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Arma Reforger

Start Here: Arma Reforger Server Admin Essentials

New to Arma Reforger server administration? A guided path through config.json, ports, scenarios, mods, crossplay, performance and moderation.

August 17, 2026 by Terabit Editorial / 3 min read

Arma ReforgerStart HereServer AdministrationBeginner Guide
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Arma Reforger servers are configured differently from Arma 3 — there is no server.cfg, and the JSON file that replaced it will refuse to boot rather than fall back to defaults when something is wrong. If you are setting one up for the first time, or inherited one somebody else built, this is the order worth working through.

Recommended order#

  1. Learn the config file

    Start with Arma Reforger config.json Explained. It covers every field with its default and safe range, and — more usefully — the eight or so that actually matter on a first setup. Everything else on this path assumes you know where things live in this file.

  2. Understand the ports

    Read Arma Reforger Server Ports next. Three UDP ports, and each one fails in a distinct way. Knowing which symptom maps to which port saves more time than any other item on this list.

  3. Pick your scenario

    Use How to Change Your Arma Reforger Scenario for the common scenarioId values, and for -listScenarios — the startup parameter that prints the exact ID of every scenario your server can load, Workshop missions included.

  4. Fix it when it does not appear

    Nearly everyone hits this once. Your Server Isn't Showing in the Server Browser works through the causes in likelihood order, starting with the ones that need no config change.

  5. Add mods

    How to Add Workshop Mods covers the mods array, why load order matters, and why clients need to do nothing.

  6. Then make the modlist survive patch day

    Mod Collections and Version Locking is the one most communities wish they had read earlier. An unlocked mod changes your server without anyone editing it.

  7. Open it to console players

    Arma Reforger Crossplay for the config, and Can You Host on Xbox or PS5? if your group is console-first and wondering what their options are.

  8. Size it honestly

    How Many CPU Cores and How Much RAM? — Reforger is bound by single-thread speed and stops using threads effectively past about six, so this is as much about not overbuying as about not underbuying.

  9. Tune before you upgrade

    Tuning Server FPS — capping AI and pulling view distance back are free, and usually solve what people try to fix with hardware.

  10. Set up administration

    Admins and BattlEye RCON covers in-game admin, the RCON block, and the commands that exist.

  11. Lock it down and moderate it

    Whitelisting, Bans and Spotting Ban Evaders — including why hiding a server from the browser is not the same as making it private.

Fast setup checklist#

  • game.passwordAdmin changed off its default value.
  • game.name set to something players can search for.
  • game.scenarioId set and the server boots into the right mission.
  • game.maxPlayers matched to your community.
  • game.crossPlatform set correctly for the platforms you support.
  • operating.aiLimit capped if you run Conflict.
  • Mods locked to explicit versions if anyone depends on this server.
  • RCON password set, and permission level chosen deliberately.
  • config.json validated before every restart.

Who this path is for#

  • Milsim units setting up their first dedicated server.
  • Console groups who want a persistent world and have discovered they cannot host one.
  • Admins who inherited a working server and need to understand it before changing it.
  • Anyone whose server was fine last week and is not fine now.

Trusted references#

These are the official sources the guides above are checked against:

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