Guides
Garry’s Mod Server Config Guide
Garry’s Mod Server Config – Introduction
Throughout the servers you’ll play on in Garry’s Mod server hosting, many of them offer unique and fun styles of playing with your friends. Some hold unique worlds while others offer many unique settings and playstyles to try. These options, found in the Garry’s Mod server config, greatly enhance the game and can take a server to the next level.
The Garry’s Mod server config holds most of your server’s options, from enabling cross-team voice chat to spawning players with maximum thrusters to fly with, and even god mode for all players. Taking only a few seconds to add or adjust an option in your configuration files, these small adjustments can make a big difference for your players and server gameplay. In this guide, we will show you the different settings, what they do, and how you can set them on your own Garry’s Mod game server!
Getting Started with the Server Config
One of the best parts about the Garry’s Mod server configuration is that the entire file is customizable. It can contain zero text or it can contain every possible setting, and you can choose what’s inside. Below, we’ll start by showing you an example of a Garry’s Mod server configuration and then we’ll explain what the sections and settings of this file mean.
Editing the GMod Server Config File
- Head to your Garry’s Mod server and stop it.
- Then, on the left under “Settings”, click “Config Files”.
- You’ll instantly be editing your server.cfg file and can start making adjustments.
- After making any changes, press “Save changes” and start your server.
Example Config File
//***
//The changeable part to customize your server.
//***
// What is the name of your server? (Also displayed in the server browser)
Hostname "Your server-name"
// The RCON password is required to administer the server via the console.
Rcon_password "change me"
// The command "sv_password" is used to set a "join password". This is helpful to leave only the desired people on the server who know the password.
// If the server should be open to all, just put a "" behind the command
Sv_password "PASSWORD" // or if no password is desired: sv_ password ""
// Spawns Pro Player Settings
// All numbers in the game settings indicate the amount that can be spawned.
// If a particular thing is not to be spawned, simply set the value to "0"
"sbox_maxprops" "150" //Sets the maximum amount of "props" a player can have on the map
"sbox_maxragdolls" "6" //Sets the maximum amount of "Ragdolls" a player can have on the map
"sbox_maxballoons" "15" //Sets the maximum amount of "balloons" a player can have on the map
"sbox_maxeffects" "1" //Sets the maximum amount of "effects" a player can have on the map
"sbox_maxdynamite" "2" //Sets the maximum amount of "dynamite" a player can have on the map
"sbox_maxlamps" "3" //Sets the maximum amount of "Lamps" a player can have on the map
"sbox_maxthrusters" "30" //Sets the maximum amount of "Thrusters" a player can have on the map
"sbox_maxwheels" "20" //Sets the maximum amount of "Wheels" a player can have on the map
"sbox_maxnpcs" "0" //Sets the maximum amount of "NPCs" a player can have on the map
"sbox_maxhoverballs" "10" //Sets the maximum amount of "hoverballs" a player can have on the map
"sbox_maxvehicles" "10" //Sets the maximum amount of "Vehicles" a player can have on the map
"sbox_maxbuttons" "15" //Sets the maximum amount of "buttons" a player can have on the map
// Game settings
"sbox_plpldamage" "0" //"player-to-player" damage, active if the value is set to 0
"sbox_godmode" "0" //All players are invulnerable if value is set to 1 (ATTENTION, LIFT "sbox_plpldamage")
"sbox_noclip" "1" //Allows players to fly., Active if the value is set to 1
"sv_noclipaccelerate" "5" //Sets the flight speed of noclip
"sv_alltalk" "1" //If the value is 1, players can hear from opponent teams, if the value to 0 is not
//***
//DO NOT MAKE CHANGES
//***
// Connectivity settings
"sv_minrate" "0" //Minimum connection speed
"sv_maxrate" "20000" //Maximum connection speed
"decalfrequency" "10"
"sv_maxupdaterate" "66" //Maximum tick rate
"sv_minupdaterate" "10" //Minimum tick rate
"net_maxfilesize" "60" //Maximum size of a file that servers can send (in MB)
// surgery
"sv_lan" "0" //The command controls whether the server is accessible via the Internet or local
"sv_region" "255" //Server region (for the server browser) 255 means that the server can be reached anywhere in the world
// execute ban files
Exec banned_user.cfg // This command is for all bans to be active after a mapchange/server restart
In the above example, this file is split into two sections. “The changeable part” section includes some of the many options you can edit in this file. Then near the bottom, you’ll see the “DO NOT MAKE CHANGES” section. These options are strictly set for the server networking and adjusting them can result in connection problems. Now that you know the sections, we can break down the formatting into two parts.
- // – When you see these symbols in front of a particular section, these slashes act to “escort” that setting or not load it on the server. This is great if you’d like to add text sections for your own setting organization, such as “// general server settings”.
- <setting> “value” – This is how most settings are added within a Garry’s Mod server config file. In , you’ll have a setting such as “sv_password” (the server password option). Then for “value”, you’ll need to set the corresponding value. For the case of “sv_password”, we can set “Nitrado” to set the server password to that.
Now that you know how the formatting works and what an example file will appear like, let’s explore the different options you can edit within that Garry’s Mod server config file!
Garry’s Mod Options
Basic Settings
| hostname “SERVER NAME” | Sets the name of the server that will be displayed in the Server Browser. |
| sv_password “PASSWORD” | Sets a password to your server, making it private. |
| sv_tags “TAGS” | Adds tags to help describe your server, such as “Sandbox”. |
RCON Settings
| rcon_password “PASSWORD” | Sets an RCON password to your GMod server. Upon use, admins will be able to use RCON to issue commands. |
| sv_rcon_log 1 | Enables and disables RCON logging. Set this to 1 to enable it and 0 to disable it. |
| sv_rcon_minfailiuretime 10 | Number of seconds the server tracks failed RCON authentications. |
| sv_rcon_minfailures 5 | The number of times a user can fail RCON authentication before being banned. |
| sv_rcon_maxfailures 3 | Maximum number of times a user can fail RCON authentication before being banned. |
Network Settings
| sv_allowupload 1 | Enables and disables the uploading of customization files. Set this to 1 to enable and 0 to disable. |
| sv_allowdownload 1 | Enables and disables the ability for clients to download missing files. 1 to enable and 0 to disable. |
| sv_downloadurl “URL-LINK” | With this, you can provide a link to custom server files on a remote server that players can download. |
| net_maxfilesize 15 | Sets the maximum file size for uploading in MB. The default is 15MB. |
Sandbox Settings
The Sandbox settings in the Garry’s Mod server configs are specifically for the Sandbox gamemode. If you’re using this gamemode on your server, below is a list of the different settings you can set to this mode and their default values.
| sbox_noclip 0 | Enables and disables noclip. |
| sbox_gamemode 0 | Enables and disables god mode. |
| sbox_playershurtplayers 1 | Enables and disables PvP. |
Additionally, these settings determine the maximum amount of that particular object type on your server. The list below includes each of the settings and their default values, which can be adjusted to fit your Garry’s Mod game server. If players continue to spawn that particular object after the limit has been reached, previously spawned objects of that type will disappear.
- sbox_maxprops 150
- sbox_maxragdolls 6
- sbox_maxnpcs 0
- sbox_maxballoons 6
- sbox_maxeffects 6
- sbox_maxdynamite 0
- sbox_maxlamps 6
- sbox_maxthrusters 6
- sbox_maxwheels 6
- sbox_maxhoverballs 6
- sbox_maxvehicles 0
- sbox_maxbuttons 10
- sbox_maxmitters
General Settings
| sv_alltalk 0 | If set from 0 to 1, will allow opposing teams to voice chat with each other. |
| sv_voiceenable 1 | Enables and disables voice chat for the server. Set to 0 to disable voice chat. |
| mp_chattime 5 | After a game has ended, sets how much time in seconds players can chat. |
| mp_friendlyfire 0 | Enables and disables “friendly fire”, where teammates can kill each other. 0 is disabled and 1 is enabled. |
| sv_cheats 0 | Off by default and not recommended due to it disabling achievements, if enabled this will allow cheats on the server. |
| sv_pausable 0 | Enables and disables the ability to pause the entire server. This is also not recommended as it requires the “sv_cheats” setting to be enabled to work. |
| mp_forcecamera 0 | Forces spectator mode’s camera for dead players. Disabled by default, you can set this to 1 to enable it. |
| mp_disable_autokick 1 | Enables and disables auto-kick, where 1 is enabled and 0 is disabled. |
| mp_fadetoblack 0 | If set to 1, results in a player’s screen fading to black upon death. |
| mp_falldamage 5 | Set to 5 by default, this option allows you to adjust fall damage on the server. Set this to 0 to disable damage. |
| mp_allowspectators 1 | Enabled by default, if set to 0 this will disable spectator mode on the server. |
| mp_footsteps 1 | Activates and disables walking/running sounds, with 1 being enabled and 0 being disabled. |
| sv_timeout 900 | For when a player becomes inactive, sets how many seconds they can be inactive before they are dropped from the server. |
| sv_allow_color_correction 1 | Enabled by default, if set to 0 this will disable color correction for your Gmod server. |
| sv_contact “EMAIL-ADDRESS” | Allows the addition of an email address that players can use to contact the server administrators. |
Log Options
| log on | Enables and disables logging, which is on by default. |
| sv_log_onefile 0 | If set to 1, this will cause all of your log files to be combined into a single file. |
| sv_logfile 1 | Determines if the server should save information to your log file. By default, this is enabled and can be changed to 0 to disable. |
| sv_logbans 1 | Enables and disables logging of server bans. |
| sv_logecho 1 | Activates and deactivates logging echo information from the server. |
Actions / Commands
Alongside all of the settings you can add to your Garry’s Mod server config, there are also actions that you can add. They’re run while your server starts up. Here is a list of some of the actions you can use:
| exec banned_user.cfg | Executes the banned_user.cfg file, ensuring that it is loaded so that banned players cannot join your server. |
| exec banned_ips.cfg | Similar to banned users, this executes the banned_ips.cfg file, ensuring banned IP addresses cannot join the server. |
| writeid | During startup, this will show a list in your server logs of the permanently banned user IDs on your server. |
| writeip | Upon startup, this will show a list in your server logs of the permanently banned IP address user IDs on your server. |
Customize Your Garry’s Mod Server and Play with Friends
Garry’s Mod server config options can greatly benefit your server by providing a variety of tools and options to customize the experience, optimize the server, and manage players. There are an array of options, such as setting up RCON, adding server tags, and even allowing custom files to be downloaded by new players joining. These adjustments will ensure that your server is enhanced and at its best for you and your players. With this, you can focus on doing everything from exploding a thousand dynamite to strapping hundreds of thrusters to a vehicle for the ultimate enjoyment with friends on your Gmod server!
