Server Setup

Arma Reforger Linux Server Setup Guide: Ubuntu & Debian Installation

Published: 2025-11-06•12 min read

Arma Reforger Linux Server Setup Guide: Ubuntu & Debian Installation

Running an Arma Reforger dedicated server on Linux provides superior performance, stability, and cost-effectiveness compared to Windows. This comprehensive guide covers complete installation, configuration, and optimization for Ubuntu and Debian-based systems.

Why Run Arma Reforger Server on Linux?

Linux offers significant advantages for hosting Arma Reforger servers.

Benefits of Linux for Arma Reforger Servers

Performance:

  • ✅ Lower RAM usage (2-3GB less than Windows)
  • ✅ Better CPU efficiency (5-10% more FPS)
  • ✅ Faster disk I/O
  • ✅ No Windows Update disruptions

Stability:

  • ✅ Uptime measured in months, not days
  • ✅ No forced reboots
  • ✅ Better memory management
  • ✅ Fewer background processes

Cost:

  • ✅ No Windows Server license ($800+)
  • ✅ Lower resource requirements
  • ✅ Cheaper VPS hosting
  • ✅ Free and open-source

Remote Management:

  • ✅ SSH access from anywhere
  • ✅ Screen/tmux for persistent sessions
  • ✅ Automated scripts and cron jobs
  • ✅ Lower network overhead

Supported Linux Distributions

Officially tested:

  • Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, 22.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS
  • Debian 10, 11, 12
  • CentOS Stream 8/9 (limited support)

Recommended: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or Debian 12 for best compatibility with Arma Reforger.

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Minimum for Arma Reforger Server:

  • CPU: 4 cores @ 3.0 GHz
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Storage: 20 GB SSD
  • Network: 10 Mbps upload
  • OS: Ubuntu 20.04+ or Debian 10+

Recommended for 32-player Arma Reforger server:

  • CPU: 6-8 cores @ 3.5+ GHz
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Storage: 40 GB NVMe SSD
  • Network: 100 Mbps upload
  • OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Required Knowledge

  • Basic Linux command line
  • SSH connections
  • Text editing (nano/vim)
  • File permissions

Don't worry—we'll cover everything step by step!

Initial Setup

Update system packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install required dependencies:

sudo apt install -y \
  lib32gcc-s1 \
  lib32stdc++6 \
  curl \
  wget \
  tar \
  screen

Create dedicated user (security best practice):

sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash arma
sudo passwd arma

Switch to arma user:

sudo su - arma

All following commands run as the arma user unless specified otherwise.

Installing SteamCMD

SteamCMD is required to download and update Arma Reforger server files.

Method 1: Manual Installation (Recommended)

Create SteamCMD directory:

mkdir -p ~/steamcmd
cd ~/steamcmd

Download SteamCMD:

wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz

Extract:

tar -xvzf steamcmd_linux.tar.gz

Run SteamCMD (first time downloads updates):

./steamcmd.sh

You'll see:

Steam>

Exit for now:

quit

Method 2: Package Manager

Ubuntu/Debian (alternative method):

# Add multiverse repository
sudo add-apt-repository multiverse
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update

# Install SteamCMD
sudo apt install steamcmd -y

Creates symlink at /usr/games/steamcmd

Downloading Arma Reforger Server Files

Creating Installation Directory

mkdir -p ~/arma-reforger-server
cd ~

Downloading via SteamCMD

Create download script ~/download-server.sh:

#!/bin/bash
~/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh \
  +force_install_dir ~/arma-reforger-server \
  +login anonymous \
  +app_update 1874900 validate \
  +quit

Make executable:

chmod +x ~/download-server.sh

Run download (may take 10-20 minutes):

./download-server.sh

Verify installation:

ls -la ~/arma-reforger-server/

Should contain:

  • ArmaReforgerServer (executable)
  • ServerProfile/ directory
  • Various game files

File Permissions

Make server executable:

chmod +x ~/arma-reforger-server/ArmaReforgerServer

Creating Arma Reforger Server Configuration

Generate Config.json

Create your Arma Reforger server config:

Create config directory:

mkdir -p ~/arma-reforger-server/ServerProfile
cd ~/arma-reforger-server/ServerProfile

Create config.json:

nano config.json

Paste basic config:

{
  "bindAddress": "",
  "bindPort": 2001,
  "publicAddress": "",
  "publicPort": 2001,
  "game": {
    "name": "My Arma Reforger Linux Server",
    "password": "",
    "passwordAdmin": "YourAdminPassword123",
    "scenarioId": "{ECC61978EDCC2B5A}Missions/23_Campaign.conf",
    "maxPlayers": 32,
    "visible": true,
    "crossPlatform": true,
    "gameProperties": {
      "serverMaxViewDistance": 2000,
      "networkViewDistance": 1000,
      "battlEye": true,
      "fastValidation": true
    }
  }
}

Save: Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X

Validate JSON before starting:

python3 -m json.tool config.json

If valid, outputs formatted JSON. If errors, shows line number.

Pro tip: Use our JSON Config Generator to create config with visual interface!

Configuring Linux Firewall

Open required ports for Arma Reforger server connectivity.

Using UFW (Ubuntu/Debian)

Enable UFW (if not already):

sudo ufw enable

Allow SSH (don't lock yourself out!):

sudo ufw allow 22/tcp

Allow Arma Reforger ports:

# Game port (required)
sudo ufw allow 2001/udp
sudo ufw allow 2001/tcp

# A2S query port (optional, recommended)
sudo ufw allow 17777/udp

# RCON (only if using remote admin)
sudo ufw allow 19999/tcp

Verify rules:

sudo ufw status numbered

Using iptables (Advanced)

# Game port
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 2001 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 2001 -j ACCEPT

# A2S query
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 17777 -j ACCEPT

# RCON (optional)
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 19999 -j ACCEPT

# Save rules
sudo iptables-save | sudo tee /etc/iptables/rules.v4

See our Port Forwarding Guide for detailed networking setup.

Testing Arma Reforger Server

Manual Launch

First test (foreground):

cd ~/arma-reforger-server
./ArmaReforgerServer \
  -config ServerProfile/config.json \
  -profile ServerProfile \
  -logStats 60 \
  -maxFPS 30

Watch for:

[INFO] Loading configuration from config.json
[INFO] Server name: My Arma Reforger Linux Server
[INFO] BattlEye initialized successfully
[INFO] Registering server with backend...
[INFO] Server registered successfully
[INFO] Server ready for connections

Test connection:

  • Open Arma Reforger game client
  • Search for your server name
  • Try connecting

Stop server: Ctrl+C

Using Screen (Persistent Session)

Screen allows Arma Reforger server to run after disconnecting from SSH.

Start server in screen:

screen -S arma-server
cd ~/arma-reforger-server
./ArmaReforgerServer -config ServerProfile/config.json -profile ServerProfile

Detach from screen: Ctrl+A, then D

Reattach to screen:

screen -r arma-server

List screens:

screen -ls

Kill screen session:

screen -X -S arma-server quit

Setting Up Systemd Service (Recommended)

Systemd allows Arma Reforger server to start automatically on boot and restart on crashes.

Creating Service File

Exit arma user (need root):

exit

Create service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/arma-reforger.service

Paste configuration:

[Unit]
Description=Arma Reforger Dedicated Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=arma
WorkingDirectory=/home/arma/arma-reforger-server
ExecStart=/home/arma/arma-reforger-server/ArmaReforgerServer \
  -config ServerProfile/config.json \
  -profile ServerProfile \
  -logStats 60 \
  -maxFPS 30
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal
SyslogIdentifier=arma-reforger

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save: Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X

Managing Systemd Service

Reload systemd:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Start Arma Reforger server:

sudo systemctl start arma-reforger

Check status:

sudo systemctl status arma-reforger

Should show: Active: active (running)

Enable auto-start on boot:

sudo systemctl enable arma-reforger

Stop server:

sudo systemctl stop arma-reforger

Restart server:

sudo systemctl restart arma-reforger

View logs (real-time):

journalctl -u arma-reforger -f

View last 100 lines:

journalctl -u arma-reforger -n 100

Updating Arma Reforger Server

Regular updates are critical for security, performance, and new features.

Manual Update

Stop server:

sudo systemctl stop arma-reforger

Run update script (as arma user):

sudo su - arma
~/download-server.sh

Restart server:

exit
sudo systemctl start arma-reforger

Automated Update Script

Create update script ~/update-server.sh:

#!/bin/bash
# Arma Reforger Server Auto-Update Script

echo "Stopping Arma Reforger server..."
sudo systemctl stop arma-reforger

echo "Updating server files..."
~/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh \
  +force_install_dir ~/arma-reforger-server \
  +login anonymous \
  +app_update 1874900 validate \
  +quit

echo "Starting Arma Reforger server..."
sudo systemctl start arma-reforger

echo "Update complete!"
sudo systemctl status arma-reforger

Make executable:

chmod +x ~/update-server.sh

Run update:

./update-server.sh

Scheduled Updates (Cron)

Edit crontab:

crontab -e

Add weekly update (Sundays at 3 AM):

0 3 * * 0 /home/arma/update-server.sh >> /home/arma/update.log 2>&1

Add daily restart (4 AM):

0 4 * * * /usr/bin/systemctl restart arma-reforger

Monitoring and Logs

Server Logs

Arma Reforger console logs:

ls -la ~/arma-reforger-server/ServerProfile/logs/

View latest log:

tail -f ~/arma-reforger-server/ServerProfile/logs/console_*.log

Search for errors:

grep -i "error" ~/arma-reforger-server/ServerProfile/logs/console_*.log

Systemd Journal Logs

View all Arma Reforger logs:

journalctl -u arma-reforger

Last hour:

journalctl -u arma-reforger --since "1 hour ago"

Follow in real-time:

journalctl -u arma-reforger -f

Performance Monitoring

CPU and RAM usage:

htop

Look for ArmaReforgerServer process.

Real-time stats:

watch -n 5 'ps aux | grep ArmaReforgerServer'

Disk usage:

df -h ~/arma-reforger-server/

Network connections:

sudo netstat -tupln | grep 2001

Backup and Restore

Manual Backup

Backup entire server:

cd ~
tar -czf arma-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).tar.gz arma-reforger-server/

Backup config only:

cp ~/arma-reforger-server/ServerProfile/config.json ~/config-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).json

Automated Backup Script

Create backup script ~/backup-server.sh:

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR=~/backups
mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# Remove backups older than 7 days
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "arma-*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

# Create new backup
tar -czf $BACKUP_DIR/arma-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).tar.gz \
  ~/arma-reforger-server/ServerProfile/

echo "Backup complete: $(ls -lh $BACKUP_DIR | tail -1)"

Make executable:

chmod +x ~/backup-server.sh

Schedule daily backup (3 AM):

crontab -e
# Add:
0 3 * * * /home/arma/backup-server.sh >> /home/arma/backup.log 2>&1

Restore from Backup

# Stop server
sudo systemctl stop arma-reforger

# Extract backup
cd ~
tar -xzf backups/arma-backup-TIMESTAMP.tar.gz

# Restart server
sudo systemctl start arma-reforger

Optimization for Linux

CPU Affinity

Pin Arma Reforger server to specific CPU cores:

Edit systemd service:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/arma-reforger.service

Add under [Service]:

CPUAffinity=0-3

This uses CPU cores 0-3 only.

Reload and restart:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart arma-reforger

Memory Management

Increase swappiness (if low on RAM):

sudo sysctl vm.swappiness=10

Make permanent:

echo "vm.swappiness=10" | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf

Network Optimization

Increase network buffer sizes:

sudo sysctl -w net.core.rmem_max=16777216
sudo sysctl -w net.core.wmem_max=16777216

Make permanent:

echo "net.core.rmem_max=16777216" | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
echo "net.core.wmem_max=16777216" | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf

Disk I/O Optimization

For SSD servers, enable TRIM:

sudo systemctl enable fstrim.timer
sudo systemctl start fstrim.timer

Troubleshooting Linux Arma Reforger Server

Issue 1: Server Won't Start

Check systemd status:

sudo systemctl status arma-reforger

Check journal logs:

journalctl -u arma-reforger -n 50

Common causes:

  • Invalid config.json syntax
  • Missing file permissions
  • Port already in use
  • Missing dependencies

Solutions:

# Validate config
python3 -m json.tool ~/arma-reforger-server/ServerProfile/config.json

# Check permissions
ls -la ~/arma-reforger-server/ArmaReforgerServer

# Check if port in use
sudo netstat -tupln | grep 2001

# Reinstall dependencies
sudo apt install --reinstall lib32gcc-s1 lib32stdc++6

Issue 2: Server Crashes Randomly

Check system resources:

free -h  # RAM usage
df -h    # Disk space

Enable core dumps:

ulimit -c unlimited

Check crash logs:

ls -la ~/arma-reforger-server/ServerProfile/*.dmp

Solutions:

  • Increase RAM if swap being used heavily
  • Free disk space (need 5GB+ free)
  • Update server files
  • Check for memory leaks in mods

Issue 3: High CPU Usage

Monitor in real-time:

htop

Solutions:

  • Limit server FPS: -maxFPS 30
  • Reduce AI limit in config
  • Lower view distances
  • Remove performance-heavy mods

See our Optimization Guide for detailed performance tips.

Issue 4: Players Can't Connect

Check firewall:

sudo ufw status

Check if server listening:

sudo netstat -tupln | grep 2001

Test from outside:

Solutions:

  • Open ports in firewall (see Firewall section)
  • Check router port forwarding
  • Verify publicAddress in config
  • Check server logs for backend registration

Advanced: Running Multiple Arma Reforger Servers

You can run multiple Arma Reforger server instances on one Linux machine.

Requirements per Server

  • 4+ CPU cores
  • 8 GB RAM
  • Unique port (2001, 2002, 2003...)

Setup Multiple Servers

Create second server directory:

mkdir -p ~/arma-reforger-server-2

Copy files:

cp -r ~/arma-reforger-server/* ~/arma-reforger-server-2/

Create separate config with different port:

{
  "bindPort": 2002,
  "publicPort": 2002,
  ...
}

Create second systemd service:

sudo cp /etc/systemd/system/arma-reforger.service /etc/systemd/system/arma-reforger-2.service

Edit to use new directory and port.

Open additional port:

sudo ufw allow 2002/udp
sudo ufw allow 2002/tcp

Security Best Practices

  1. ✅ Use dedicated user (not root)
  2. ✅ Keep system updated: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
  3. ✅ Configure firewall (only open necessary ports)
  4. ✅ Use SSH keys instead of passwords
  5. ✅ Disable root SSH login
  6. ✅ Enable automatic security updates
  7. ✅ Regular backups (automated daily)
  8. ✅ Monitor logs for suspicious activity
  9. ✅ Strong admin passwords in config
  10. ✅ Limit RCON access by IP if possible

Helpful Resources

Last Updated: November 2025

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