Hytale: How to Install, Authenticate and Start a Server

Check the host before installing

The official manual lists Java 25 and at least 4 GB of memory as server requirements. Both x64 and arm64 machines are supported. Memory and CPU usage vary with player behavior: high entity counts put pressure on CPU, while large loaded areas and players exploring separately increase memory demand. Treat the minimum as a starting requirement, rather than a promise that a crowded server will fit in that memory. [1]

Steps

1. Install Java 25 and run java --version before attempting to start the server. Compare the reported major version with the manual’s required Java version. [1]

Install the payload from HytaleServer.jar

The manual provides three supported file-acquisition routes: copying the launcher installation, using the Hytale Downloader CLI, or bootstrapping from HytaleServer.jar. This procedure follows the JAR bootstrap route. It starts a minimal server capable of authentication and downloading the remaining payload, instead of assuming you have already copied every asset and launcher script. [1]

Steps

1. Start HytaleServer.jar in bootstrap mode with java -jar HytaleServer.jar --bootstrap. Use the actual server JAR obtained through the official instructions, not a renamed client executable. [1]
2. At the bootstrap console enter /auth login device. Complete authentication before asking the installer to retrieve the server payload. [1]
3. Run /update setup or /update download. The manual says installation extracts the payload into the current working directory, moves credentials and configuration into Server/, and shuts the bootstrap server down. [1]

Launch the installed server and authorize the device

Steps

1. Start the installed server using start.bat on Windows or ./start.sh on Unix. The credentials established during bootstrap carry over to the installed server’s first boot. [1]
2. If you use a direct first launch instead, authenticate from its console with /auth login device. Open the displayed accounts.hytale.com/device URL and enter your own displayed code. The ABCD-1234 code in the manual is an example, not a code for your server. [1]
3. Wait for authentication to succeed before expecting player connections to be accepted. The manual makes this the prerequisite for an authenticated server accepting players. [1]

Check the selected UDP port

Hytale uses QUIC over UDP, rather than a TCP game-server transport. The default server port is 5520. If you host behind a router, the documented forward targets UDP 5520 or your custom port on the server machine. A TCP-only rule does not satisfy that configuration; turning off the entire firewall is not the procedure described here. [1]

Steps

1. Check that a server behind your router has a forward for its selected UDP port to the host machine. If you changed the bind port, use that port consistently instead of blindly configuring 5520. [1]

Keep the client and server compatible

A protocol hash verifies client/server compatibility. The current documented requirement is an exact protocol match: a mismatched hash rejects the connection. Protocol tolerance is listed as Coming Soon, so it should not be treated as an available workaround for connecting updated clients to an old server. [1]

Steps

1. Update the server when clients move to a new protocol version. Confirm the version requirement before repeatedly retrying a connection that the compatibility check will reject. [1]

Preserve configuration and enable backups

World and player save data live under universe/. The server’s configuration files are read at startup and also written when in-game actions modify settings. Editing a live configuration file can therefore be overwritten; plan manual changes around the server lifecycle. [1]

Steps

1. Use the documented backup options to enable automatic backups, select the backup directory, and choose a backup interval. The manual’s listed default interval is 30 minutes. [1]