The Arma Reforger dedicated-server software costs nothing. Free hosting, however, normally means running that software on a computer and internet connection you control. You supply the machine, upload bandwidth, port forwarding, firewall rules, maintenance and electricity, and the server is available only while the host system is running.
Godlike.Host offers hosted Arma Reforger servers with its own game panel, SFTP access and free DDoS protection, if you would rather not host it yourself.
Free managed hosting is uncommon. One listing advertises a small free tier, but its duration and reliability are unclear, and its published resources are below the hardware guidance commonly given for larger Reforger servers. The game’s in-menu HOST option is another no-cost alternative, but it is player-hosted rather than a continuously available dedicated server.
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What “free Arma Reforger hosting” actually includes
There are three different things people mean by free hosting:
- Free server software: Bohemia Interactive’s dedicated server is distributed at no software charge for Windows and Linux through Steam app ID
1874900. - Free self-hosting: You run that software on your own desktop, spare server or rented machine you already control. There is no hosting invoice, but your hardware, electricity, connection and time are the real costs.
- Free managed hosting: A company runs the machine for you under a free plan. These offers are rare, often constrained, and may change or disappear.
A free server is therefore not automatically a free service. The practical question is whether you need an always-on public server, how many players you expect, and whether your home connection can upload the required game traffic.
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Three ways to run a Reforger server without a hosting bill
| Option | Upfront cost | Always-on availability | Setup effort | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-host the official dedicated server | No software charge; you provide the machine and connection | Only while your host computer and network are online | High: SteamCMD, JSON configuration, router and firewall work | Upload bandwidth, hardware capacity and home-network reliability |
| Free managed tier | Potentially zero while the offer lasts | Depends on provider policy and suspension rules | Lower than self-hosting, but terms and controls vary | Scarce offers, small resource allocations and uncertain duration |
| In-game HOST session | No separate server software cost | Session ends when the player host leaves or loses connection | Low; created from the Multiplayer menu | It is peer-to-peer/player-hosted, not a dedicated server |
Self-hosting the free official dedicated server
Check the prerequisites first
Self-hosting is realistic only if you can administer a machine and your router. Before installing anything, confirm that you have:
- A Windows or Linux computer that can remain powered on for the intended play period.
- An internet connection with usable upstream bandwidth and an address reachable from the internet. Carrier-grade NAT or restrictive residential service can prevent inbound connections.
- Router access to create port-forwarding rules.
- Local administrator or root rights to install SteamCMD, open firewall rules and edit configuration files.
- A plan for backups, updates, crash recovery and protecting any remote-administration interface.
The software itself is free; these operational requirements are not waived by downloading it.
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SteamCMD is the usual distribution method for the dedicated server. The exact SteamCMD path differs between operating systems, but the sequence is the same:
- Install SteamCMD from Valve’s official distribution for your operating system.
- Create a dedicated installation directory with enough disk space for the server files, updates and logs.
- Start SteamCMD and select that directory as the install destination.
- Log in as anonymous if the current SteamCMD package permits anonymous access, then run
app_update 1874900 validate. - Exit SteamCMD after the update completes and keep the installation directory separate from your configuration and backup directories.
Steam app ID 1874900 identifies the Reforger dedicated-server package. If SteamCMD reports that the app is unavailable, authentication is required or files fail validation, resolve that installation error before troubleshooting networking.
Create a JSON configuration file
The server is started with the -config parameter pointing to a JSON file. Community guides use different filenames, including server.json, config.json and ServerConfig.json; the filename itself is not important as long as the launch command points to the correct file.
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Use a plain-text editor, keep a backup of every working configuration, and validate JSON syntax before launching. A missing comma, unmatched brace or invalid quote can stop the process before it opens any network port.
Launch the process
Build a shortcut, shell script or service definition that starts the server executable with an argument in this form:
<server-executable> -config <full-path-to-your-json-file>Use an absolute path while testing. Relative paths can point to a different working directory when the server is later launched by Task Scheduler, systemd or another service manager. Capture the console output and logs so that a failed startup can be distinguished from a server that started but is unreachable.
Ports, firewall rules and router forwarding
Third-party configuration references commonly report these ports:
| Port | Protocol | Reported purpose | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | UDP | Game traffic | Verify against the current Bohemia configuration reference before opening it publicly. |
| 17777 | UDP | A2S server-browser queries | Reported by community documentation; confirm that your server build uses it. |
| 19999 | TCP | RCON remote administration | Open only if you intentionally use RCON, and restrict access wherever possible. |
These values come from secondary guides rather than a retrieved official parameter reference. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee for every server version.
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- Assign the host computer a stable local address, preferably with a DHCP reservation on the router.
- Create a forwarding rule for each required port and protocol from the public interface to that local address.
- Allow the same executable and ports through the host operating system’s firewall.
- Restart the server and check its logs for bind errors. A port already used by another process will prevent the server from listening.
- Test from a different network, such as a mobile connection. Testing only from inside the same LAN can give misleading results because some routers do not support hairpin NAT.
Never expose an administration port simply because a guide lists it. If you do not need RCON, leave TCP 19999 closed. Use a strong, unique credential and limit source addresses if your router or firewall supports that control.
Configuration details that commonly cause failures
Case-sensitive keys
Configuration keys are case-sensitive in the references reviewed. For example, bindPort is reported as valid, while BindPort is not. A capitalisation error can make a setting ineffective or cause startup validation to fail. Copy key names exactly and avoid “correcting” them to match another game’s conventions.
Scenario paths
The game.scenarioId value is described as a complete resource path ending in .conf, not merely a scenario name. One documented example is:
{ECC61978EDCC2B5A}Missions/23_Campaign.confResource identifiers and mission paths must match the files available to the installed server and any required content. If the process starts but cannot load a mission, inspect the log for the exact resource it attempted to resolve and check spelling, braces, slashes and capitalization.
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Verify against the current official reference
The community pages titled Arma Reforger:Server Config and Arma Reforger:Startup Parameters are the references community guides point to for parameter names and launch options. Because third-party examples can lag behind a game update, compare your file with those pages for the server build you are actually running.
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How many players can a free self-hosted server support?
There is no single capacity number established by the available references. Community material conflicts: one source describes a range of 1–128 players, while another describes 2–64. Do not advertise a maximum until the cap shown by your current server build and scenario is confirmed.
Two practical limits matter more than the headline cap:
Upload bandwidth
A hosting comparison guide characterizes home upload speeds as commonly 10–35 Mbps and estimates that self-hosting is realistically limited to about 10–16 players. That is a provider estimate, not an independently measured benchmark. Actual demand varies with scenario activity, mods, network overhead and what else is using the connection. Leave headroom for normal household traffic instead of allocating the full upstream rate to the game.
CPU and memory
The same guide suggests approximately a four-core CPU and 8 GB of RAM for 32 players, 16 GB for 64 players, and more as you approach a 128-player configuration. These are vendor estimates rather than guaranteed requirements. They should be treated as planning points, not promises of performance.
| Target mentioned in community guidance | Indicative hardware | Evidence status |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 32 players | About four CPU cores and 8 GB RAM | Vendor estimate |
| Up to 64 players | About four CPU cores and 16 GB RAM | Vendor estimate |
| Near a 128-player cap | More resources than the 64-player estimate | Not quantified; cap itself conflicts across sources |
Monitor CPU saturation, memory pressure, packet loss and upload utilization during a real session. If players report rubber-banding while CPU and RAM remain comfortable, the bottleneck may be upstream bandwidth or the route between players and your ISP.
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Keeping a self-hosted server available
A home server stops when the host PC sleeps, reboots, loses power or disconnects. Disable automatic sleep on the host, but keep operating-system security updates and schedule reboots during announced maintenance windows. A UPS can reduce short power interruptions, although it cannot fix an ISP outage.
- Run the server under a dedicated operating-system account with only the permissions it needs.
- Back up the JSON file and any custom scenario or mod configuration before updates.
- Record the installed server build so you can roll back a problematic update.
- Use firewall rules that allow only the required protocols and ports.
- Tell players when the server will be offline; free self-hosting has no provider-level uptime guarantee.
What free managed tiers can and cannot provide
One listing from Revelation Hosting advertises a free tier with 2 vCPUs, 1 GB of RAM, 10 GB of storage and no stated slot cap. The listing describes the service as free while in use, but the duration, suspension policy and long-term availability are unclear. Its 1 GB RAM allocation is notably below the 8 GB and 16 GB figures often suggested for 32- and 64-player planning, so it should not be assumed to support a large public server.
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- Whether the free period is permanent, time-limited or subject to inactivity shutdown.
- Whether UDP forwarding, custom ports, RCON and Workshop or mod synchronization are supported.
- How much CPU is shared, what storage is persistent and whether backups are included.
- Whether the advertised slot count is a technical maximum or simply an uncapped setting.
- What happens to the instance and its data if the offer ends.
Free managed hosting can remove router configuration and keep a machine online, but it shifts your dependency from your own equipment to a provider’s changing policy. Treat an unverified free offer as experimental until it survives the player count, mod set and uptime you require.
The in-game HOST option
A 2024 Steam forum report describes a HOST option in the Multiplayer menu. It lets a player create a session without separately deploying the dedicated-server package. Because the session runs on that player’s computer and connection, it is best for a quick group game rather than a persistent community server.
- The host must remain in the session for others to play.
- Performance and latency depend on the host’s PC and upstream connection.
- There is no dedicated process to restart independently of the game client.
- Availability, menu labels and behavior should be confirmed in the current game version because the report is player-provided rather than official documentation.
Troubleshooting checklist
The server will not start
- Confirm that SteamCMD completed
app_update 1874900 validatewithout errors. - Check that the
-configargument points to the intended file and that the file is valid JSON. - Review key capitalization, especially
bindPort. - Remove or correct a scenario path that does not exist in the installed content.
- Look for a port-bind error indicating another process already owns the port.
The server starts but is not visible
- Confirm forwarding for the correct UDP protocol and local destination address.
- Allow the executable through the operating-system firewall.
- Test from outside the local network.
- Check whether your ISP uses carrier-grade NAT or blocks inbound traffic.
- Verify the browser-query port reported by your current server documentation; a game port alone may not make the listing discoverable.
Players experience lag or disconnects
- Measure upstream utilization while several players are connected.
- Stop cloud backups, video uploads and other competing traffic.
- Check CPU and RAM use, then compare the load with the player-count estimates above.
- Test with fewer players or fewer demanding mods to isolate capacity from configuration problems.
Which free option fits your situation?
- Choose self-hosting if you have router control, a machine that can stay on, and the willingness to maintain updates and firewall rules.
- Try a managed free tier only when you have verified its duration, resource limits, port access, backups and shutdown policy.
- Use HOST for occasional sessions where persistence and independent uptime do not matter.
- Budget for paid hosting when you need predictable uptime, support or capacity beyond what your home upload and hardware can sustain.
Bottom line
Arma Reforger’s dedicated server is free to download, but dependable free hosting still requires resources. Self-hosting gives you control at the cost of bandwidth, hardware, networking work and uptime responsibility. Managed free tiers are uncommon and may be undersized or temporary, while the in-game HOST feature is convenient but not a persistent dedicated server. Verify current configuration parameters and player limits against Bohemia Interactive’s official community documentation before opening a public server.
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