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Garry's Mod server: tutorials & guidesFrom a Sandbox evening to a DarkRP project

Which gamemode fits, how much power a large addon collection needs and why FastDL speeds up joining: this is where we collect all guides around your own Garry's Mod server.

16 topicsSandbox, TTT & DarkRPWorkshop & FastDL

Garry's Mod is not a game with a fixed goal but a platform - and that is exactly what makes server planning unusual. It is not the player count that decides how much power you need, but the gamemode and above all the addon list. A Sandbox round with a handful of props runs on the smallest package; a DarkRP server with jobs, economy, custom vehicles and several hundred Workshop entries plays in a different league.

The way to addons leads via a Workshop collection: you create a collection in the Steam Workshop and enter its ID in the server configuration - the server downloads everything itself at startup. Later, you add new content to the collection without touching a file. So that your players do not wait for minutes when connecting, FastDL comes on top: maps, models and sounds are then loaded from a web server instead of via the game connection. Small web hosting is enough as storage.

One more technical peculiarity matters: Garry's Mod runs its entire game logic in Lua - essentially on one CPU core. That is why performance per core counts more than the number of cores, especially when a full round spawns props at the same time. The guides below are sorted in the order in which the questions come up: first the basic settings, then the gamemodes, then loading times and visibility, then moderation, and at the end the buying advice for everyone who has not ordered yet.

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Getting started

The basic settings of every Garry's Mod server.

server.cfg explained

Name, passwords, player count and downloads - and what belongs in the startup parameters instead.

Change gamemode & map

From Sandbox to TTT, Prop Hunt or DarkRP - and what is kept when switching.

Add a Workshop collection

Manage addons centrally via a collection instead of uploading them one by one.

Setting up gamemodes

The two modes most worth the effort.

Set up TTT

Trouble in Terrorist Town: maps, round length and role distribution for game night.

Set up DarkRP

Jobs, economy and rules - and why customizations never end up in the gamemode itself.

Performance & reach

Two topics that decide the first impression.

Set up FastDL

Downloads via web hosting instead of the game connection - short loading times when joining.

Create a GSLT token

The free Steam token for the public server list - and when you do not need it.

Moderation

As soon as strangers play along, it becomes the most important tool.

Admin rights with ULX

Ranks, graded permissions and a role model that works in a team.

Ports & firewall

How the fixed server address is made up of IP and port.

DDoS protection explained

What an attack does to a well-visited community server.

Before you order

The buying advice - with Garry's Mod, the addon list decides the package size.

How much does a Garry's Mod server cost?

The four packages with prices for Sandbox, TTT and DarkRP - plus FastDL as a second item.

How much does a game server cost?

Price factors and entry prices of all fourteen games at a glance.

How much RAM do I need?

Guide values compared - for GMod, the number of addons counts more than the number of players.

Slots explained

Why we do not sell slots - technically, up to 128 players are possible.

Prepaid or subscription?

Credit instead of a contract: handy for servers that only run during TTT season.

Game server or VPS?

When the ready-made game server is enough and when a root server is worth it.

Frequently asked questions

Sandbox: no round logic, few addons, playable straight away - the mode Garry's Mod originally became known for. If a fixed group plays regularly, Trouble in Terrorist Town (TTT), Prop Hunt and Murder are the obvious next steps. DarkRP is the most demanding mode and should not be the first.

The clean way is a Workshop collection: bundle all the addons you want in a Steam collection and enter its ID in the server configuration. The server downloads the collection itself at startup, and your players get the same state when connecting. You add individual addons and your own maps via WebFTP or SFTP into the addons folder.

Without FastDL, your players load all missing content via the game connection - that is slow and causes long waits when joining. With sv_downloadurl, you point to a web server instead, from which the files load quickly. Simple web hosting is enough for this.

A GSLT is customary for a publicly listed server. You generate it free of charge in your Steam account and enter it with sv_setsteamaccount in the server.cfg. For a private round that friends join directly via the server address, it is not strictly necessary.

In practice via admin addons: ULX together with ULib has been the standard for years and brings ranks, permissions and a moderation menu. It is installed like any other addon. For the server level itself, you also have the console in the web interface and can give team members access via subusers.

Automatic backups are not part of the plan. You download addons, configuration and the data of your modes yourself at any time via SFTP or the WebFTP file manager - especially sensible before you rebuild a large addon list.

Rent your own Garry's Mod server

Any gamemode, Workshop collection by ID, FastDL via your own web hosting and full access to the addons folder - prepaid without a contract, located in Frankfurt am Main.

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Garry's Mod server hosting

from €4.99 / month

Prepaid without a contract, DDoS protection up to 250 Gbit/⁠s, hosted in Frankfurt am Main.

View plans & prices

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