Port Forwarding
What is Port Forwarding?
Most routers block incoming connections for security reasons. Port-forwarding is the term used to describe the process of allowing connections through specific ports, often directed to a specific PC on a local network.
Why do I need it?
Servers hosted from PC's at home need to allow incoming connections via the ports the server uses, and typically directed to the machine that the server is running on. If incoming connections are blocked by closed ports, players won't be able connect to your server, and the server listing won't be able to show your server since it can't communicate with it either.
How do I open ports?
This is usually done within the router's configuration. The instructions for port forwarding vary per router so they won't be listed here, but here's a webpage with plenty of information: portforward.com ... Choose your router by using the links on the left that take you to a router list. When selecting a router, the website will give you instructions on how to open ports for your router. You'll need to open UDP and TCP ports for the server and HTTP connections. The default ports are 22000 for both, but these can be different depending on server configuration.
Troubleshooting
A few things to remember:
- Some routers may require a restart or complete disconnect to apply the changes to the firewall for opening ports. Depending on the router, it could take a few seconds up to several minutes.
- Some ISPs may block certain ports (or all of them). Unfortunately there's not much we can do about that. In this case, you may need to use a VPN or contact your ISP to see if they'll open the needed ports.
- Hosting companies that provide services like VPS or game servers don't usually need to be port-forwarded, but usually cost money.