Squad Server Plugins: How to Set Up SquadJS and Admin Tools

SquadJS is a self-hosted Node.js framework that turns Squad server logs and RCON into programmable administration tools. Install Git, Node.js 18.x and Yarn 1.22.0 or newer, give the process access to live logs, configure the server connection in config.json, and start it with node index.js. You then enable plugins for Discord consoles, admin broadcasts, camera logs and other workflows.

Prefer not to run the server on your own PC? Godlike.Host offers hosted Squad servers with free DDoS protection and up to three free backups a day.

This guide covers the complete setup path, the RCON and log-access details that most often break an installation, and how a self-hosted stack compares with a hosted RCON dashboard.

#	Preview	Product	Price
1		Raven Squad - PC	$3.95	Buy on Amazon
2		Laser Squad Nemesis - PC	$21.48	Buy on Amazon
3		Mass Effect 2 - PC	$9.95	Buy on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

What SquadJS does

SquadJS sits between your Squad server and your administrative tools. It parses the server’s live log stream, communicates with the server through RCON and related interfaces, and exposes a framework in which plugins can react to events or issue commands. The Team-Silver-Sphere documentation describes its value this way: using SquadJS as the base for scripting projects lets administrators write complex plugins without implementing RCON communication or log parsing themselves.

The process must be able to read the log directory continuously. Run it on the same machine as the Squad server for local access, or connect to the log location over FTP or SFTP when the game server is hosted elsewhere. RCON is a separate connection: it supplies command and query access, while the log reader supplies the event stream that plugins analyze.

#1 Best Overall

Raven Squad - PC

• Combined RTS vs. FPS multiplayer experience opportunity. Jungle Atmosphere.
• Intuitive command and camera system. 8 Controllable Units with unique weapons and skills.
• 11 Campaign Missions with Co-Op Support
• Online and Local 2 player Co-Op
• 5.1 Atmospheric Dolby Digital Sound Experience

$3.95

Buy on Amazon

Requirements and connection details

Keep passwords and remote-access credentials out of public repositories. For initial testing, use a least-privileged administrator account rather than a full-access account whenever your server setup permits it.

Install SquadJS

1. Download the project. Clone the SquadJS repository with Git or download its source archive, then change into the project directory.
2. Install dependencies. Run yarn install --ignore-engines. The --ignore-engines flag follows the documented installation sequence and avoids a dependency engine check stopping the install.
3. Create the configuration. Copy the supplied configuration example if the project includes one, name the active file config.json, and enter your server, log-reader, connector and plugin settings.
4. Start the process. From the project directory, run node index.js. Read the startup output before enabling additional plugins.

Do the first launch in a terminal where you can see errors. A clean startup confirms that Node.js can load the project; it does not yet prove that RCON authentication or log reading works.

Build the server configuration

The server object needs a unique numeric id, the server host, queryPort, rconPort, rconPassword, a logReaderMode, and a logDir. A representative shape is:

{
  "server": {
    "id": 1,
    "host": "game-server.example",
    "queryPort": 27165,
    "rconPort": 21114,
    "rconPassword": "example-password",
    "logReaderMode": "local",
    "logDir": "/path/to/SquadGame/Saved/Logs"
  },
  "plugins": []
}

The values above illustrate the fields, not a universal port layout. The Squad Wiki identifies 21114 as the default RCON port, but multi-server hosts and custom configurations can use another port. Treat the port in your own Rcon.cfg as authoritative.

Local logs

Use a local log-reader mode when SquadJS runs on the same server box. Set logDir to the directory in which the Squad server writes live logs, and make sure the operating-system account running Node.js has read and directory-traversal permission.

FTP or SFTP logs

When the game server and SquadJS are on different machines, select the remote mode documented by your SquadJS version and provide the corresponding FTP or SFTP block with host, port, username, password and remote path. The process still needs a continuously reachable log location; a one-time file download is not enough for live event handling.

Remote admin lists

The adminLists setting can point to local, remote or FTP sources. Keep the list location and its credentials consistent with the selected access method, and verify that the account can read the file without write access unless your workflow specifically requires updates.

Configure Squad RCON correctly

Squad’s RCON settings live in Rcon.cfg. An external client needs three matching values: the server IP or hostname, the RCON port and the RCON password. Enter those same values in the SquadJS server object.

1. Open the server’s Rcon.cfg and note the configured port and password.
2. Confirm that the port is reachable from the machine running SquadJS; firewalls and provider security groups must allow the connection.
3. Copy the exact host, port and password into config.json, taking care with spaces, capitalization and special characters.
4. Restart SquadJS and read the RCON connection messages before troubleshooting plugins.

Do not assume the default port just because it is common in examples. The documented default is 21114, but the configured value wins. A correct password paired with the wrong port produces the same practical result as a bad password: no usable RCON session.

Rank #2

Laser Squad Nemesis - PC

• Pick your squad by spending 'Force Points'
• Choose Laser Marines, Greys, Machina or Spawn - 4 different races with unique unit types and special abilities
• Alter the landscape with grenades, rockets and other deadly weapons, in the fully-destructible terrain
• Play single player campaigns for each of the four races, then challenge anyone, anywhere in the world
• World league rankings - progress through the Rookie, Veteran and Elite divisions

$21.48

Buy on Amazon

Enable plugins in the plugins array

SquadJS plugins are declared in the top-level plugins array. Each entry identifies a built-in plugin and its options. Set disabled to false to enable an entry and true to disable it. The README uses auto-tk-warn as an example of a plugin entry.

{
  "plugins": [
    {
      "name": "auto-tk-warn",
      "disabled": false
    }
  ]
}

Start with one plugin, confirm its events and permissions, then add the next. This isolates configuration errors and prevents a failed optional integration from obscuring a basic server-connection problem.

Discord administration plugins

DiscordRcon

DiscordRcon turns a specified Discord channel into an RCON console. Configure the Discord connector name and the channel ID explicitly, then map trusted Discord role IDs to the commands those roles may run. An empty permissions dictionary disables command permissions, so do not leave it empty if the channel is intended to execute commands.

Restrict the mapping to roles held by trained administrators. Discord membership is not the same as Squad authority: remove a role from the mapping when a staff member leaves, and avoid granting broad command access to a general community role.

DiscordAdminBroadcast

DiscordAdminBroadcast copies in-game administrator broadcasts to a Discord channel. It is useful when staff need a durable, readable view of messages that players saw in-game. Set the connector name and destination channel rather than relying on implicit defaults.

DiscordAdminCamLogs

DiscordAdminCamLogs records use of the administrator camera in Discord. Camera records can help staff review moderation activity and coordinate live incidents, but the channel should be private to the relevant team because it can reveal operational details.

A configuration can contain all three plugins, but each plugin’s documented option names must match the version installed. Use the plugin documentation supplied with that version for connector, channel, database and permission keys; do not copy an option from an unrelated release.

Verify a working installation

After starting with node index.js, verify the stack in layers:

1. Process: Node.js starts without a module, syntax or permission error.
2. Server connection: SquadJS reaches the configured host and query port.
3. RCON: Authentication succeeds with the configured RCON port and password.
4. Log reader: New log lines are detected in the local, FTP or SFTP location.
5. Plugin: The selected plugin connects to its Discord connector or other service and reacts to a test event.
6. Permissions: An authorized role can perform its intended action, while an unauthorized role is rejected.

Test with a non-destructive command or a controlled administrator broadcast before allowing staff to use a live moderation channel.

Rank #3

Mass Effect 2 - PC

• Improved NPC conversation system where Commander Shepard can take matters into your own hands – interrupting or using force to get the answer required.
• The second act of BioWare's epic sci-fi RPG trilogy continues the story of Commander Shepard and humanity's first steps onto the galactic stage.
• Integration with the original Mass Effect game allows players to import saved files and contiue play with those files in Mass Effect 2.
• Choose from 19 different weapons, including devastating heavy weapons that can end a battle in seconds.
• New location based damage system allows for targeting of key weak points, blasting off limbs, igniting enemies, or cripple and disable enemy troops.

$9.95

Buy on Amazon

Troubleshoot in this order

1. Check host, ports and password

Confirm that the Squad server is running, the hostname resolves to the intended machine, the query port is correct, the RCON port matches Rcon.cfg, and the password has no accidental whitespace. If several servers share one host, verify that the numeric server ID and each port belong to the same instance.

2. Check live log access

For local mode, inspect logDir and filesystem permissions. For FTP or SFTP, test the credentials and remote path independently, then confirm that new lines appear while a server event occurs. A readable historical file does not guarantee that the selected reader can follow the active log.

3. Run the core before adding plugins

Start only the base configuration with node index.js. Fix startup, RCON and log-reader errors before enabling Discord or database integrations. This separates framework failures from plugin failures.

4. Add one plugin at a time

Check each plugin’s connector name, channel IDs, database settings and permission map. A misspelled connector name can look like a Discord outage even when RCON and log parsing are healthy.

5. Increase logging temporarily

Raise verbosity for SquadServer, LogParser or RCON while diagnosing. Return to an operational level after the fault is identified so routine logs remain usable.

SquadJS versus a hosted RCON dashboard

SquadJS is the extensible, self-hosted choice. A hosted dashboard is an alternative for teams that prefer not to maintain a Node.js process and server-side log access. Game Host Bros lists BattleMetrics and SquadJS among Squad administration tools that connect through RCON. The choice depends on how much control your team needs and how much infrastructure it wants to operate.

Choose SquadJS when you need custom plugins, direct control over data and Discord behavior, or already operate a suitable server box. Choose a hosted dashboard when reducing Node.js and log-pipeline maintenance matters more than owning the implementation.

Security and operational checklist

• Store rconPassword, FTP/SFTP passwords and Discord credentials outside public repositories.
• Use a dedicated service account with only the filesystem and network permissions SquadJS needs.
• Limit DiscordRcon command mappings to trusted role IDs.
• Restrict admin broadcast and camera-log channels to the moderation team.
• Document every server’s unique ID, host, query port, RCON port and log mode so a multi-server change cannot be applied to the wrong instance.
• Keep diagnostic logging high only during troubleshooting.
• After changing a password, port, log path or Discord channel, restart SquadJS and perform a controlled test.

Bottom line: when SquadJS is the right tool

SquadJS is a practical foundation for administrators who want programmable control over a Squad server. The reliable setup sequence is: install Git, Node.js 18.x and Yarn 1.22.0 or newer; run yarn install --ignore-engines; configure the server, RCON and live-log access in config.json; start with node index.js; and enable plugins one by one. DiscordRcon, DiscordAdminBroadcast and DiscordAdminCamLogs cover the common Discord administration workflows, while a hosted RCON dashboard trades some extensibility and infrastructure control for less local maintenance.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1

Raven Squad - PC

Combined RTS vs. FPS multiplayer experience opportunity. Jungle Atmosphere.; Intuitive command and camera system. 8 Controllable Units with unique weapons and skills.

$3.95

Bestseller No. 2

Laser Squad Nemesis - PC

Pick your squad by spending 'Force Points'; World league rankings - progress through the Rookie, Veteran and Elite divisions

$21.48

Bestseller No. 3

Mass Effect 2 - PC

$9.95

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.