Deploy Valheim Game Servers

LinuxGSM is the command-line tool for quick, simple deployment and management of Linux dedicated game servers.

Valheim Logo

Compatibility

Valheim will run on popular distros as long as the minimum requirements are met.

Server

For consistant uptime it is recomended you host a server in a data center. If you dont already have a server, you can rent a dedicated or vitual server from one of our sponsored providers, OVHCloud, Linode, Vultr.

If the command-line isnt for your you can use GameServerApp web-based game server management service.

Minimum Recommended Distros

Other Distros

Although not tested, any distro with tmux => 1.6 and glibc => 2.15 should also be compatible with Valheim servers. For distros not listed above LinuxGSM does not check dependencies and should be manually checked.

Game Server Binary

Only 64-Bit game server binary is available.

SteamCMD

SteamCMD by Valve is used to install and update this game server.

steamdb icon SteamDB

Steam uses appid 896660.
Update history is available from SteamDB.

Dependencies

Before installing, you must ensure you have all the dependencies required to run vhserver.

These intructions also cover other RHEL derivatives such as AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux.

Ubuntu 20.04

Ubuntu Icon
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386; sudo apt update; sudo apt install curl wget file tar bzip2 gzip unzip bsdmainutils python3 util-linux ca-certificates binutils bc jq tmux netcat lib32gcc1 lib32stdc++6 libsdl2-2.0-0:i386 steamcmd

Ubuntu 22.04 and above

Ubuntu Icon
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386; sudo apt update; sudo apt install curl wget file tar bzip2 gzip unzip bsdmainutils python3 util-linux ca-certificates binutils bc jq tmux netcat lib32gcc-s1 lib32stdc++6 libsdl2-2.0-0:i386 steamcmd

Debian 10

Debian Icon
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386; sudo apt update; sudo apt install curl wget file tar bzip2 gzip unzip bsdmainutils python3 util-linux ca-certificates binutils bc jq tmux netcat lib32gcc1 lib32stdc++6
Debian 11 and above
Debian Icon
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386; sudo apt update; sudo apt install curl wget file tar bzip2 gzip unzip bsdmainutils python3 util-linux ca-certificates binutils bc jq tmux netcat lib32gcc-s1 lib32stdc++6

EPEL is required to install some dependencies needed for using LinuxGSM on CentOS.

yum install epel-release

CentOS 64-bit

CentOS Icon
yum install curl wget tar bzip2 gzip unzip python3 binutils bc jq tmux glibc.i686 libstdc++ libstdc++.i686

Gamedig

GameDig is a recommended additional module that allows LinuxGSM to gather more info from the game server such as current map and connected players to be displayed in details and in logs. It also replaces the default LinuxGSM query module in monitor. To install GameDig follow the steps in the LinuxGSM documentation.

Install Dependencies Using LinuxGSM

It is possible for LinuxGSM to install dependencies either by having the vhserver user account with sudo access or running the installer as root.

user with sudo access

During the installation if the game server user has sudo permissions LinuxGSM will attempt to install any missing dependencies itself.

root user

if vhserver is already installed run ./vhserver install as root and LinuxGSM will automatically install missing dependencies.

Install

From the command-line do the following. Ensuring you have also installed the required dependencies.

1. Create a user and login.
adduser vhserver
For security best practice, ensure you set a strong password. Random password:
su - vhserver
2. Download linuxgsm.sh.
curl -Lo linuxgsm.sh https://linuxgsm.sh && chmod +x linuxgsm.sh && bash linuxgsm.sh vhserver
3. Run the installer following the on-screen instructions.
./vhserver install

Basic Usage

All Commands

A complete list of commands can be found by typing.
./vhserver
Below are the most common commands available.

Running

start

./vhserver start

stop

./vhserver stop

restart

./vhserver restart

console

Console allows you to view the live console of a server as it is running and allow you to enter commands; if supported.
./vhserver console
To exit the console press CTRL+b d. Pressing CTRL+c will terminate the server.

Updating

update

Update checks for any server updates and applies them. The server will update and restart only if required.
./vhserver update
Bypass the check and go straight to SteamCMD update.
./vhserver force-update

validate

You can use the SteamCMD validate option when updating the server.
./vhserver validate

Debugging

Details

You can get all important and useful details about the server such as passwords, ports, config files etc.

./vhserver details

Debug

Use debug mode to help you if you are having issues with the server. Debug allows you to see the output of the server directly to your terminal allowing you to diagnose any problems the server might be having.

./vhserver debug

Logs

Server logs are available to monitor and diagnose your server. Script, console and game server (if available) logs are created for the server.

/home/vhserver/logs

Backup

Backup will allow you to create a complete tar bzip2 archive of the whole server.

./vhserver backup

Monitor

LinuxGSM can monitor the game server by checking that the proccess is running and querying it. Should the server go offline LinuxGSM can restart the server and send you an alert. You can use cronjobs to setup monitoring.

./vhserver monitor

Configure LinuxGSM

For details on how to alter LinuxGSM settings visit LinuxGSM Config Files page.

Documentation

For detailed documentation visit the LinuxGSM docs.

Cronjobs

To automate LinuxGSM you can set scheduled tasks using cronjobs, to run any command at any given time. You can edit the crontab using the following.

crontab -e

Below are the recommended cron tasks.

*/5 * * * * /home/vhserver/vhserver monitor > /dev/null 2>&1
*/30 * * * * /home/vhserver/vhserver update > /dev/null 2>&1
0 0 * * 0 /home/vhserver/vhserver update-lgsm > /dev/null 2>&1

Configure LinuxGSM

For details on how to alter LinuxGSM settings visit LinuxGSM Config Files page.

Documentation

For detailed documentation visit the LinuxGSM docs.

Command-line not your thing?

Quickly deploy your Valheim game server with GameServerApp using just a few clicks.

How to connect with GameServerApp

Connect your LinuxGSM game server via RconConnect or your dedicated root machine via DediConnect.

LinuxGSM Partner

GameServerApp is a LinuxGSM partner offering features complimenting existing LinuxGSM game servers.

Control, monitor, and automate your Valheim LinuxGSM game servers from any device:

  • Integrate with Discord & Twitch, whitelist forms, etc.
  • See who's playing on your game servers and enforce your rules.
  • Auto-pilot for machines & game servers.
  • Automate activities using schedules, triggers, and achievements.
  • Integrated shop with in-game delivery and no transaction fees.
  • Invite admins to your dashboard and work together with permission-based access.

Add your first 2 LinuxGSM servers for free.
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