# Guides for owners putting multiplayer online > Practical guides on the problems that stop a multiplayer build going live: Linux dedicated server exports for Unity, Godot and Unreal, Node.js and Python WebSocket servers, ports and firewalls, WebSocket versus UDP, WebRTC signaling, idle cost and what a connection config must contain. *NetCraftGames (NCG) by Charging Bull Software. Last updated: 2026-10-06. Canonical page: https://netcraftgames.com/guides/* ## All guides - [How to build a Linux dedicated server from Unity](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/build-linux-dedicated-server-unity/): Step by step: build a headless Linux dedicated server from Unity 6 with Build Profiles, bind it correctly, test it and pack it for hosting. - [Host a Node.js WebSocket game server: what to prepare](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/node-websocket-server/): Get a Node.js 24 WebSocket game server ready for NetCraftGames: the one command that packs it, the WebSocket path setting, socket.io and what does not work. - [Mirror server on the cloud: ports and firewall checklist](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/mirror-server-ports-firewall-checklist/): A practical ports and firewall checklist for running a Mirror dedicated server on a cloud machine: KCP, Telepathy and SimpleWeb ports, binding and testing. - [Host a Python WebSocket game server: what to prepare](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/python-websocket-server/): Get a Python 3.12 WebSocket game server ready for NetCraftGames: the command that vendors Linux wheels, the WebSocket path setting and what does not work. - [Godot dedicated server export checklist](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/godot-dedicated-server-export-checklist/): A checklist for exporting a Godot 4 dedicated server for Linux: export mode, headless start, ENet versus WebSocket, ports, saves and packing. - [Idle shutdown: why paying for empty servers is waste](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/idle-shutdown-empty-servers/): Why paying for empty game servers is waste, how much it costs in hours, how idle shutdown works safely, and what your server must report for it to work. - [WebSocket vs UDP for browser multiplayer](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/websocket-vs-udp-browser-multiplayer/): Browsers cannot use raw UDP. Compare WebSocket, WebRTC data channels and native UDP for multiplayer games, and pick the right transport for your players. - [What a connection config file must contain](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/connection-config-file-contents/): What a deployment manifest and a player connection config must contain for a hosted multiplayer server, with a real example and the rules that cause rejections. - [Unreal Engine Linux dedicated server checklist](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/unreal-linux-dedicated-server-checklist/): A checklist for packaging an Unreal Engine dedicated server for Linux: source build, server target, cook and stage, port 7777, start script, versions. - [How to host a multiplayer game server cheaply](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/host-multiplayer-game-server-cheaply/): Honest ways to host a multiplayer game server cheaply: stop idle hours, right-size, mind egress, use free tiers and decide when managed hosting is worth it. - [WebRTC signaling for browser games, explained](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/webrtc-signaling-for-browser-games/): What a WebRTC signaling server does for a browser multiplayer game, why STUN is not a relay, when TURN is needed, and the offer, answer and ICE flow. - [Share your game with players: a link, a QR code and a live status](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/share-your-game-with-players/): How the NetCraftGames share page works for a first-time publisher: one link and QR code, what players see, what it does not do, and how to replace it. ## How these guides are written Each guide starts with the direct answer, then the steps, then the mistakes that waste the most time. Facts about engines come from the engine vendors' own documentation, linked at the bottom of each guide with the date we read it. Where something depends on your engine version, the guide says so instead of guessing. Everything is written for owners: game developers who already have, or are close to having, a working multiplayer build. ## Start here by problem - **"I need a Linux server build."** [Unity](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/build-linux-dedicated-server-unity/), [Godot](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/godot-dedicated-server-export-checklist/) or [Unreal](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/unreal-linux-dedicated-server-checklist/). - **"Players cannot connect."** The [Mirror ports checklist](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/mirror-server-ports-firewall-checklist/) applies to any UDP or TCP game, then see [when a connection fails](https://netcraftgames.com/connection-failures/). - **"My server is Node.js or Python."** [Node.js](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/node-websocket-server/) or [Python](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/python-websocket-server/): what the host provides and the one command that packs your project. - **"Browser players."** [WebSocket vs UDP](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/websocket-vs-udp-browser-multiplayer/) and [WebRTC signaling](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/webrtc-signaling-for-browser-games/). - **"It costs too much."** [Idle shutdown](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/idle-shutdown-empty-servers/) and [hosting cheaply](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/host-multiplayer-game-server-cheaply/). - **"How do I give friends a link?"** [Share your game with players](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/share-your-game-with-players/): one link, a QR code and a live status. - **"What does the host need from me?"** [Connection config contents](https://netcraftgames.com/guides/connection-config-file-contents/). ## Related pages - [Engines and transports NetCraftGames can host](https://netcraftgames.com/engines/): Which engines and transports NetCraftGames is built to host: Unity Mirror and NGO, Unreal, Godot ENet and WebSocket, browser WSS and WebRTC, with honest gaps. - [Frequently asked questions about NetCraftGames](https://netcraftgames.com/faq/): Direct answers to 27 questions about NetCraftGames: engines, pricing, the 24-hour target, safety, AI, TURN, Windows servers and launch status. - [Multiplayer hosting glossary](https://netcraftgames.com/glossary/): Plain-English definitions of dedicated server, headless, UDP, WebSocket, WSS, WebRTC, STUN, TURN, ENet, KCP, manifest, join probe, weighted hour and more.