Network Setup

Proper network configuration is essential for players to connect to your Hytale server.

Understanding QUIC

QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) is a modern transport protocol that:

• Runs over UDP instead of TCP
• Provides better performance and lower latency
• Requires UDP port 5520 to be open

Port Configuration

Default Port

By default, Hytale servers listen on:

• Protocol: UDP
• Port: 5520

Docker Port Mapping

In your docker-compose.yml:

ports:
  - "5520:5520/udp"

The format is HOST_PORT:CONTAINER_PORT/PROTOCOL.

Using a Custom Port

To expose on a different host port:

ports:
  - "25565:5520/udp"  # External port 25565, internal 5520

Firewall Configuration

Linux (UFW)

sudo ufw allow 5520/udp
sudo ufw reload

Linux (iptables)

sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 5520 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables-save

Windows Firewall

Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Hytale Server"

macOS

# Add firewall rule for UDP port 5520
sudo /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --add /path/to/docker
sudo /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --unblockapp /path/to/docker

Router Port Forwarding

If hosting from home, configure your router to forward traffic:

hostname -I | awk '{print $1}'

ipconfig | findstr IPv4

Testing Connectivity

Local Testing

Connect from the same machine:

localhost:5520

LAN Testing

From another device on your network:

your-local-ip:5520

Internet Testing

From outside your network:

your-public-ip:5520

Using Online Tools

Check if your port is open:

• You Get Signal
• Can You See Me

Network Modes

Bridge Mode (Default)

The recommended configuration:

services:
  hytale-server:
    network_mode: bridge
    ports:
      - "5520:5520/udp"

Host Mode

For advanced users, host mode removes network isolation:

services:
  hytale-server:
    network_mode: host

Cloud Provider Configuration

AWS EC2

1. Go to Security Groups
2. Add inbound rule:
   • Type: Custom UDP
   • Port: 5520
   • Source: 0.0.0.0/0 (or specific IPs)

Azure

1. Go to Network Security Groups
2. Add inbound security rule:
   • Protocol: UDP
   • Port: 5520
   • Action: Allow

Google Cloud Platform

gcloud compute firewall-rules create hytale-server \
  --allow=udp:5520 \
  --source-ranges=0.0.0.0/0 \
  --target-tags=hytale-server

DigitalOcean

1. Go to Networking → Firewalls
2. Create rule:
   • Type: Custom
   • Protocol: UDP
   • Port Range: 5520
   • Sources: All IPv4, All IPv6

Troubleshooting

Players Can't Connect

1. Verify the server is running:

   docker compose ps

2. Check if the port is listening:

   # Linux/macOS
   sudo lsof -i UDP:5520
   
   # Windows
   netstat -an | findstr 5520

3. Verify firewall rules are active

4. Check router port forwarding configuration

5. Confirm you're using UDP, not TCP

Connection Timeout

• Double-check it's UDP port 5520, not TCP
• Verify your public IP hasn't changed (use a dynamic DNS service if needed)
• Check if your ISP blocks incoming UDP traffic (some do)

High Latency

• Choose a server location close to your players
• Check your internet connection bandwidth
• Verify server resources (CPU/RAM) aren't maxed out

Next Steps

• Configure authentication
• Review security settings
• Troubleshooting guide