Godot dedicated server export checklist

The short answer

Godot's documentation says to open the server export preset, go to the Resources tab and pick "Export as dedicated server", which adds the dedicated_server feature tag automatically. Since Godot 4.0, any binary can also run without a window using --headless. Pair that with a fixed port and an honest test and you have a server a host can run.

Detect server mode in code

Godot gives you three ways to know you are the server:

func _ready() -> void:
    if OS.has_feature("dedicated_server"):
        start_server()
    elif DisplayServer.get_name() == "headless":
        start_server()
    elif "--server" in OS.get_cmdline_user_args():
        start_server()

Use one on purpose. A server that quietly starts as a client waits forever for a window.

ENet or WebSocket?

Native-only games should use ENet. Games with browser players need WebSocket or WebRTC. Read WebSocket vs UDP.

The checklist

1. Match versionsInstall export templates that match your editor version exactly, and use the same Godot version for client and server.
2. Create a Linux x86_64 presetIn Project > Export add a Linux preset and choose the x86_64 architecture.
3. Choose dedicated server modeOn the Resources tab pick Export as dedicated server. This adds the dedicated_server feature tag and lets you strip visuals.
4. Start the right peer on a fixed portCreate ENetMultiplayerPeer.create_server(port, max_clients) for UDP or WebSocketMultiplayerPeer.create_server(port) for browsers, then assign it to multiplayer.multiplayer_peer.
5. Run it headless on LinuxExecute ./server.x86_64 --headless, check the port with ss, and join from a real client on another network.
6. Keep saves under one pathWrite state under /game/saves or another single known folder so a shutdown can checkpoint it.
7. Pack cleanlyArchive the export folder as .tar.gz with no symbolic links and no embedded tokens, then record the SHA-256 of the file you will upload.

Stripping the export

The export dialog lets each resource be exported with visuals replaced by placeholders, kept, or removed. Stripping textures and materials on the server shrinks the package and memory. Do not strip anything your server logic reads, such as collision shapes, navigation data or scene scripts.

Test it the way a host will run it

On a Linux x86-64 machine, extract the archive and start the server with the exact command you will declare. Check the port with ss -lunp for ENet (UDP) or ss -ltnp for WebSocket (TCP), then join from a Godot client on another computer or network. If the server prints errors about missing display or audio drivers, you started the normal binary without the dedicated server tag or --headless.

Common mistakes

What a host needs from you

A declared start command such as /game/server.x86_64 --headless, the port and protocol (UDP for ENet, TCP for WebSocket), a health reply and, ideally, a join probe. The connection config guide lists each field, and the Godot ENet and Godot WebSocket pages cover the hosting side.

Frequently asked questions

Written by Charging Bull Software. Facts on this page are checked against the product source and dated sources listed above; where something is not proven, the page says so.