Server startup arguments and logging

Configure an OPEN//77 dedicated server from a hosting panel, service definition or shell without rewriting server.jsonc. Startup overrides and configurable log levels require server 2.31.13+op77.91 or newer.

Complete the server setup and configure your license first. Run commands from the unpacked server directory. Startup options are read when the process starts; restart the server after changing them.

Choose a log level#

Linux:

./Open77.Server --config server.jsonc --log-level debug

Windows PowerShell:

.\Open77.Server.exe --config server.jsonc --log-level debug

The level is a minimum severity, not a numbered verbosity setting:

Use info for normal operation and debug when investigating a problem. Debug and trace include runtime/simulation details and successful resource-download requests as well as failures. Detailed logging can produce substantial output on a busy server; return to info after collecting the relevant evidence.

You can also add a top-level section to server.jsonc:

"logging": {
  "level": "info"
}

Or use --set logging.level=debug or the environment variable OP77_CONFIG__LOGGING__LEVEL=debug.

Filtering applies to Open77's structured console output, retained log buffer and Warden's live console. Open77 resource print/information messages are hidden at warn and error; filtered messages cannot be recovered from Warden afterwards. Startup errors and mandatory setup instructions remain visible independently of the filter. Framework, third-party and native diagnostics can have separate logging controls; this is not a blanket filter over everything written to standard output. Low-level native transport diagnostics use the separate OP77_GNS_DEBUG option.

Legacy verbose switch#

--verbose or logging.verbose=true selects trace. --no-verbose or --verbose=false selects info.

An explicit, non-null logging.level always takes priority over logging.verbose, even when --verbose appears later on the command line. For example, a file with "level": "warn" remains at warn when you add only --verbose. Use --log-level debug to change the level explicitly, or clear it to use the legacy switch again:

./Open77.Server --config server.jsonc --set logging.level=null --verbose

Override any configuration field#

The following forms are equivalent:

./Open77.Server --set network.maximumPlayers=64
./Open77.Server --network.maximumPlayers 64
./Open77.Server --network.maximumPlayers=64
./Open77.Server --set=network.maximumPlayers=64

Field names are case-insensitive. These options correspond to configuration fields, not Lua API names. Download settings are under resources.download, not a top-level download section.

Precedence, from lowest to highest:

1. Built-in defaults.
2. The selected JSONC configuration file.
3. OP77_CONFIG__... environment variables.
4. Command-line overrides.

When the same field occurs repeatedly on the command line, the last value wins, including when mixing shorthand and dotted options. Semantic validation runs after overrides, so a hosting panel can complete an unset public endpoint in a template. The file must still have valid JSONC syntax and field types.

Strings are plain text; quote values containing spaces for your shell. Booleans use true or false. Arrays and objects use JSON. null clears a nullable value; the JSON string "null" is a literal string. Arrays can be replaced as a whole or an existing element changed using a numeric dotted index.

For example, in Bash:

./Open77.Server --config server.jsonc \
  --name "My community server" \
  --set 'identity.tags=["roleplay","english"]' \
  --set 'convars.server_region=eu' \
  --log-level info

Overrides affect the running process only: they do not rewrite server.jsonc or its comments. Save the arguments/environment in your hosting panel or service definition to keep them across restarts. Warden edits the underlying file; an override of the same field will still win at the next boot.

Common startup options#

VPS and hosting-panel example#

Replace 203.0.113.10 with your VPS's actual public IP. The provider or autoinstaller supplies it; the server does not discover the public IP itself.

./Open77.Server --no-setup --config server.jsonc \
  --public-ip 203.0.113.10 --port 11778 --max-players 32 \
  --log-level info

PowerShell equivalent:

.\Open77.Server.exe --no-setup --config server.jsonc --public-ip 203.0.113.10 --port 11778 --max-players 32 --log-level info

With the default download port, --public-ip supplies these values unless the corresponding fields are explicitly overridden at startup:

The game address uses the final game port. Download addresses use the configured download-listener port, which defaults to 11779. Binding to 0.0.0.0 listens on all IPv4 interfaces; it is not an address players can connect to.

To specify every field yourself:

./Open77.Server --no-setup --config server.jsonc \
  --set network.port=11778 \
  --set network.publicEndpoint=203.0.113.10:11778 \
  --set network.maximumPlayers=32 \
  --set resources.download.enabled=true \
  --set resources.download.listenUrl=http://0.0.0.0:11779/ \
  --set resources.download.publicBaseUrl=http://203.0.113.10:11779/ \
  --log-level info

Specific environment or command-line overrides win over --public-ip regardless of argument order, including children supplied in a whole JSON section. This lets you retain an HTTPS public URL, a loopback listener behind a reverse proxy, or a different external NAT port. A file value alone does not prevent --public-ip from replacing an old loopback address.

--public-ip accepts an IPv4 or IPv6 literal without a port. IPv6 advertised addresses are bracketed automatically; for an IPv6 download listener, explicitly set --resources.download.listenUrl=http://[::]:11779/.

Allow game traffic on UDP 11778 and resource downloads on TCP 11779, or your chosen ports. Configure NAT/container port mappings separately. Startup arguments do not change firewall rules. The download listener is separate from Warden and the resource HTTP-handler listener; --public-ip does not configure those. --no-setup does not create a license, install resources or bypass authentication.

Environment variables#

Use the prefix OP77_CONFIG__ and replace each dot in a configuration path with two underscores. For Linux, containers and hosting panels:

export OP77_PUBLIC_IP=203.0.113.10
export OP77_CONFIG__NETWORK__PORT=11778
export OP77_CONFIG__NETWORK__MAXIMUMPLAYERS=32
export OP77_CONFIG__RESOURCES__DOWNLOAD__LISTENURL=http://0.0.0.0:11779/
export OP77_CONFIG__LOGGING__LEVEL=debug
./Open77.Server --no-setup --config server.jsonc

Windows PowerShell:

$env:OP77_PUBLIC_IP = "203.0.113.10"
$env:OP77_CONFIG__NETWORK__PORT = "11778"
$env:OP77_CONFIG__NETWORK__MAXIMUMPLAYERS = "32"
$env:OP77_CONFIG__LOGGING__LEVEL = "debug"
.\Open77.Server.exe --no-setup --config server.jsonc

OP77_PUBLIC_IP is the fallback for --public-ip; specific OP77_CONFIG__... address fields still take priority over the generated values. These shell commands set variables for that shell and its child processes, not permanently for a Windows service or systemd unit. Configure the service/panel environment separately.

Keep secrets in protected environment variables rather than command-line arguments, which process listings or panel logs can expose. Existing secret variables remain available: OP77_LICENSE_KEY and OP77_DATABASE_CONNECTION. See SQL database setup for database credentials and permissions.

Validate and troubleshoot#

Append --check-config to the same command and environment you intend to use:

./Open77.Server --no-setup --config server.jsonc \
  --public-ip 203.0.113.10 --port 11778 --max-players 32 \
  --log-level debug --check-config

Exit code 0 means configuration validation passed. Exit code 2 means a configuration/argument error; the diagnostic identifies the affected field. Check mode does not open listeners or setup, contact the Master, run resources, or write state. It does not test firewall reachability, database credentials or installed resource contents. Use info or debug to include the network summary; at warn/error, the validation result remains visible but information-level summary lines are filtered out.

When requesting help, include the server version, exit code, relevant log lines and startup arguments with secrets removed. Do not share an unredacted environment dump or configuration file.