← Open Vanilla MANUALHOST

Host your own server

Run a Vanilla realm on a Windows 10/11 PC and play on it with friends. Hosting is its own download, Open Vanilla Server: the Open Vanilla launcher is for playing, and connects to your realm like any other.

Download Open Vanilla Server (also on the latest release)

Running a server already? The Host Guidebook covers accounts and roles, GM tools, rates, backups, security and moving to a Linux server.

What you need

Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), about 15 GB free, SSD recommended.
Python 3 (tick “Add to PATH” when you install it).
SPP Classics V2: the database, login and world servers Open Vanilla Server runs. The Open Vanilla launcher's Play Solo sets it up for you once, or do it by hand (step 1).
Your own Vanilla Client v1.3 game files to play on it (client guide).

Set it up

Get SPP Classics. Easiest: in the Open Vanilla launcher switch PLAY to SOLO and press PLAY once; it downloads and sets up SPP Classics. By hand: download SPP_Classics_V2.zip from its releases, extract it (for example to C:\SPP_Classics_V2), run Server_Update.bat, then SPP_Server\Launcher.bat and type 1 (Vanilla), then 0 to shut it down.
Get Open Vanilla Server. Extract OpenVanilla-Server.zip anywhere, for example C:\OpenVanilla-Server, and double-click Start Open Vanilla Server.bat. The first start installs the Python packages it needs, then finds your SPP install (or asks you to pick the SPP_Classics_V2 folder; it remembers it).
Start it. Press START / RESTART ALL SERVICES: database (3310), login (3724), world (8085) and the website (18090) come up; the world server can take a minute or two. The realm website, sign-up and Server Studio are on http://127.0.0.1:18090/.
Make your GM account. Player & GM Admin Manager creates accounts and sets their role; or type account create NAME PASSWORD and account set gmlevel NAME 3 in the GM console. Use a strong password. Server Studio signs in with this account.
Play. In the Open Vanilla launcher, REALMS → Add realm with address 127.0.0.1, then PLAY. With a stock client: set realmlist 127.0.0.1.

Rates, bots, level cap and the message of the day: Live Config Editor opens SPP's mangosd.conf. Backups: World Database Backups & Toolset. Halt everything with HALT ALL SERVICES before closing.

Letting friends in

Same house or network: friends add your PC's LAN address (for example 192.168.1.20) in the launcher's REALMS → Add realm.
Internet: forward TCP 3724 and 8085 on your router to this PC, allow them in Windows Firewall, and give friends your public IP or domain. Everyone you give it to sees that address.
Your website on the internet: Get Caddy, type your domain in PUBLIC HTTPS ADDRESS, Save URL, Allow Web Ports, then Start and Test HTTPS.
Friends sign up on your website, or get an account from you.
Never expose port 3310 (MySQL) or 18090 directly. Change SPP's MySQL root password before going public; the guidebook explains how.

If something goes wrong

Open Vanilla Server asks for SPP	Finish Play Solo's setup, or pick the `SPP_Classics_V2` folder (or the `SPP_Server` inside it). To pick a different one later: `python openvanilla_server.py --forget`.
The window closes straight away	Python isn't installed or isn't on PATH: reinstall it with “Add to PATH” ticked.
Database won't start	Another MySQL is using port 3310, or SPP's setup didn't finish: run its `Launcher.bat` again and pick 1.
"Information is not valid" at login	The account was made before the server was ready: with everything green, set its password again (`account set password NAME PASS PASS`).
Friends can't connect	Check the forward for 3724 and 8085, the firewall rule, and that friends use your public or LAN address, not 127.0.0.1.

Other ways

Plain SPP: SPP Classics runs on its own menu (Launcher.bat). No website, Studio or browser play, but desktop clients work.
Linux or a rented server: one command sets up a VPS with HTTPS and browser play: bash wenilla_up.sh your.domain, then bash openvanilla_realm_up.sh, from the hetzner folder in the repository. See guidebook chapter 12.

More fixes are in the guidebook's troubleshooting chapter.

Stuck? Ask in the Open Vanilla Discord's #bug-reports with a screenshot of the Open Vanilla Server window and its logs tab.