest known-good copy and test with the same mod set used when the backup was made. A backup taken after a mod schema change may reproduce the same failure, so keep versioned archives.
Fix mods that do not load
A reported packaging mistake is placing a .pak inside a nested directory under mods/. For a manual installation, the package should sit directly in the server’s mods/ directory, not in mods/MyMod/files/. After moving it, restart the server and look for the mod name in the startup log.
- Check that the file extension is exactly
.pak, not.pak.zipor a second extension hidden by the operating system. - Remove duplicate versions so the server cannot load two packages that replace the same assets.
- Verify dependencies and the game version required by the mod.
- Confirm that the dedicated server is using the installation folder you edited; launch scripts sometimes point to a separate copy.
- If the mod loads but its content is missing, compare the server and client collections and inspect the log for asset-load errors.
Find and safely edit starbound_server.config
The Steam Game Server Manager guide reports that starbound_server.config is in the storage subfolder and is created after the dedicated server has run at least once. If you cannot find it, launch the server once, let it create its files, stop it, and search the actual server directory rather than a client-only Starbound folder.
Settings with documented or conflicting names
| Key or setting | What is established | How to handle it |
|---|---|---|
maxPlayers |
The Starbounder wiki describes a default of 8 simultaneous sessions. | Raise it only after monitoring RAM and CPU. A hosting guide claims there is no hard upper limit, but that claim is unverified; practical capacity depends on the machine, world activity, and mods. |
serverName |
A search summary reports the default as “A Starbound Server.”; attribution is unconfirmed. | Set a clear name, save the file, and restart. If the browser still shows the old name, verify that the server is reading this file. |
runQueryServer |
One guide says this must be true for a Game Server Manager to query the server. | Use the exact key present in your generated configuration and test browser visibility. |
queryServerEnabled |
A different hosting guide uses this spelling for the same purpose. | The names conflict. Do not include both blindly; check which key your server version reads. |
upnpPortForwarding |
A 2016-era forum workaround suggested setting it false for an old error. | It is not verified for current versions. Change it only as a controlled test, retaining the original value. |
There is no official, current reference for every configuration key. Treat third-party examples as version-specific, change one setting at a time, and keep a copy of the original file so a failed edit can be reversed.
Quick Recap
A complete recovery runbook
- Preserve evidence: copy logs, the configuration, the mod list, and
storage/before deleting or updating anything. - Classify the failure: startup crash, invisible listing, connection error, mod rejection, or save corruption.
- Get a clean baseline: launch the server with the intended game version and no newly added mods, confirming that it reaches initialization.
- Validate networking: test TCP 21025 from outside the LAN, check the host firewall, and inspect UPnP or manual forwarding.
- Reconcile content: make the server and clients use one identical, documented mod collection and restore asset-digest checking.
- Reintroduce changes gradually: add or update one mod or configuration value, restart, and record the result.
- Repair saves narrowly: restore or regenerate one coordinate or player file only after the server itself is stable.
- Document the working state: archive the configuration, versions, mod collection, and backup schedule.
Prevent the next outage
- Reserve a local address for the host so port forwarding does not break after a reboot.
- Keep the dedicated server, launcher, frameworks, and mods on a planned update schedule rather than updating during a live session.
- Maintain one shared Workshop collection and publish its version or change log to players.
- Back up
storage/before major mod changes and retain daily snapshots when the world matters. - Test a backup restore on a separate copy; an untested backup is only an assumption.
- Keep router, firewall, and configuration changes documented, including which ports are TCP or UDP.
- Watch startup logs after every restart so a server that failed initialization is not mistaken for a browser problem.
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