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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteShort answer: Starbound’s published 2 GB RAM requirement is for the game client, not a dedicated server. Chucklefish does not publish a current RAM-per-player, CPU-per-player, or bandwidth specification for servers, so there is no reliable official table that says how much hardware you need for four, eight, or 20 players. A 64-bit operating system, a correctly configured network, and a server process that stays running are established requirements. For hardware sizing, test the exact player count, world, and mod set you intend to use, then measure resource use instead of treating old forum anecdotes as specifications.
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This distinction answers the common questions “What is the system requirement to run a server?” and “how much bandwidth, ram, processor power for a certain number of players?” without inventing precision that the available documentation does not support.
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Chucklefish’s published system-requirements page lists 2 GB of RAM for the Windows, Mac, and Linux versions of the game. That figure applies to the program running on a player’s computer. The same page gives platform-specific operating-system, processor, graphics, and storage information for the client, but it does not define a dedicated-server minimum.
A server process has a different workload from a graphical client. It maintains the world state, accepts connections, simulates entities, saves data, and processes mods for every connected player. Because Chucklefish does not publish a server hardware matrix, you should not copy the client’s 2 GB figure into a hosting plan or describe it as “the minimum RAM for a server.” It is the only official RAM number in the cited requirements, and its scope is the client.
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The practical baseline documented by the community Linux guide is a 64-bit operating system. That guide uses Ubuntu Server 16.04 and Debian 9 examples and describes SteamCMD installation, launching the server executable, and editing starbound_server.config. Those examples are useful for understanding the process, but they are dated assumptions rather than a guarantee that the same packages or commands work on a current distribution. Check the current requirements and package instructions for the operating system you choose.
RAM and CPU: what is known, and what is not
| Information | What it tells you | What it does not tell you |
|---|---|---|
| 2 GB RAM for Windows, Mac, and Linux | Official client requirement from Chucklefish; publication year is not stated. | A dedicated-server minimum or a safe player capacity. |
| 64-bit operating system | Requirement stated by the Starbounder Linux server guide. | A particular CPU model, clock speed, or memory allocation. |
Default maxPlayers value of 8 |
Configuration default listed in the multiplayer guide. | A promise that eight players will run smoothly on any machine. |
| Historical forum reports | One January 2014 poster said 2 GB had been allocated to a 12-player server; another reported CPU becoming a bottleneck around 75 players. | A modern benchmark, reproducible test, or recommendation for your hardware. |
The January 21, 2014 Chucklefish Community Forums discussion is useful because it shows the questions players were asking, not because it establishes a sizing rule. The reports differ in context, were not controlled tests, and describe older software. They cannot be converted into “2 GB supports 12 players” or “this processor supports 75 players.” Treat them as historical anecdotes only.
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There is no cited current, authoritative table for server RAM or CPU by concurrent-player count. Any article that presents exact tiers without identifying a current test environment is supplying a rule of thumb, not an official Starbound requirement. Your actual world, save size, mods, entity activity, autosave behavior, operating system, and other processes can change the result.
How to size a server without a false hardware promise
If you need an answer for a particular group, use a measurement process. It produces a decision based on your workload rather than on a number that may belong to another version or mod set.
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- Define the target session. Write down the highest number of people likely to be connected at once, not the number of player accounts you own. Include whether the server must remain online when the usual host is away.
- Record the content. Test the intended Starbound version, world, and complete mod collection. A lightly modded exploration session is not an adequate proxy for a heavily modded world with many active entities.
- Use a separate server process. Run the dedicated executable on the machine you are evaluating, rather than measuring only a player-hosted game. Leave the process running while clients connect and perform the activities your group normally performs.
- Exercise the worst credible case. Have several players travel, build, fight, load new areas, and trigger the mods you actually use. A quiet lobby can understate both memory and CPU demand.
- Observe memory and CPU over time. Watch the server process during connection spikes, exploration, combat, and saving. Look for sustained memory growth, swap use, one or more CPU cores remaining saturated, or increasing tick and response delays. Also check what the operating system and other services consume.
- Measure the network while busy. Record real upload and download traffic during a representative session. The result is specific to your version, mods, and players; it is not a published bandwidth-per-player constant. Leave capacity for ordinary household or machine traffic so a backup or video call cannot starve the server.
- Repeat after changes. Re-test after a game update, mod update, world migration, or change in the expected player count. Keep notes so you can identify whether a problem came from content, software, or the host machine.
This method can tell you whether your selected machine has headroom, but it does not create an official minimum. If the process regularly exhausts available memory or leaves the CPU saturated, reduce the workload, remove the conflicting mod, move other services, or choose a stronger host and test again.
Player-hosted sessions versus a dedicated process
Starbound supports more than one way to make a world available. The multiplayer documentation covers inviting friends to a game hosted by a player, while a dedicated server process can continue running independently. A dedicated process can therefore remain available after the host closes the game, as long as the server software itself is still running and reachable.
| Decision factor | Player-hosted session | Dedicated process at home | Managed or rented server |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online when the usual host is away | Usually tied to that player starting and hosting the session. | Yes, if the machine and server process remain on. | Designed for continuous availability, subject to the service’s operation. |
| Router and firewall access | May still be needed for friends outside the local network. | Required when forwarding ports or allowing inbound traffic on your network. | Usually handled through the provider’s control panel, while your local router may not need inbound forwarding. |
| Administration | Least separate server administration, but the host’s game session is involved. | You manage the operating system, updates, files, backups, and security. | The provider manages the physical platform; you still manage the game configuration, updates, and mods. |
| Cost | Uses an existing computer and its electricity and internet connection. | Adds the cost of keeping a suitable machine powered and maintaining it. | A recurring service charge replaces much of the hardware and network work. |
| Best fit | Occasional sessions with a host who is present. | A group with a spare machine and control of its network. | A group that needs persistence without operating home infrastructure. |
None of these choices is automatically faster or cheaper. Compare the total cost of electricity, hardware, internet service, administration time, and any rented service against how often the world must be available.
Home hosting: operating system, ports, and access
Use a suitable machine
The Linux guide specifies a 64-bit operating system. Select a supported, maintained distribution rather than copying its Ubuntu Server 16.04 or Debian 9 package commands unchanged. Keep the server machine free of unnecessary workloads, apply operating-system security updates, and arrange backups of the world and configuration files.
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Install and update the server software
The guide describes obtaining and updating the server through SteamCMD, starting the server executable, and changing settings in starbound_server.config. Follow the current version’s installation instructions and verify the executable, libraries, and permissions on your distribution. The guide’s example output mentions server version 1.3.3; that is an example from an older guide, not proof that it is the current release.
Configure the network carefully
The Starbounder Linux guide identifies port 21025 over TCP and UDP by default. The multiplayer guide’s forwarding section names TCP port 21025 and explains that a computer behind a private IP requires administrative access to the router and firewall. Because the two guides describe the protocol differently, do not assume one universal rule for every version or setup. Check the current server configuration and the guide that matches your installation, then allow and forward the protocol or protocols it actually uses.
Give the server machine a stable address on the local network, create the matching firewall rule, and test from outside the home network. A connection that works only from the same LAN does not prove that an internet friend can reach the server. If you cannot administer the router or firewall, home hosting may not be practical.
Keep the process alive
Starting the game client is not the same as starting a dedicated server. Launch the server process separately and confirm that it remains running after the host closes the game. If the process exits when the terminal closes, the world will disappear even though the computer is powered on. Use the process-management approach recommended for your operating system and verify persistence after a reboot.
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Understanding maxPlayers and capacity
The multiplayer configuration table lists a default maxPlayers value of 8. This is a session limit in configuration, not a performance guarantee. It says that the default setting permits up to eight simultaneous sessions; it does not say that a particular CPU, memory allocation, internet connection, or mod set can sustain eight players without lag.
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You can change the limit when your group requires it, but treat every increase as a new test condition. Back up the configuration, change only the intended value, restart the server if the version requires it, and validate connections with the actual clients and mods. Raising the limit does not solve CPU saturation, insufficient memory, a restrictive firewall, or an unstable uplink.
Bandwidth and latency: what to measure
No current source cited here supplies a Starbound bandwidth number per player. Traffic depends on what the server is synchronizing, how many players are active, how quickly they move between areas, and what mods add to the world. A speed-test headline is not a Starbound capacity test.
- Measure both directions while the target number of players is active; home connections often have much less upload capacity than download capacity.
- Check for latency spikes and packet loss, not only average throughput. A connection can have ample nominal bandwidth and still feel poor when another household activity saturates the uplink.
- Reserve capacity for operating-system updates, backups, voice chat, and other services on the same connection.
- When players report delays, compare server CPU and memory graphs with network measurements. A network symptom can be caused by a saturated process, and a CPU problem can be mistaken for internet lag.
Troubleshooting common failures
Friends cannot connect
Confirm that the server process is running, the client is using the matching address and port, and the machine’s firewall allows the configured protocol. Verify the router’s forwarding rule points to the server’s current private IP. Test from a genuinely external connection and re-check whether your version expects TCP, UDP, or both.
The world vanishes when the host closes the game
You are probably running a player-hosted session rather than an independent dedicated process, or the process is tied to a terminal that closed. Start the dedicated executable separately and test that it survives closing the game and, later, a controlled restart.
Players connect but experience delays
Reproduce the problem with a known player count and activity pattern. Observe CPU, memory, swap, and network behavior at the same time. Reduce or isolate mods, stop unrelated workloads, and repeat the test before buying hardware. The symptoms alone do not identify whether CPU, memory, or network capacity is responsible.
An update breaks the setup
Do not assume that an older Linux guide’s package names or commands remain valid. Check the current server and SteamCMD instructions, back up the world and configuration, and test the updated server with the same mods before inviting the group back.
Bottom line for choosing a host
Use the official 2 GB figure only as the Starbound client requirement. For a server, the documented baseline is a 64-bit operating system and a correctly configured, continuously running process; no authoritative current RAM, CPU, or bandwidth-per-player table is provided. Choose player hosting for occasional sessions, a home dedicated process when you can administer a 64-bit machine and router, or a managed service when persistent availability and reduced infrastructure work matter more than owning the hardware. In every case, validate the exact player count and mod set under load, and treat maxPlayers=8 as a configuration default rather than a promise of performance.
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