Use Hytale’s staged updater rather than replacing the server directory manually: run /update check, download the release with /update download, then confirm it with /update apply --confirm. The server exits with code 8; your wrapper script applies the staged files and starts the server again. Configuration, worlds, saves, and the mods/ directory are designed to remain in place, but you should still verify backups and mod compatibility before every update.
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What the Hytale update process actually does
Hytale’s current server manual describes an update as a staged replacement, not an in-place overwrite while the server is running. The updater downloads release files into a staging area. When you confirm the update, the server shuts down with exit code 8. A supported wrapper script sees that exit code, replaces the release files, and launches the server again.
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The server process itself does not restart automatically. The manual’s exact warning is: “The server does not restart itself.” If you start HytaleServer.jar directly, the update can be downloaded and marked for application but remain unapplied until you run your normal launch wrapper.
The updater selectively replaces HytaleServer.jar, assets, wrapper scripts, and other files belonging to the release. It is intended to preserve your configuration, saves, and mods. A normal installation has Assets.zip, a launcher such as start.sh or start.bat, and a Server/ directory containing HytaleServer.jar and server configuration.
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Before you update: safety and compatibility checks
Schedule a clean maintenance window
Tell players when the server will be unavailable and ask them to disconnect before you begin. Do not update during a build, transfer, or other operation that is still writing world data. A clean shutdown gives the backup and save systems a consistent set of files to protect.
Confirm backups are enabled
The documented configuration uses RunBackupBeforeUpdate: true by default, and the wrapper defaults also enable a backup before applying an update. Check your configuration rather than assuming a locally edited file still has the default. Keep enough backup storage for at least the current world, configuration, permissions, and mods, and know where the updater places its rollback copy.
Check runtime requirements
The Hytale server manual lists at least 4 GB of memory and Java 25. Both x64 and arm64 systems are supported. These are minimum runtime requirements, not a performance guarantee for a large world or heavily modded community; leave headroom for your operating system, players, and extensions.
Check protocol and extension compatibility
Hytale requires the client and server to use exactly the same protocol version. After a protocol-changing release, players who have not updated their client cannot connect to the updated server. Before maintenance, identify whether the release changes the protocol and tell players which client build they need.
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Keep the mods/ directory intact during the update, then verify every plugin or mod against the new server build. A preserved file is not the same as a compatible extension: an API change can make an otherwise successful server fail during startup or runtime.
How to update a Hytale dedicated server step by step
- Announce maintenance. Warn players, stop new logins if your administration tools provide a maintenance mode, and wait for active players to disconnect cleanly.
- Verify the backup setting. Confirm
RunBackupBeforeUpdate: trueor an equivalent wrapper backup option. Make sure the backup destination has free space and that you can identify the latest copy. - Open the server console or an administrator command channel. The commands below must be executed on the running Hytale server, not in your operating system shell.
- Check for a release. Run
/update check. Review the response for the available version and any indication that no update is available. - Download the release to staging. Run
/update download. This places the release in the updater’s staging area without replacing the live server files. Use/update download --forceonly when you deliberately need to redownload the current release or bootstrap the update layout; it is not a routine repair switch. - Inspect the staged state. Run
/update status. Confirm that the expected release is staged and that the status is ready to apply. If the command reports an error, resolve it before stopping the live server. - Apply with explicit confirmation. Run
/update apply --confirm. The confirmation flag is required when automatic application is disabled, which is the documented default. - Let the process exit. The server shuts down with exit code 8. Do not treat that code as an ordinary crash. It signals the wrapper that staged files should be applied.
- Allow the wrapper to replace files and relaunch. Start the server through
start.shorstart.bat, or leave your existing wrapper process running so it can detect exit code 8. The wrapper applies the staged release and starts a new server process; the Java server does not perform this restart by itself. - Validate the new instance. Read the startup log, confirm the reported server and protocol versions, connect with an updated client, load a known world, and test permissions and important gameplay systems.
- Check extensions. Watch the log while each plugin or mod initializes. Disable or replace an extension that reports an API, dependency, or version error.
- Close maintenance only after verification. Reopen the server to players once the world, permissions, configuration, and modded features have passed your checks.
What is preserved, and what is replaced?
| Item | Updater behavior | Operator action |
|---|---|---|
HytaleServer.jar |
Replaced with the staged release. | Do not copy an old jar back manually; use rollback instructions if the release fails. |
| Release assets | Updated selectively, including the asset package and other release files. | Allow the wrapper to apply the complete staged set. |
| Launcher wrapper | Release wrapper files may be updated. | Keep your launch layout intact and review local wrapper customizations after the update. |
| Configuration | Designed to be preserved. | Check settings such as backup and automatic-apply mode after startup. |
| Worlds and saves | Designed to be preserved. | Open a known world and verify recent progress after the update. |
mods/ |
Preserved rather than removed. | Confirm each extension supports the new server build. |
The expected directory layout is important because the command and wrapper logic depend on it. A typical installation places Assets.zip and the launcher in the parent directory, with Server/ holding HytaleServer.jar and configuration. Keep the mods/ folder in that installation rather than moving it into a newly downloaded release folder.
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The documented automatic update check interval is 3,600 seconds, or one hour. That check only looks for an available release. It does not mean the server will silently replace files: AutoApplyMode is disabled by default, so an administrator must confirm application unless the setting is intentionally changed.
Backups before updates are enabled by default through RunBackupBeforeUpdate. If you enable automatic application, retain an external maintenance notification and monitoring plan: an unattended restart can still expose a broken mod, a protocol mismatch, or a full disk. Automatic checks and automatic application are separate decisions.
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Troubleshooting an update that did not work
The /update commands are unavailable
Check the installation layout and launch location. The documented arrangement uses a parent directory containing Assets.zip and the wrapper, with the server launched from the Server/ directory. If you copied only HytaleServer.jar to another folder or started it outside the expected wrapper layout, the staged updater may not be available.
The update is staged but nothing restarts
Confirm that the server was started with the wrapper, not by invoking the Java process directly. The server exits with code 8 after /update apply --confirm; a wrapper must detect that code, apply the staged files, and launch the server. If you run the wrapper from a service manager, inspect its unit or task definition and its restart log.
The server appears to crash after applying
Read the first startup error and the complete server log before changing files. Common causes include an incompatible mod, a missing Java 25 runtime, insufficient memory, a damaged or incomplete staged download, or a local wrapper customization that no longer matches the updated script. Use the updater’s backup directory and follow its rollback procedure rather than downloading random older files or deleting the world.
Restore the backup made immediately before the update, return the server to the last known-good release using the documented rollback process, and test the world in that state. Preserve the failing logs so you can identify which extension or setting needs attention before trying again.
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Players cannot connect
Compare the client and server protocol versions first. A protocol mismatch after a release is expected to reject connections from clients that have not updated. Do not begin by changing ports, firewall rules, or DNS unless the versions match and the server is actually listening.
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The world or permissions look wrong
Stop accepting players, check that the wrapper started the intended server directory, and compare the active configuration and save paths with your pre-update layout. A staged update is designed to preserve saves and configuration, but starting a second installation or pointing the wrapper at a different directory can make an intact world appear to be missing. If data is genuinely damaged, stop the server and restore the pre-update backup.
Self-hosting versus managed Hytale hosting
Updating yourself gives you direct control over files, console access, mods, backup destinations, and rollback timing. It also makes you responsible for Java, storage, networking, monitoring, wrapper scripts, and recovery when an update fails. A managed host generally supplies the machine, network, maintenance tools, and support; many providers expose one-click Hytale installation and automatic updates, but the exact controls and timing depend on the provider’s panel.
| Concern | Self-hosted server | Managed server |
|---|---|---|
| Files and mods | Full filesystem and mod control. | Control varies by panel, plan, and permitted extensions. |
| Backups and rollback | You choose storage, retention, and restore procedure. | Provider tools may simplify backups; verify retention and whether downloads are available. |
| Automation | You configure the wrapper, checks, monitoring, and maintenance schedule. | One-click or automatic updates may be available, with provider-specific timing. |
| Uptime and support | You handle hardware, power, network, and troubleshooting. | The provider handles infrastructure and offers support under its service terms. |
| Console and logs | Direct access to process output and files. | Usually provided through a web console, but retention and export differ. |
| Cost | Uses your hardware, electricity, storage, and administration time. | Recurring hosting fees in exchange for infrastructure and service operations. |
Official Hytale support identifies Nitrado, Apex Hosting, GPORTAL, Shockbyte, and Dathost as Launch Verified providers. Their current status, features, prices, and update controls can change, so check the provider’s panel and Hytale’s current support information before relying on automatic updates. Provider authentication also has documented limits: one Hytale game license can authenticate up to 500 servers, and an authenticated game session lasts one hour.
Operational checklist for every release
- Announce a maintenance window and wait for clean player disconnects.
- Confirm
RunBackupBeforeUpdate: trueor an equivalent working backup option. - Verify free disk space and locate the rollback backup.
- Check the required Java 25 runtime and available memory.
- Run
/update check, then stage with/update download. - Use
/update statusbefore applying. - Apply with
/update apply --confirm. - Ensure the wrapper, not only the Java process, handles exit code 8.
- Confirm server and client protocol versions match.
- Test a world, permissions, configuration, and every important mod.
- Keep logs from both the failed and successful starts until the maintenance is complete.
Key limits to remember
The minimum documented runtime is 4 GB of memory with Java 25 on x64 or arm64. The default update check runs every hour, but checking is not applying. Applying requires the wrapper cycle, because the server does not restart itself. A preserved world is protected by the staged design and pre-update backup, not by skipping backups or copying release files over a live installation. Finally, protocol compatibility is exact: update clients when the server release requires it.
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