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If Satisfactory Server Manager cannot connect, separate the problem into two tests: connect from the same LAN as the dedicated server, then test from the internet. A LAN failure means the server process, host firewall, bind address, or local service is wrong. A LAN success with remote failure points to the router, NAT, public address, port forwarding, or TLS/API validation. For Satisfactory 1.1-era dedicated servers, the required forwarding is 7777 TCP and UDP plus 8888 TCP, with the external and internal 7777 numbers identical.
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Start with a LAN-versus-internet diagnosis
Do not begin by changing every setting at once. The location of the first successful connection tells you which part of the path is broken. The official troubleshooting sequence treats networking as the most common reason a server appears to start but cannot be joined.
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- Confirm that the dedicated-server process is running on the host. Watch its console for startup completion or an immediate crash.
- From another computer on the same LAN, open Server Manager and connect using the host’s private LAN address.
- If the LAN connection fails, stay on the host and local network until the process, service, firewall, and bind settings are correct.
- If the LAN connection works, test from outside the LAN using the public address or hostname. Concentrate on router forwarding, NAT, firewall rules, and TLS/API behavior.
A server that is visible but never finishes joining is a different symptom from an API connectivity error. Treat those messages as clues, not proof: a missing UDP rule often causes an endless join, while an API error more often involves TCP 8888 or the TLS/API path. Verify each required path end to end.
Check the dedicated-server process before changing networking
Verify that the process stays alive
Open the server console or the service manager and confirm that the process remains running after startup. If it exits, networking changes cannot fix the connection. Record the last console message, then inspect FactoryGame/Saved/Logs/FactoryGame.log before restarting. Crash reports are under FactoryGame/Saved/Crashes.
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Use a graceful stop when possible
Enter quit in the Server Manager console, send SIGINT on Linux, or use the service’s normal stop action. A hard kill can prevent server INI files from being written and can remove useful evidence from the current log. If you must restart, copy the current log first because logs are recreated or rotated at server start.
Confirm the installation path
A service can report “running” while launching the wrong executable or working in the wrong directory. The Linux service should launch FactoryServer.sh from the actual installation directory. A wrong working directory can produce missing configuration, inaccessible saves, or logs in an unexpected location.
Required ports and what each one does
For Satisfactory 1.1-era dedicated servers, configure all three traffic requirements. The standard game port uses both transports; the Reliable Messaging/API port uses TCP.
| Port | Transport | Where to allow or forward it | Typical symptom when blocked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7777 | TCP | Host firewall and router, external 7777 to internal 7777 | General connection failure or an incomplete session setup |
| 7777 | UDP | Host firewall and router, external 7777 to internal 7777 | Server appears, but joining never completes |
| 8888 | TCP | Host firewall and router when remote Server Manager/API access is required | API connectivity, manager, or Reliable Messaging errors |
Standard-port redirection is not supported. The outside and inside values for port 7777 must match; do not forward external 27000 or another arbitrary number to internal 7777. Create separate rules for 7777 TCP, 7777 UDP, and 8888 TCP if the router asks for protocol-specific entries.
Keep the destination address stable
Forward the rules to the server’s current private LAN address, and reserve that address in DHCP or configure a stable address on the host. If DHCP later gives the machine a different address, the router can continue forwarding correctly while sending packets to the wrong computer.
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Open the host firewall as well as the router
Port forwarding only handles traffic arriving at the router. The operating system firewall must also allow inbound TCP and UDP 7777 and inbound TCP 8888 for the dedicated-server process. For a controlled test, temporarily limit the rule to the server’s private profile and known client addresses rather than disabling the firewall globally. Re-enable normal filtering after the test.
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Test locally without the router
Use the server’s private address from a second device on the same network. This test avoids public DNS, WAN routing, and most NAT behavior. If it fails, inspect these layers in order:
- The process may have stopped or may be listening on a different port.
- The host firewall may be blocking 7777 TCP/UDP or 8888 TCP.
- The service may be bound to the wrong network adapter or address.
- The service may be starting from the wrong directory or with invalid arguments.
Check bind and multihome arguments
Review the launch arguments and network configuration for an explicit bind address, multihome option, or interface selection. A machine with Wi-Fi, Ethernet, VPN, virtual adapters, or multiple physical interfaces can cause the manager to bind to an address that clients cannot reach. Dedicated-server history records a fix for Server Manager binding to the wrong address when one adapter or multihoming was involved. Remove stale interface selections or set the address to the adapter that carries the LAN traffic, then restart gracefully and repeat the LAN test.
Compare the manager address with the listening interface
Do not use a public hostname for the first test. Enter the private address assigned to the host. If that succeeds, the game process and local route are working; any remaining problem is outside the host or in name/TLS handling.
When LAN works but remote players cannot join
Verify the router rule end to end
- Check that the forwarding destination is still the server’s current private address.
- Confirm that external and internal port 7777 are both 7777.
- Confirm that both TCP and UDP are enabled for 7777.
- Add TCP 8888 for Server Manager or API access.
- Save the router configuration and restart only what is necessary; then test from a network outside the server’s LAN.
A test from inside the same LAN using the public address can fail even when the internet path is correctly configured, depending on the router’s NAT loopback behavior. Use a genuinely external connection for the remote test, such as a player’s separate home or mobile network.
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Check the public address and NAT path
Make sure players are using the current public address or the hostname that resolves to it. If the public address changed, an old bookmark can point to the wrong endpoint. If the router does not hold the internet-facing address, an upstream NAT device or another gateway may also need the forwarding rules. Trace the path from the public side to the server rather than changing the save or reinstalling the game.
Interpret a visible-but-unjoinable server
Visibility proves that at least part of discovery or the initial handshake works; it does not prove that UDP 7777 can complete the game session. Recheck the UDP rule, host firewall, and the server’s bound interface before changing gameplay settings.
Repair a Linux service definition
Compare the unit file with the official dedicated-server pattern. The important fields are functional, not cosmetic:
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| Unit setting | Required behavior | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
ExecStart |
Points to the installed FactoryServer.sh |
Launching a stale or nonexistent path makes the service fail before it can listen. |
WorkingDirectory |
Matches the dedicated-server installation directory | Ensures saves, configuration, and relative paths resolve in the intended installation. |
Restart |
on-failure |
Restarts after an unexpected exit without treating a normal stop as a crash. |
| Restart delay | Uses a short delay between attempts | Prevents a crash loop from repeatedly consuming resources and hiding the first error. |
KillSignal |
SIGINT |
Lets the server close saves and configuration cleanly. |
Reload and observe the unit
After editing a unit, reload the service manager, restart the unit, and watch its status and journal rather than assuming the edit took effect. The system journal and the installation’s FactoryGame/Saved/Logs directory both contain service and game evidence. A unit that repeatedly restarts should be diagnosed from the first failure message, not the later restart notices.
Separate service failure from network failure
If the unit is inactive or exits immediately, fix the executable path, permissions, working directory, or startup arguments first. If it remains active and a LAN client still cannot connect, move to firewall and bind-address checks. This prevents a router change from masking a local process problem.
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Read logs without losing the useful evidence
Start with the current log
Open FactoryGame/Saved/Logs/FactoryGame.log and inspect entries around startup, binding, port initialization, authentication, and shutdown. Older logs are named in the form FactoryGame-backup-DATE-TIME.log. Crash reports are stored in FactoryGame/Saved/Crashes.
Preserve the file before restarting
Logs rotate when the server starts, and the newest file is again named FactoryGame.log. Copy or rename the current file before a restart if you need to compare a failed attempt with a later one. Otherwise, the restart can replace the exact evidence you need.
Correlate three records
- The server console shows whether startup completed and whether a graceful quit was received.
- The system journal shows service exits, restart loops, permissions, and working-directory errors.
FactoryGame.logshows game-server initialization, networking, and save-related messages.
Matching timestamps across these records distinguishes a crash from a blocked packet. A clean server startup followed by no remote traffic points outward to firewall, forwarding, or NAT; a bind or initialization error points back to the host.
Fix Server Manager API and TLS errors
Understand the encrypted API path
The dedicated-server API is always wrapped in TLS. A port can be reachable while the manager still rejects the connection because the hostname entered by players does not match the name on the certificate, or because custom certificate settings are incorrect.
Check the name, not only the port
Use the hostname that the certificate is issued for, and inspect any custom certificate configuration on the server. If a private LAN address works but the public hostname produces an API or certificate error, the save is unlikely to be the cause. Focus on the external route, hostname resolution, NAT behavior, and TLS name validation.
Use the symptom split carefully
An API connectivity message makes TCP 8888 and TLS/API reachability the first checks. It does not prove that 7777 is correct, so validate the game port separately. Conversely, a completed API connection does not prove that UDP 7777 is passing player traffic.
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| Observed behavior | First test | Most useful next action |
|---|---|---|
| Server process exits or service is inactive | Console, system journal, current game log | Correct ExecStart, working directory, permissions, arguments, or crash cause. |
| LAN client cannot connect | Private-address connection from another LAN device | Check host firewall, listening interface, bind/multihome arguments, and local service state. |
| LAN works; internet client cannot connect | External test using the current public address | Fix stable LAN addressing, router forwarding, public address, NAT path, and WAN firewall. |
| Server appears but joining never completes | Verify UDP 7777 on host and router | Ensure external/internal 7777 match and the server is bound to the reachable interface. |
| Server Manager reports API connectivity | Verify TCP 8888 and TLS hostname | Open 8888 end to end and correct certificate-name or custom-certificate settings. |
| Settings seem to vanish after a kill | Stop gracefully and inspect generated files | Use quit, SIGINT, or the service stop action so INI files can be written. |
Common mistakes that waste time
- Forwarding only TCP 7777 and forgetting UDP.
- Forwarding 7777 to a different internal port, despite standard-port redirection not being supported.
- Opening ports on the router but not in the host operating-system firewall.
- Forwarding to a DHCP address that changed after the rule was created.
- Testing a public hostname from inside the same LAN and treating a NAT-loopback failure as an internet outage.
- Changing save files or reinstalling the game before proving whether a LAN connection works.
- Restarting before copying
FactoryGame.log, which rotates the evidence needed to diagnose the failure. - Using a hard kill, then concluding that missing INI files prove the configuration is invalid.
- Assuming an API/TLS error is fixed by changing the game port, without checking TCP 8888 and the certificate hostname.
A clean recovery sequence
- Stop the server gracefully and copy the current log and any crash report.
- Start it again and confirm that the process remains active.
- Test Server Manager from the same LAN using the host’s private address.
- If LAN fails, correct service startup, firewall, bind address, or multihome settings and repeat the test.
- If LAN succeeds, reserve the host’s private address and verify router rules for 7777 TCP, 7777 UDP, and 8888 TCP.
- Test from a genuinely external network using the current public address or the certificate-matching hostname.
- If the external API fails while LAN works, inspect TCP 8888, TLS certificate naming, custom certificate settings, and NAT behavior.
- After each change, record the result and timestamp so the next log and connection test can be compared with the previous one.
Bottom line
The fastest fix is a disciplined split: prove the server locally, then prove the internet path. Keep 7777 TCP and UDP identical on both sides of the forward, allow 8888 TCP for API access, use a stable LAN address, launch the correct server script from the correct directory, and preserve logs before restarting. When LAN succeeds but the public hostname fails, investigate NAT and TLS/API naming rather than the game save.
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