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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchYou can host an SCP: Secret Laboratory dedicated server on a supported x64 Windows or Linux machine, either at home or through a managed game-server host. The official dedicated-server tool is distributed through Steam, and SteamCMD installs it with AppID 996560. For a 25-player server without plugins, the Tech Support Public Wiki lists 3 GB of RAM, two CPU cores and 4 GB of storage as a baseline. Treat those figures as a floor rather than a performance guarantee: larger communities, plugins, logging and other services need additional headroom.
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Choose self-hosting or a managed host first
The installation files are the same, but the operational work is not. Self-hosting gives you direct control over files, plugins, configuration and update timing. It also makes you responsible for the public machine, operating system, router and firewall, backups, security and uptime. A managed host handles much of that infrastructure in exchange for less control and a separate provider-selection decision.
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| Consideration | Self-hosting | Managed hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront hardware cost | Uses a computer or virtual machine you control; the cost depends on hardware, electricity and your existing internet connection. | Usually avoids buying or maintaining a server machine, but introduces a recurring hosting charge. Current prices must be checked with each provider. |
| Operating system | You install and patch a supported Windows or Linux system and its dependencies. | The host supplies the operating-system environment and normally exposes a control panel or deployment workflow. |
| Public reachability | You must provide a reachable address and configure the host firewall and, for a home connection, the router. Your internet service must permit the required traffic. | The provider normally supplies the network path and firewall controls, although you still need to understand its address, port and security settings. |
| Updates and backups | You schedule SteamCMD updates, back up configuration and plugin data, and test recovery. | Some providers package updates and backups, but coverage, retention and restore procedures differ. Verify them before paying. |
| Plugin flexibility | You control the server files and can maintain a carefully selected LabAPI plugin set. | Plugins may be supported through a panel, restricted by policy or require a support request. Confirm compatibility and file access first. |
| Administration effort | Highest control and highest workload, including moderation, monitoring and troubleshooting. | Less machine administration, but you still operate the game, permissions, rules and community. |
Self-hosting is a sensible fit if you are comfortable with system administration, have stable broadband, control the firewall and router, and can respond when the game or a plugin changes. Choose managed hosting when maintaining a public machine and its availability is the part you want to outsource. Treat provider claims about regions, uptime, DDoS protection, backups, supported branches and affiliate terms as items to verify separately; they are not universal features of managed hosting.
Check hardware and operating-system support
Use the published baseline as a minimum
- Memory: 3 GB RAM for a full 25-player, unmodified server.
- Processor: two CPU cores.
- Storage: 4 GB for the server installation.
- Architecture: the guide does not support ARM CPUs.
That baseline describes the configuration in the Tech Support Public Wiki, not a promise that every machine with those specifications will deliver smooth play. Leave capacity for the operating system, SteamCMD’s temporary files, logs, configuration backups, plugins and any other applications on the machine. If you plan to raise the player count or run several plugins, start above the baseline and watch memory, CPU and disk usage during a busy session.
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Supported systems listed for Update 14.0 and later
Northwood’s 11 October 2024 requirements notice lists Windows 10 or 11, version 21H1 or newer, on x64; Windows Server 2022 or newer; and Ubuntu 22.04 or newer on x64 for servers from Update 14.0 onward. Requirements can change with a later game update, so check the newest Northwood announcement before standardising an image or writing an automated deployment script.
Prepare a dedicated account and workspace
Use a separate operating-system account for the server where practical, restrict write access to the server directory, and keep administrative credentials out of public chat and screenshots. Put the installation in a path that is easy to back up and that does not depend on a removable drive. On Linux, the documented procedure uses a separate service user; the same separation is a useful security practice on Windows.
Install the server on Windows
Beginner route: install the Steam tool
The recommended beginner path in the server guide is Steam’s library entry named Secret Laboratory Dedicated Server.
- Open Steam on the Windows machine that will run the server.
- Find and install the Secret Laboratory Dedicated Server tool.
- Launch the tool once so that it creates its files and completes first-run setup.
- Use LocalAdmin to finish the initial configuration, set operator access and confirm that the executable starts correctly before attempting public networking.
This method is convenient for a single installation because Steam handles the tool’s location and updates. It is less convenient when you need repeatable deployments, scheduled updates or several independent server directories.
Repeatable route: SteamCMD
SteamCMD is the better fit for scripts and maintenance jobs. Install SteamCMD, choose a directory for the server, then run the following commands in its console. Replace {USER} with the Windows account name; keep the quotation marks around the path if it contains spaces.
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force_install_dir "C:Users{USER}DocumentsSCPSL-Server"
login anonymous
app_update 996560 validateapp_update 996560 validate selects the public branch and validates the downloaded files. Validation can take longer than a normal update because Steam checks the installation rather than only downloading changed files.
Make updates a one-line job
The guide also documents this batch-style command:
steamcmd +force_install_dir "C:Users{USER}DocumentsSCPSL-Server" +login anonymous +app_update 996560 validate +quitRun it only when the server is stopped, and place it in a maintenance script that records the date and the command output. Do not overwrite your configuration or plugin data as part of a blind reinstall. Back those directories up first and keep a known-good copy so that you can roll back a failed update.
Install the server on Linux
Install the documented prerequisites
The Linux procedure targets Ubuntu or Debian-style systems and uses SteamCMD, 32-bit compatibility libraries, a runtime environment, a separate service user and tmux. Install the packages required by your distribution’s current SteamCMD instructions, enable the 32-bit libraries your system needs, and create the service account before downloading the game. Package names and repository steps vary by distribution, so use the current documentation for that distribution rather than copying an Ubuntu command onto an unrelated system.
Download AppID 996560
Configure SteamCMD with an installation directory such as ~/steamcmd/scpsl, log in anonymously, and run the same public-branch update command used on Windows:
app_update 996560 validateKeep the server files owned by the service account that will run them. This avoids a common failure in which an update performed as one user leaves LocalAdmin or the server unable to write logs and configuration.
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Keep the process alive with tmux
The guide’s launch sequence is:
tmux new -s scpsl
cd ~/steamcmd/scpsl
./LocalAdminThe working directory is essential. LocalAdmin searches for SCPSL.exe beside itself, so launching it from another directory can produce a missing-file or startup error even when the download is complete. After attaching to the session, use LocalAdmin for the initial server setup. Detach from tmux without stopping the process, then reattach later to inspect output or shut the server down cleanly.
Plan for unattended operation
tmux is useful for a manually administered server, but it does not by itself restart a crashed process or apply updates. For a long-running public server, add an operating-system service or a carefully tested wrapper that starts the server as the service user, writes logs to a known location and stops cleanly during maintenance. Keep that automation separate from the game configuration so a script change cannot silently replace your server data.
Configure the first start and operator access
Run LocalAdmin from the directory containing the server executable and complete the initial configuration before advertising the server. Set a server name and rules that accurately describe the experience, create the operator or remote-administration credentials required by your chosen administration method, and test a local connection first.
- Store remote-administration credentials in a password manager, not in a public configuration snippet.
- Keep Steam identifiers and permission lists private; publish only the information players need.
- Give moderators the minimum permissions required for their role and review the list when staff change.
- Record the configuration file locations and the process used to restore them from backup.
Do not expose a management interface to the public internet merely because the game server is public. Restrict administrative access with the host firewall, private network rules or another access control layer appropriate to your environment.
Make the server reachable from the internet
A public server needs a reachable address and firewall rules that allow the game traffic. On a home connection, that normally means configuring the router to forward the server’s configured port or ports to the correct machine, then allowing the same traffic through the operating-system firewall. The exact port and network layout depend on the current server configuration, your router and your host; verify the current configuration guide or managed-host documentation instead of copying a port number from an older tutorial.
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- Assign the server machine a stable local address so a router rule does not point at the wrong device after a reboot.
- Allow only the required game traffic in the operating-system firewall.
- Apply the corresponding router rule if the machine is behind network address translation.
- Test from a different network, such as a mobile connection, because a local test can succeed through hairpin routing even when outside players cannot connect.
- Confirm that the server remains reachable after a restart and that the address players receive is the public address, not a private LAN address.
If your internet service uses carrier-grade NAT or blocks inbound traffic, home hosting may not be possible without a different connection or a managed host. Do not work around that limitation by opening unrelated services or disabling the firewall.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Keep updates, backups and plugins under control
Use a maintenance window for game updates
The documented public-branch update command is app_update 996560 validate. Stop the server, back up configuration and plugin data, run the update, start the server, and check the console and a test connection before reopening it to players. Schedule updates when your community is least active and announce expected downtime in advance.
A backup is useful only if it can be restored. Keep at least one copy outside the live server directory, label it with the game version and date, and periodically test restoring it to a separate directory. Include configuration, permissions, moderation data and plugin files—not just the executable files downloaded by SteamCMD.
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Understand what LabAPI does
LabAPI is Northwood’s official server-side plugin loader and framework. Northwood’s repository states that all SCP: Secret Laboratory dedicated-server builds are bundled with a compiled LabAPI.dll, so a normal dedicated-server installation does not require a separate LabAPI installation.
That does not make every plugin compatible with every game build. Start with a small, documented set, record each plugin’s version and game-version compatibility, and keep a rollback copy. After a game update, test plugins on a private instance before returning them to a public server. Northwood advises waiting for an official server update when possible; manually replacing the bundled DLL can put the framework ahead of the server build and create hard-to-diagnose failures.
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Recover from a plugin problem
- Stop the server and preserve the current logs so you can identify the failing component.
- Restore the last known-good plugin files or temporarily remove the newest plugin from the load path.
- Start the server without the suspect plugin and confirm that the base game works.
- Check the plugin author’s compatibility information and the game’s update status before reinstalling.
- Reintroduce one plugin at a time, testing after each change.
Prepare for public listing and community rules
If you want the server to participate in SCP: Secret Laboratory’s official community ecosystem, read Northwood’s current community-server guidelines before launch. The discoverable official guidance says verified servers must be publicly available, but the complete current checklist should be confirmed from the live page because requirements can change.
Write rules that cover moderation, cheating, harassment, role-play expectations and appeals. Make the rules visible before a player joins, appoint moderators who understand the permissions they have, and keep an incident log that does not expose unnecessary personal information. A technically reachable server can still fail as a community if nobody is available to moderate it.
Self-hosting troubleshooting
The server will not start
- Confirm that the operating system and CPU architecture meet the currently published requirements; ARM is not supported by the cited server guide.
- On Linux, launch
./LocalAdminfrom the directory that containsSCPSL.exe. - Check that the service account can read the installation and write its configuration and log directories.
- Review the console output after a validated SteamCMD update rather than repeatedly deleting and reinstalling the server.
Players cannot connect
- Test from outside the local network.
- Verify that the router forwards traffic to the current local address and that the operating-system firewall allows it.
- Check whether the internet connection uses carrier-grade NAT or blocks inbound traffic.
- Confirm that players are using the public address and the server’s current configured port.
An update breaks the server or plugins
- Stop the process and preserve logs and the pre-update backup.
- Run
app_update 996560 validateagain to repair incomplete files. - Test the base server without third-party plugins.
- Restore the previous plugin set only after checking compatibility with the new game build.
- If the bundled LabAPI version and a manually replaced DLL differ, restore the build supplied with the dedicated server.
The server becomes unstable under load
The published 3 GB, two-core baseline assumes 25 players and no plugins. Measure the machine while the server is busy, then reduce unnecessary services, remove problematic plugins or move to hardware with more CPU and memory. Adding resources without checking logs and plugin behavior can hide the real cause rather than solve it.
Launch checklist
- Supported x64 Windows or Ubuntu installation confirmed; ARM avoided.
- At least the documented 3 GB RAM, two CPU cores and 4 GB storage available, with additional headroom for your actual player count and plugins.
- Dedicated-server tool installed through Steam or SteamCMD AppID
996560. - LocalAdmin started from the directory containing the server executable.
- Operator credentials secured and tested.
- Firewall and router rules tested from an external network, without exposing management access.
- Configuration, permissions, logs and plugin data backed up and restorable.
- Game and plugin versions recorded after every maintenance window.
- Moderation rules, staff coverage and community-server requirements reviewed before public listing.
With those checks complete, self-hosting gives you the greatest control over SCP: Secret Laboratory’s files and plugin environment. If maintaining the machine, network path and update schedule is more work than you want, a managed host can remove that infrastructure burden—but it cannot replace your responsibility for configuration, permissions, plugins and community moderation.
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