How to set up a Garry's Mod server

A Garry's Mod server can be anything from a sandbox build server to Trouble in Terrorist Town or DarkRP. Your Garry's Mod server is created with the game installed. This guide covers choosing a gamemode, server.cfg, Workshop content, addons and admins.

How much RAM does a Garry's Mod server need?

• 2 GB: a small sandbox or TTT server with a few addons.
• 4 GB: our recommended size, for a community server with a sensible addon list.
• 6 to 12 GB: DarkRP and other heavy gamemodes, big maps and long addon lists.

1. Gamemode, map and player count

These are set in the Startup tab of our game panel. Stop the server, change them and start it again.

• Gamemode: sandbox by default. Trouble in Terrorist Town comes with the game and uses the name terrortown. Others, such as DarkRP, need to be added to the garrysmod/gamemodes folder or your Workshop collection first.
• Map: the starting map, for example gm_construct or gm_flatgrass.
• Max players: how many people can join.

2. server.cfg

Open garrysmod/cfg/server.cfg in the file manager, or create it if it is not there. Useful lines include:

• hostname, followed by your server's name in quote marks: the name in the server browser.
• sv_password: a password to join. Leave it empty for a public server.
• rcon_password: lets you run commands remotely. Make it long and keep it private.
• sv_loadingurl: an optional web page shown to players while they load in.
• sbox_maxprops and the other sbox_ settings: limits for sandbox servers.

3. Workshop content

The easiest way to add maps, models and addons is a Steam Workshop collection. Create a collection, add everything your server needs, and put the collection's ID in the Workshop collection setting in the Startup tab. The server downloads it on start, and players download it when they join.

Many maps and models use content from Counter-Strike: Source. Players without it see missing textures and error models, so mention it in your rules or Discord if your server needs it.

4. Addons

Addons that are not on the Workshop go in garrysmod/addons, each in its own folder. Restart the server to load them. Lua errors from broken addons show in the console, which is the first place to look when something stops working.

5. Admins

Garry's Mod has no full admin system built in, so most servers add an admin mod such as ULX with ULib, or FAdmin, which comes with DarkRP. With ULX installed, type ulx adduser followed by your in-game name and superadmin into the console in our game panel to give yourself full rights.

Inviting players

Players can find your server in the Garry's Mod server browser, or open the developer console and type connect followed by your server's IP and port, shown at the top of our game panel.

Backups

Daily backups are included, and you can take your own from the panel. Take one before adding a gamemode or a big batch of addons, especially on DarkRP servers where player data matters.

Troubleshooting

• Missing textures and error models: players are missing content, usually Counter-Strike: Source or an item from your Workshop collection.
• Gamemode not loading: check the gamemode name in the Startup tab matches its folder name in garrysmod/gamemodes.
• Lua errors on start: an addon is broken or out of date. Remove recently added addons one at a time.
• Long loading times: trim your Workshop collection. Players download everything in it before they can join.

Still stuck? Ask us on live chat or Discord.