How to Create Your Hytale Server

This guide explains how to install and configure a dedicated Hytale server on your VPS or dedicated Linux server.

Order a Server

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Eco Dedicated Servers - For servers with many players
Performance Dedicated Servers - Maximum performance

Prerequisites

SSH access as root or user with sudo privileges
64-bit Linux system (Ubuntu/Debian recommended)
x64 or ARM64 processor
Minimum 4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)
About 10 GB free disk space (SSD recommended)
Port 5520 UDP accessible
A valid Hytale account

Required Configuration

Component	Minimum	Recommended
RAM	4 GB	8-16 GB
CPU	2 cores	4 cores
Storage	10 GB SSD	20 GB SSD
Network	100 Mbps	1 Gbps

Network Protocol

Hytale uses the QUIC over UDP protocol (not TCP like Minecraft). The default port is 5520 UDP.

System Update

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Installing Java 25

Hytale requires Java 25 minimum. Earlier versions will not work.

Install Adoptium Temurin 25

# Add Adoptium repository
sudo apt install -y wget apt-transport-https gpg
wget -qO - https://packages.adoptium.net/artifactory/api/gpg/key/public | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/adoptium.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/adoptium.gpg] https://packages.adoptium.net/artifactory/deb $(lsb_release -cs) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/adoptium.list

# Install Java 25
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y temurin-25-jdk

Verify Installation

java --version

Creating a Dedicated User

For security reasons, create a dedicated user:

sudo adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" hytale

Firewall Configuration

Open UDP port 5520:

With UFW

sudo ufw allow 5520/udp
sudo ufw reload

With iptables

sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 5520 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables-save | sudo tee /etc/iptables/rules.v4

Downloading Hytale Server

Recommended Method: Hytale Downloader CLI

Connect as hytale user:

sudo -u hytale bash
cd ~

Create directory and download tool:

mkdir -p ~/hytale-server
cd ~/hytale-server
wget https://downloader.hytale.com/hytale-downloader.zip
unzip hytale-downloader.zip
chmod +x hytale-downloader-linux-amd64

Download Server Files

./hytale-downloader-linux-amd64

The terminal will ask you to go to oauth.accounts.hytale.com to authorize the download. Follow the displayed instructions.

Once validated, you'll get an archive (e.g., 2026.01.13-xxxx.zip).

Extract Files

unzip 2026.01.*.zip

You'll have a Server/ folder and an Assets.zip file.

First Launch and Authentication

Launch the Server

cd ~/hytale-server
java -jar Server/HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip

Authenticate the Server

On first launch, the server displays "No Server Token Configured". You must link it to your Hytale account.

In the server console, type:
```
/auth login device
```
The console displays a code (e.g., ABCD-1234) and a URL
Go to https://accounts.hytale.com/device
Enter the displayed code
Once validated, the console will display: Authentication successful! Mode: OAUTH_DEVICE

Note

Each Hytale account can create up to 100 servers maximum.

Server Configuration

config.json File

After first launch, edit the configuration file:

nano ~/hytale-server/config.json

Main Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
`ServerName`	Text	Public server name
`MOTD`	Text	Welcome message
`Password`	Text	Password (empty = public)
`MaxPlayers`	Integer	Max number of players
`MaxViewRadius`	Integer	View distance in chunks (12-16 recommended)
`LocalCompressionEnabled`	Boolean	Data compression (recommended: true)
`Defaults > World`	Text	Default world name
`Defaults > GameMode`	Text	Game mode (Adventure or Creative)

Launch Optimization

Memory Allocation

java -Xms4G -Xmx8G -jar Server/HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip

Server Size	Recommended RAM
Small (1-10 players)	4 GB
Medium (10-20 players)	6-8 GB
Large (20+ players)	10-16 GB

AOT Cache (Ahead-Of-Time)

To improve startup times:

java -XX:AOTCache=HytaleServer.aot -Xms4G -Xmx8G -jar Server/HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip

Configuration as systemd Service

Create Service File

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/hytale.service

File content:

[Unit]
Description=Hytale Dedicated Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=hytale
Group=hytale
WorkingDirectory=/home/hytale/hytale-server
ExecStart=/usr/bin/java -Xms4G -Xmx8G -XX:AOTCache=HytaleServer.aot -jar /home/hytale/hytale-server/Server/HytaleServer.jar --assets /home/hytale/hytale-server/Assets.zip
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=20

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and Start Service

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable hytale.service
sudo systemctl start hytale.service

Management Commands

# Check status
sudo systemctl status hytale.service

# Stop server
sudo systemctl stop hytale.service

# Restart server
sudo systemctl restart hytale.service

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u hytale.service -f

Console Commands

Command	Description
`/auth login device`	Authenticate server
`/stop`	Stop server
`/save`	Save world
`/kick <player>`	Kick a player
`/ban <player>`	Ban a player
`/unban <player>`	Unban a player
`/whitelist add <player>`	Add to whitelist
`/whitelist remove <player>`	Remove from whitelist
`/op <player>`	Give admin rights
`/deop <player>`	Remove admin rights

Automatic Backup

Backup Script

sudo nano /home/hytale/backup.sh

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/home/hytale/backups"
SERVER_DIR="/home/hytale/hytale-server"
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M-%S)

mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# Backup universe and config
tar -czf $BACKUP_DIR/hytale_$DATE.tar.gz -C $SERVER_DIR universe config.json bans.json whitelist.json permissions.json

# Delete backups older than 7 days
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "hytale_*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

echo "Backup completed: hytale_$DATE.tar.gz"

sudo chown hytale:hytale /home/hytale/backup.sh
sudo chmod +x /home/hytale/backup.sh

Schedule Backup

sudo crontab -u hytale -e

Add:

# Backup every 6 hours
0 */6 * * * /home/hytale/backup.sh

Connecting to Server

Players can connect via:

Launch Hytale
Go to "Multiplayer"
Enter address: SERVER_IP:5520
If a password is configured, enter it

Troubleshooting

Server won't start

Check Java version: java --version (must be 25+)
Check logs: sudo journalctl -u hytale.service -n 100
Verify Assets.zip and Server/ files are present

Authentication error

Re-run /auth login device in console
Verify your Hytale account is valid
Check server internet connection

Players can't connect

Verify port 5520 UDP is open: sudo ufw status
Verify server is listening: ss -ulnp | grep 5520
Test with nc -zvu SERVER_IP 5520

Performance issues

Increase allocated RAM (-Xmx)
Reduce MaxViewRadius in config.json
Enable LocalCompressionEnabled
Schedule regular restarts

Order a Server​

Prerequisites​

Required Configuration​

System Update​

Installing Java 25​

Install Adoptium Temurin 25​

Verify Installation​

Creating a Dedicated User​

Firewall Configuration​

With UFW​

With iptables​

Downloading Hytale Server​

Recommended Method: Hytale Downloader CLI​

Download Server Files​

Extract Files​

First Launch and Authentication​

Launch the Server​

Authenticate the Server​

Server Configuration​

config.json File​

Main Parameters​

Launch Optimization​

Memory Allocation​

AOT Cache (Ahead-Of-Time)​

Configuration as systemd Service​

Create Service File​

Enable and Start Service​

Management Commands​

Console Commands​

Automatic Backup​

Backup Script​

Schedule Backup​

Connecting to Server​

Troubleshooting​

Server won't start​

Authentication error​

Players can't connect​

Performance issues​