To make an Arma Reforger server private, set a non-empty game.password before starting the session. Players must enter that password to join. Dedicated servers use a JSON configuration file passed with the server’s -config option; a player-hosted session uses the password field in Multiplayer > Host. If people are connecting over the internet to a server at home, forward the game’s default UDP port, 2001, to the hosting computer.
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What “private” means in Arma Reforger
Arma Reforger has a documented password lock, not a general-purpose invitation system. When game.password contains a value, joining players must supply that value. Anyone who sees the server but does not know the password cannot complete the join process.
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The same concept applies to both supported hosting modes:
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- Dedicated server: a separate server process runs without a local game instance and uses a JSON file for its configuration.
- Player-hosted server: the host’s game session also runs the server for other players.
Choose the instructions for the mode you actually use. A password entered in the game client does not modify a dedicated server’s JSON file, and editing a JSON file does not change an already running player-hosted session.
Set a password on a dedicated server
1. Find the JSON file used by the server
Locate the configuration file that your dedicated-server startup command passes to the server process. The server must be started with its configured -config option; editing an unrelated JSON file has no effect.
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{
"game": {
"name": "Friends Server",
"password": "Use-a-unique-join-password"
}
}If your file already contains other game properties, retain them and insert the password with a comma separating it from the preceding property. JSON is strict: use straight quotation marks, quote the property name, and do not leave a trailing comma.
2. Save and reload the process
Save the file, then restart the dedicated server, or use the normal reload procedure provided by the host process. A running process generally continues using the configuration it loaded at startup; changing the file alone is not a reliable way to change an active session.
3. Confirm the loaded configuration
Join from a separate game account or ask an intended player to connect. The session should request the join password. If it does not, check that:
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- the edited file is the same file supplied to
-config; passwordis nested undergame, not under another object;- the value is not empty;
- the JSON remains valid; and
- the server was restarted or reloaded after the edit.
Set a password on a player-hosted session
Use the Host screen
- Open Multiplayer in the game.
- Select Host.
- Enter a non-empty password in the host settings.
- Review the other session settings and start the game.
- Give the join password only to the people you intend to play with.
The password applies to that hosted session. If you end the session and create another one, enter the password again rather than assuming the previous value carries over.
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When this mode is appropriate
Player hosting is convenient for a short group session because no separate machine or server process is required. The host’s game must remain available for the session, and the host’s network connection becomes part of the path used by every participant. For a persistent community server, a dedicated process is easier to operate independently of a player’s game session.
Make a home-hosted server reachable from the internet
Forward UDP 2001
A password does not open a path through your router. When friends connect from outside your local network, the official hosting guidance identifies UDP port 2001 as the default public game port. Create a port-forwarding rule that sends UDP 2001 from the router to the local IP address of the computer running the dedicated or player-hosted server.
Router interfaces use different labels, but the rule normally asks for:
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- Protocol: UDP;
- External/public port: 2001;
- Internal/local port: 2001; and
- Destination device: the server computer’s local network address.
Use the router’s documentation for the exact screens. The local address should remain stable; otherwise a rule that points to yesterday’s address may stop working after the computer reconnects.
Check the host firewall
The router can forward a packet only to the host machine. The operating system’s firewall must also allow the server process to receive the forwarded UDP traffic. Permit the legitimate server executable or the required UDP port according to your operating system’s firewall controls, and avoid disabling the firewall globally.
Test from outside the local network
A test performed on the same home network can succeed even when internet players cannot connect. Ask a friend on another connection to find the server and enter the password. This verifies the router path and the credential separately from a local test.
If the outside connection fails, first check that the server is running, the forwarding rule uses UDP rather than TCP, the public and local ports are both 2001, the rule targets the current server computer, and the host firewall permits the traffic. The official hosting guidance warns that an outside connection fails when the relevant port is closed.
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Choose and distribute the right credentials
Player join password: game.password
This is the value ordinary players enter to join the session. Use a long, unique phrase that is not reused for an administrative account or another service. Change it when the player group changes, and send it through a private channel rather than posting it in a public server description.
Server administrator password: passwordAdmin
passwordAdmin is not the player join password. It authenticates server administrators using the #login command. The server configuration reference states that this administrator password does not support spaces, so use a strong value without spaces and keep it out of player chat and community posts.
RCON password: rcon.password
RCON is a separate remote-console control channel. Its password is required for RCON to start, must contain at least three characters, and also does not support spaces. The default RCON port is 19999. Treat this credential as an operational secret; it should never be substituted for the password given to players.
Other published ports
The server reference lists 17777 as the default A2S port. Do not expose administrative services merely because the game port is forwarded. Open only the ports required by the service you intentionally run, and keep their credentials separate.
| Credential or port | Purpose | Default or constraint | Who should receive it |
|---|---|---|---|
game.password |
Allows a player to join | Must be non-empty for password protection | Intended players only |
passwordAdmin |
Administrator login with #login |
Spaces are not supported | Trusted administrators |
rcon.password |
RCON authentication | Required to start RCON; at least three characters; no spaces | Trusted operators or automation |
| UDP 2001 | Default public game traffic | Documented default game port | Forward only to the server host |
| 19999 | Default RCON port | Configuration reference default | Expose only when RCON is intentionally used |
| 17777 | Default A2S query port | Configuration reference default | Use only if your server listing/query setup requires it |
Can you make the server truly invite-only?
The documented native control for ordinary player access is the join password. The configuration reference also describes an admins array containing IdentityIds and/or Steam IDs, but it defines that list for server administrators and priority-queue users. It does not describe admins as a general allowlist that blocks every non-listed player.
Consequently, do not treat the admins array as an invite-only roster. If you need identity-based admission rather than a shared secret, you would need a separately documented server feature or moderation tool. On the documented configuration alone, use a password and control who receives it.
A practical invitation workflow
- Create a unique
game.password. - Give it privately to the people who should play.
- Do not publish it in a server name, public description, stream overlay, or community announcement.
- Remove access by changing the password when the group changes.
- Test with someone who does not have the new password to confirm that the old credential no longer works.
This is an operational invitation process, not an identity whitelist. A person who receives the password can share it, so change the value if it escapes the group.
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Dedicated server or player hosting?
| Consideration | Player-hosted session | Self-managed dedicated server |
|---|---|---|
| Where the password is set | Multiplayer > Host before starting | game.password in the JSON supplied with -config |
| Runs without a local game instance | No; the host’s game session is also the server | Yes; a separate server process runs the session |
| Router responsibility | Host must provide reachable networking for outside players | Owner must provide reachable networking for outside players |
| Control over JSON and mods | Limited to the host flow and its available settings | Direct control of the server configuration and installed content |
| Availability | Tied to the host’s active game session | Can run independently when the machine and service are maintained |
| Capacity | Depends on the host’s system and connection; no fixed capacity is established here | Depends on the server machine, connection, configuration, and selected hosting plan |
| Geographic location | Determined by the player host’s home connection | Determined by the machine or data-center location |
| Cost | No separate server service is required, but the host supplies the hardware and connection | Self-hosting uses your own machine and connection; managed hosting adds a provider fee |
For a one-evening group, player hosting usually involves fewer moving parts. For a server that friends should find available without waiting for one person to launch the game, a dedicated process is the more suitable model. In either case, the password setting and the network path must be configured separately.
Managed hosting versus running the server at home
A managed host can remove the need to maintain a home machine and configure a residential router, but the privacy requirement remains the same: the service must expose the Arma Reforger join-password setting. Ask a provider to confirm that its control panel or supplied JSON supports a non-empty game.password before ordering.
| Decision factor | Home or self-managed server | Managed server |
|---|---|---|
| Setup effort | Install and maintain the server, JSON, firewall, and router rule | Provider supplies the machine and usually a control panel; you still configure the game |
| Port forwarding | You normally forward UDP 2001 on your router | Provider handles its network; you may not need home-router changes |
| JSON and mod control | Direct access to files and startup options | Depends on the provider’s file access and panel |
| Uptime | Depends on your power, connection, hardware, and maintenance | Depends on the provider’s service and selected location/plan |
| Geographic location | Your home location | A location offered by the provider |
| Price | Existing equipment and internet connection may be sufficient | Recurring provider price; verify the current amount directly |
| Password support | Available by setting game.password |
Confirm that password-protected Reforger instances are supported |
Current provider prices, player limits, locations, and included features vary and are not fixed by the game’s official configuration reference. Treat those as provider-specific terms rather than as properties of Arma Reforger itself.
Troubleshooting private-server problems
The server starts, but it does not ask for a password
- Confirm that the value is
game.password, notpasswordAdminorrcon.password. - Check the JSON nesting and quotation marks.
- Make sure the password is not an empty string.
- Verify that the process loaded the edited file through its
-configargument. - Restart or reload the server after saving.
Friends can see the server but cannot connect from outside
- Confirm that UDP 2001 is forwarded from the router to the correct local machine.
- Check that the public and local port values are both 2001.
- Check the host operating system’s firewall for an allowed server process or UDP rule.
- Test from a genuinely external connection, not only another device on the same home network.
- Ensure the friend is entering the current join password exactly as supplied.
The password works for some players but not others
Have an affected player re-enter the value rather than relying on an old saved entry. Check capitalization and punctuation, then verify that the server was not restarted with a different JSON file or a newly changed password. Do not give players the administrator or RCON credential as a workaround.
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Assume the shared password has been disclosed. Change game.password, restart or reload the server, and distribute the new value only to the intended group. Because the documented setting is a shared join password, it cannot identify which recipient forwarded it.
An administrator cannot use #login
Check that the administrator is using passwordAdmin, not the player password, and remember that the administrator password cannot contain spaces. RCON authentication is separate again and uses rcon.password.
Quick Recap
Private-server security checklist
- Use a unique, non-obvious value for
game.password. - Keep the player password separate from
passwordAdminandrcon.password. - Never post administrative credentials in a server name, public listing, stream, or community announcement.
- Forward only the network ports you need, beginning with UDP 2001 for game traffic.
- Allow the server through the host firewall without disabling the firewall wholesale.
- Keep the dedicated-server JSON backed up so you can restore the known-good configuration.
- After every password change, restart or reload using the host’s normal procedure.
- Test once from outside the local network and once with an uninvited account.
- Change the join password when the intended player group changes or the value is exposed.
Quick setup checklist
- Decide whether you are using Multiplayer > Host or a dedicated server process.
- For a dedicated server, edit the JSON file passed with
-configand set a non-emptygame.password. - For a player-hosted session, enter a password in the Host settings before starting.
- Save the configuration and restart or reload the session.
- If hosting from home for outside players, forward UDP 2001 to the server computer and allow the server through its firewall.
- Send only the join password to intended players.
- Test from a friend’s external connection, then verify that a player without the password cannot join.
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