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The safe restart sequence
A Satisfactory dedicated server can be restarted without discarding the current session, but only if you treat saving and shutdown as separate operations. A graceful stop protects process cleanup; it is not a substitute for an explicit save.
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- Warn connected players. Ask everyone to stop building, driving vehicles, or moving items. Ideally have them leave the session or remain in a safe, stationary area.
- Choose the save to preserve. Decide whether the current session should overwrite an existing save name or be written as a separate checkpoint.
- Save from Server Manager. Run
server.SaveGame "save-name". Keep the quotation marks when the save name contains spaces. - Wait for completion. Do not issue the shutdown command while the save is still being processed. Confirm the console has returned to an idle state or otherwise reports that the command finished.
- Shut down gracefully. Use the HTTPS API
Shutdownfunction when administering remotely or from a script. If that API is unavailable, connect through Server Manager and issuequit. - Start it through its owner. A Linux systemd unit, Windows service, or interactive console should be restarted using that same mechanism rather than by killing the process.
- Verify the result. Confirm the service is active, reconnect through Server Manager, and check that the intended save or session is available before announcing that maintenance is complete.
This order matters because the official command documentation describes server.SaveGame as creating a save of the current session, while the service documentation warns that a graceful shutdown still does not automatically save the game.
Save the current session before stopping
Use the Server Manager console
Open the Satisfactory Server Manager console with administrator access and enter:
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server.SaveGame "save-name"Replace save-name with the name you want to create or update. A name containing spaces must remain inside double quotation marks, for example:
server.SaveGame "Before Saturday Update"The command saves the running session; it does not merely request that the server save at some later point. Keep the console visible while it works and wait for its completion message or return to a ready prompt. If an error appears, do not proceed to shutdown until you have corrected the command or chosen another save name.
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Coordinate with players
Tell players exactly when the save has been requested. Activity during a save can make it harder to identify which in-game state the checkpoint represents. For a busy factory, pause construction and logistics changes first, then run the command. If you are preserving a named milestone, write that name down in the maintenance note so you can select the same checkpoint after the restart.
Why graceful shutdown is not enough
The official Satisfactory Wiki’s “Dedicated servers/Running as a Service” documentation says: “The server process does not automatically save the game even on graceful shutdown.” In practical terms, a clean signal allows the process to close files and connections properly, but it does not guarantee that the latest world state has been written as a save. Always perform the explicit save before stopping.
Choose a graceful shutdown method
| Situation | Recommended action | Important requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Remote administration or automation | Call the HTTPS API Shutdown function |
Administrator authentication is required; an automatic-restart script may take control immediately afterward |
| Administrator can access Server Manager | Issue quit |
Use it only after the explicit save has completed |
| Linux server managed by systemd | Stop and start the systemd unit, or use systemctl restart satisfactory when configured correctly |
The unit’s signal and restart policy determine how the process exits and whether it returns automatically |
| Windows interactive console | Focus the server log window and press Ctrl+C |
Do not click the window’s X button |
| Windows service | Use the Windows service manager to stop and start the service | Allow the stop operation to finish before starting it again |
The HTTPS API is the preferred cross-platform method in the official FAQ because it can be used remotely and scripted. If the API cannot be reached, Server Manager’s quit command is the practical console fallback.
Restarting a Linux server with systemd
Stop and start as separate operations
When the server is installed as a systemd service named satisfactory, an explicit stop followed by a start makes each phase easy to observe:
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sudo systemctl stop satisfactory
sudo systemctl start satisfactoryAfter the stop command returns, check the service state before starting it. This helps distinguish a clean shutdown from a process that is still exiting or being relaunched by policy. A one-command restart is also valid when the unit is correctly configured:
sudo systemctl restart satisfactoryUse the separate commands when you are applying files, checking logs, or troubleshooting; use restart for routine maintenance once the unit’s behavior is known.
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Use a graceful signal in the unit
The service example in the official documentation uses:
KillSignal=SIGINTSIGINT gives the server a graceful interruption path instead of an immediate kill. The same example can use:
Restart=on-failureThis policy is designed to bring the service back after an unexpected failure. It also explains why a server may appear to “start again” after you quit: systemd can interpret the process exit according to the unit’s restart rules. A normal administrative shutdown should be planned with that policy in mind.
Inspect the unit when behavior is unexpected
If systemctl stop satisfactory returns but the process reappears, inspect the unit’s restart settings and dependencies. Check whether a wrapper script, watchdog, container supervisor, or another service is launching the server. The command that stops the game process is not necessarily the command that disables the manager responsible for relaunching it.
For a routine restart, keep the save operation in Server Manager, wait for it to finish, then run the systemd operation. Do not use an operating-system kill command as a shortcut: it bypasses the graceful path and can interrupt file writes.
Restarting a Windows server
Interactive server window
For a Windows server running in an interactive console, first focus the log window and press Ctrl+C. The official FAQ specifically warns against clicking the window’s X button: closing it that way kills the process instantly instead of allowing cleanup and file writes.
After pressing Ctrl+C, wait for the console to finish shutting down. Only then launch the server again. If you need to perform the same operation repeatedly, document the console window and executable used so another administrator does not accidentally close it with the X button.
Windows service
If the server is installed as a Windows service, open the Windows service manager and use its Stop and Start controls. The service manager owns the process lifecycle, so starting a second copy from a command prompt can create port conflicts or two competing instances. Wait for the service to report that it has stopped before selecting Start.
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The save and shutdown order remains unchanged: run server.SaveGame through Server Manager, wait for completion, request a graceful stop, and then operate the Windows service.
Updating the server safely
SteamCMD installations
Apply an update while the game server is stopped. The documented SteamCMD command is:
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A safe manual update runbook is:
- Notify players and create the named save from Server Manager.
- Use the HTTPS API
Shutdownfunction, Server Managerquit, or the platform’s graceful stop method. - Confirm the server process is no longer running.
- Run the SteamCMD update command.
- Start the server through systemd, the Windows service manager, or the normal interactive launcher.
- Reconnect through Server Manager and verify the expected session and server version.
Automate updates with systemd
A Linux service can place the SteamCMD validation/update command in ExecStartPre. With that arrangement, a systemd restart first refreshes the files and then starts the server. This reduces the chance of launching an old binary after maintenance, but it also means that every restart can perform an update check. Make sure administrators understand that behavior before using systemctl restart satisfactory as a routine command.
Keep the explicit save outside the update command. SteamCMD manages installation files; it does not replace the in-game save operation.
Confirm that the restart succeeded
Check the process owner
Use the same manager that starts the server to confirm its state: systemd should report the unit active, the Windows service manager should show Running, or the interactive console should display a normal startup sequence. If the manager reports a failure, leave the service stopped while you inspect the error rather than repeatedly launching new instances.
Reconnect through Server Manager
After the service is active, connect through Server Manager and verify that the intended save or session is present. Check a recognizable factory area, player location, or recent construction change so you know the server loaded the checkpoint created before maintenance. Do not rely solely on the fact that a process exists; a running process can still be serving the wrong installation or save.
Let players return in stages
For a shared world, have one administrator or player connect first. Confirm that the world behaves normally, then invite the rest of the group. This makes it easier to isolate a startup, save-selection, or connection problem before many players rejoin.
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When the server starts again after you quit
An immediate relaunch is usually controlled by the service manager rather than by the quit command itself. Investigate the layer that owns the process.
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- systemd: inspect whether
Restart=on-failureor another restart policy is enabled. A wrapper unit may also launch the game server again. - Windows service: check the service’s recovery actions and whether the service manager is configured to restart after a process exit.
- Automation: an HTTPS API shutdown can hand control to an automatic restart script. Review scheduled tasks, watchdogs, containers, or orchestration rules.
- Duplicate launchers: confirm that only one startup mechanism is enabled. A manual launcher and a service can each create what appears to be an unexplained restart.
If you need the server to remain offline, stop or disable the owner’s automatic-restart mechanism before issuing the shutdown. If you only need a normal reboot, allow the policy to relaunch it and verify the resulting process through the manager.
Common mistakes and their fixes
Stopping without saving
Symptom: the server shuts down cleanly, but recent work is absent after startup.
Fix: repeat the runbook with an explicit server.SaveGame command and wait for completion before shutdown. Graceful exit alone is not an automatic save guarantee.
Using an unquoted save name
Symptom: a save command with spaces is rejected or interpreted as multiple arguments.
Fix: enclose the entire name in double quotation marks, such as server.SaveGame "Before Saturday Update".
Clicking X on the Windows console
Symptom: the process disappears immediately and the expected cleanup messages or file writes do not occur.
Fix: use Ctrl+C in the focused console window, then wait for shutdown to finish.
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Symptom: files are locked, the server launches inconsistently, or clients see a version mismatch.
Fix: stop the server first, run SteamCMD, then start it through the owning service manager.
Starting a second copy
Symptom: port-binding errors or a connection to an unexpected world.
Fix: identify whether systemd, a Windows service, an interactive launcher, or an automation script already owns the process. Stop the existing owner before launching another instance.
Assuming a quit means the server will stay down
Symptom: the server returns moments after quit or API shutdown.
Fix: inspect automatic-restart policies and watchdogs. Decide whether the restart is desired; change the owner’s policy only when you intend to alter normal recovery behavior.
A repeatable maintenance runbook
Write this sequence into the server’s maintenance notes so every administrator follows the same order:
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- Run
server.SaveGame "save-name"in Server Manager. - Record the save name and wait for the command to complete.
- Request a graceful shutdown through the HTTPS API, Server Manager
quit, systemd, WindowsCtrl+C, or the Windows service manager, according to the installation. - If updating, verify that the process has stopped and run the documented SteamCMD command.
- Start the server with its owning manager.
- Confirm the manager reports an active service and reconnect through Server Manager.
- Verify the intended save and a recognizable piece of recent world state.
- Allow the wider player group to reconnect only after that check passes.
This procedure separates three responsibilities that are often confused: the game command creates the checkpoint, the shutdown method lets the process exit cleanly, and the service manager controls whether and how it starts again.
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