For a vanilla SCP: Secret Laboratory dedicated server capped at 25 players, Northwood’s technical support documentation lists a minimum of 3 GB RAM, a two-core CPU and 4 GB storage. That baseline assumes the server is full and has no plugins or modifications. It is not a universal specification for larger communities, heavily modded servers or machines running other services.
Server hardware and player-client hardware are separate. The official game site lists 4 GB RAM minimum and 6 GB recommended for the client players run. Those figures should not be substituted for the dedicated-server requirement.
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The official dedicated-server minimum
Northwood’s dedicated-server guide states: “Minimum Specs: 3 GB RAM, 2 Core CPU, 4 GB Storage.” The same note limits that statement to a server running at a 25-player cap, full, with no plugins or modifications.
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| Resource | Published minimum | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | 3 GB RAM | Vanilla dedicated server at a full 25-player cap |
| Processor | 2 CPU cores | The same 25-player, unmodified workload |
| Storage | 4 GB | Server installation and its stated baseline workload |
These are minimums, not a performance guarantee. The documentation does not publish utilization measurements, a player-to-RAM formula, or tested recommendations for higher player caps. A machine that meets the numbers can satisfy the documented baseline while leaving little room for operating-system overhead, monitoring tools, backups or other applications.
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Do not confuse server and client requirements
The game’s official system-requirements page lists 4 GB RAM minimum and 6 GB RAM recommended for the client. A client is the copy each player runs locally; a dedicated server is the authoritative process that hosts the match. They perform different work and therefore have different specifications.
| Use case | Official memory figures | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated server | 3 GB minimum RAM | Only for a full 25-player vanilla server with no plugins or modifications |
| Player client | 4 GB minimum; 6 GB recommended | Hardware for running the game on a player’s computer |
For example, giving a host 6 GB because the client page says “recommended” does not establish that 6 GB is the correct server target. Conversely, a server with 3 GB does not imply that a player can run the game with 3 GB. Keep the two planning exercises separate.
How RAM, CPU and storage affect a server
RAM: the 3 GB figure has a narrow scope
The 3 GB number is the only published server memory threshold in the cited documentation. It assumes no plugins or modifications and a maximum of 25 players. The guide does not quantify how much additional memory a particular plugin, map, logging configuration or co-located service consumes.
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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 matchPlan memory around the entire machine, not just the game process. Leave capacity for the operating system, remote administration, update tools, scheduled backups and any monitoring or voice software you deliberately run on the host. If you add extensions, treat 3 GB as a floor that requires measurement rather than as a safe target. No official benchmark supports a universal “extra gigabytes per plugin” rule.
CPU: two cores is the documented minimum
The minimum is a two-core CPU for the same 25-player, vanilla workload. The sources do not identify a clock speed, processor generation, single-thread score or maximum supported player count. CPU model names therefore cannot be translated into an official capacity promise.
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When comparing hosts, ask whether the advertised cores are dedicated or shared, whether CPU limits are enforced, and whether other workloads will contend for those cores. Those questions matter because the published requirement describes a workload, not a particular commercial processor.
Storage: 4 GB is the stated baseline
The guide lists 4 GB of storage. Storage space is not the same as storage performance: the official requirement does not specify an interface, drive type, input/output rate or free-space buffer. Keep additional room for downloaded updates, configuration files, crash logs and backups instead of allocating exactly the minimum and filling the volume.
Plugins, modifications and larger communities
The 25-player, no-plugin assumption is the boundary of the official minimum. Once you install plugins or modifications, or operate other services on the same machine, you are outside that tested statement. Northwood’s LabAPI documentation describes LabAPI as the official server-side plugin loader and framework, and says dedicated-server builds bundle a compiled LabAPI.dll.
That does not make LabAPI a separate hardware component that every administrator must install. It also does not prove that all LabAPI plugins have the same resource cost. Evaluate each extension’s documentation, watch memory and CPU over a representative session, and remove or disable additions that cause instability.
There is no official higher-workload table covering 30, 50 or 100 players, and no published benchmark showing how much headroom a particular modification needs. Do not present an invented amount as a recommendation. For a larger or modded community, use the minimum as a starting constraint, test under your intended load, and size upward from observed peak usage with a reserve.
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Supported operating systems and a version caveat
Northwood’s 11 October 2024 system-requirements and privacy-policy announcement lists these server platforms for update 14.0:
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- Windows 10 or Windows 11, version 21H1 or newer (build 19043 or newer), 64-bit.
- Windows Server 2022 or newer, 64-bit.
- Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, 64-bit.
The live technical-support guide also contains Windows and Linux setup instructions, but its wording is not perfectly aligned with that announcement: one paragraph mentions Windows 8.1 and says Windows 11 is not officially supported, while its Linux section names Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and Debian 13. Because these statements conflict, use the developer announcement for the published update-14.0 support list and check the live setup guide immediately before installing. Do not silently combine the version lists or assume that an operating system mentioned in one page is supported for every current server build.
Installation paths documented by Northwood
The technical-support guide documents two approaches: the Steam Dedicated Server tool and SteamCMD. Both install the server files; your choice mainly depends on whether you prefer a graphical Steam workflow or a command-line workflow suitable for a headless machine.
Steam Dedicated Server tool
- Install and open the Steam client on the administration machine.
- Use the library’s tools view to locate the SCP: Secret Laboratory Dedicated Server tool.
- Install the tool to a volume with more free space than the 4 GB baseline.
- Start the server once to create its configuration and verify that it launches before adding plugins or changing advanced settings.
- Apply updates through the same tool and keep a copy of configuration files before making major changes.
Menu labels can change as Steam updates. If the tool is not visible, follow the current path in the official setup guide rather than relying on an old screenshot.
SteamCMD
The guide identifies application ID 996560 and an anonymous SteamCMD login route. A typical unattended installation uses the documented app ID in a command sequence such as:
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steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 996560 validate +quitRun the command from the directory where you want SteamCMD to place the server, then launch the server executable described by the current guide for your operating system. If validation reports missing or changed files, run the update again and inspect permissions, available storage and the selected installation path. Keep SteamCMD and the server files separate from save data or backups so a reinstall does not erase your recovery copies.
Self-hosting versus renting a server
Self-hosting gives you control over the operating system, firewall, update timing, configuration and plugin files. It also makes you responsible for hardware reliability, network reachability, backups, security updates and troubleshooting. Renting shifts the hardware and connectivity operation to a provider, but you still need to confirm that the service exposes the controls your server requires.
| Decision factor | Self-hosted machine | Rented game server |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware administration | You select, maintain and replace the machine | Provider supplies the underlying infrastructure |
| Player capacity | You must test the intended cap | Check the plan’s stated slot limit and resource allocation |
| Resources | You can inspect the whole host | Ask whether RAM, CPU cores and storage are specified or shared |
| Location and latency | Determined by your connection and datacenter or home location | Choose a region close to most players |
| Configuration and plugins | Full filesystem and service access | Confirm file access, LabAPI support and update controls |
| Backups and support | You design and test them | Verify backup frequency, retention, restore process and support hours |
| Cost | Uses existing hardware plus electricity and connectivity | Recurring fee; current prices vary by provider and plan |
Northwood’s guide links to a server-rental guide, but it does not establish a particular provider, plan, current price or affiliate arrangement. Treat any advertised “slots” number as incomplete until you know the allocated RAM, CPU policy, storage, location and plugin rules. A low-cost plan can be unsuitable if it oversubscribes CPU or blocks the configuration access your community needs.
If you would rather rent than self-host, Godlike.Host offers SCP: Secret Laboratory servers with a Pterodactyl-based game panel, SFTP/FTP file access, up to three free backups a day with restore, and 24/7 support by live chat or ticket. Check the allocated resources against the checklist below and see the current plans before ordering.
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- Define the player cap and whether the server is vanilla, lightly extended or heavily modified.
- For the documented baseline, verify at least 3 GB RAM, two CPU cores and 4 GB storage, while reserving additional capacity for the operating system and administration.
- Choose a 64-bit operating system from the current supported list and reconcile the announcement with the live setup guide before deployment.
- Decide between the Steam Dedicated Server tool and SteamCMD; record app ID 996560 if using SteamCMD.
- Start a clean server and confirm that it accepts connections before installing extensions.
- Add plugins one at a time, record configuration changes and observe peak memory and CPU during a full session.
- Set up backups for configuration, bans, permissions and other community data, then test restoring them.
- For rented hosting, obtain written answers about slot limits, allocated resources, region, backups, update control and plugin support.
Common failure modes and fixes
The server starts but players experience lag
First determine whether CPU usage, memory pressure, disk saturation or network latency is the bottleneck. Remove recently added plugins, compare a vanilla session with a modified session, and check whether the host is sharing CPU with unrelated workloads. The official minimum does not identify which of these symptoms a particular machine should produce, so measure the process and host rather than guessing from RAM alone.
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An update fails or files are missing
Re-run the Steam tool’s validation or the SteamCMD update, confirm that the account and installation directory have write permission, and check free storage. Preserve configuration and backup files before deleting and reinstalling the server directory.
The selected operating system is rejected
Check the update-14.0 announcement and the current technical-support page together. If the two pages still disagree, choose a version explicitly listed by the developer announcement or obtain confirmation from current Northwood documentation before committing to a production host.
A plugin causes crashes after an update
Stop the server, restore the last known-good configuration, and test the plugin alone on a copy of the installation. Confirm that its version supports the current server build and LabAPI framework. Do not assume that a bundled LabAPI.dll means every third-party extension remains compatible after an update.
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The defensible starting point is 3 GB RAM, two CPU cores and 4 GB storage for a full 25-player vanilla server with no plugins or modifications. Keep client specifications separate, verify the operating-system version against current Northwood documentation, and treat every larger or modified deployment as a workload that requires its own measurements. Rent when you want someone else to operate the hardware, but compare resources, location, access, backups and support instead of choosing by slot count alone.
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