How to Set Up a BeamMP Server in 2026: The Complete Guide

Whether you want a private server for you and your mates or a public server with 20+ players, this guide walks you through every step — from getting your authentication key to configuring mods and maps. We'll cover both self-hosting at home and using a hosting provider, so you can pick whichever works for you.

What You'll Need

Before we start, here's what you need:

• BeamNG.drive — purchased on Steam (no cracked versions)
• BeamMP Launcher — free download from beammp.com
• A Discord account — required to get your authentication key
• A computer or server — either your home PC or a hosting provider (more on this below)

If you just want to play on other people's servers, you only need BeamNG.drive and the BeamMP Launcher — no server setup required. This guide is for people who want to run their own server.

Step 1: Get Your Authentication Key

Every BeamMP server needs an authentication key (AuthKey). This is a unique identifier that registers your server with the BeamMP backend. Even private servers should have one.

1. Go to the BeamMP Keymaster and log in with your Discord account
2. Click "Keys" in the left sidebar
3. Click the green "+" button in the top right
4. Enter a name for your key (this is just a label for your reference — it's not your server's public name)
5. Click "Create"
6. Copy the key that appears — it'll look something like 3173a2e-6az0-4542-a3p0-ddqq5ff95558

Important: Treat this key like a password. Never share it publicly, paste it in Discord, or commit it to a Git repo.

You get a limited number of keys per account. One key = one server at a time, so you can't run two servers with the same key simultaneously.

Step 2: Choose Your Hosting Method

This is where most people get stuck, so let's break it down honestly.

Option A: Self-Hosting at Home

Pros:

• Free (no monthly cost)
• Full control over the hardware
• Good enough for a small private server with 2-5 friends

Cons:

• You need to port forward (which means opening your home network to the internet)
• Your home IP address is exposed to anyone who connects
• Server goes offline whenever your PC is off or your internet drops
• Your upload speed limits how many players can join smoothly
• BeamNG.drive's physics are CPU-intensive — hosting and playing on the same machine will hurt performance

Option B: Using a Hosting Provider

Pros:

• Server runs 24/7 without your PC being on
• No port forwarding needed — providers handle networking
• DDoS protection included
• Better performance (dedicated resources, enterprise-grade internet)
• Your home IP stays private
• Setup takes minutes, not hours

Cons:

• Costs money (typically £3-15/month depending on slots and resources)

The honest take: If you're running a private server for 2-3 friends who only play occasionally, self-hosting is fine. For anything beyond that — a public server, a roleplay community, or a server you want running 24/7 — a hosting provider saves you real headaches.

Connect Hosting offers BeamMP servers starting at $4.99/month with one-click setup and provisioning in under 60 seconds. As an official BeamMP partner, servers are pre-configured and optimised for BeamMP out of the box. Check out our plans →

Step 3: Install the Server Software

On Windows (Self-Hosting)

1. Install the Visual C++ Redistributables — the server won't run without this
2. Download the server from beammp.com — click "Download Server"
3. Create a new folder somewhere convenient (e.g., C:\BeamMP-Server)
4. Move the downloaded BeamMP-Server.exe into that folder
5. Double-click BeamMP-Server.exe to run it once — this generates the config files
6. Close the server once you see text output

You should now see a ServerConfig.toml file in the same folder.

On Linux (Self-Hosting or VPS)

1. Install the runtime dependencies listed on the BeamMP GitHub
2. Download the correct binary for your distro from the releases page
3. Create a directory for your server: mkdir ~/beammp-server && cd ~/beammp-server
4. Move the binary there and make it executable: chmod +x BeamMP-Server-xxx
5. Run it once to generate config: ./BeamMP-Server-xxx
6. Stop it with Ctrl+C

Linux tip: Don't run the server as root. Create a dedicated user (sudo useradd -m beammpserver) and run the server under that account. It's a basic security practice that takes 30 seconds.

Using a Hosting Provider

If you're using Connect Hosting or another provider, you skip all of this — the server software is pre-installed and configured. You just need your AuthKey for the next step.

Step 4: Configure Your Server

Open ServerConfig.toml in any text editor (Notepad on Windows, nano/vim on Linux). Here's what it looks like:

[General]
Port = 30814
AuthKey = "auth-key"
AllowGuests = false
LogChat = false
Debug = false
Private = true
Name = "Test Server"
Tags = "Freeroam,Modded,Racing,Police"
MaxCars = 2
MaxPlayers = 10
Map = "/levels/gridmap_v2/info.json"
Description = "Total Random Beam MP Server"
ResourceFolder = "Resources"

Here's what to change:

AuthKey

Paste in the key you copied in Step 1:

AuthKey = "3173a2e-6az0-4542-a3p0-ddqq5ff95558"

Name

Give your server a name. This is what players see in the server list:

Name = "My BeamMP Server"

Private

Set to false if you want your server to appear in the public server list:

Private = false

Leave it as true for a private server (players join via direct connect).

MaxPlayers

How many players can join at once. Be realistic — more players means more CPU and bandwidth:

MaxPlayers = 10

MaxCars

Maximum vehicles per player. Each car adds physics load. For 10+ player servers, keep this at 1-2:

MaxCars = 2

Map

The map your server loads. Default is gridmap_v2. See our BeamMP Server Configuration Guide for a full list of vanilla maps and how to add custom ones.

Tags

Comma-separated tags that help players find your server. Choose relevant ones:

Tags = "Freeroam,Modded,Racing"

Step 5: Port Forwarding (Self-Hosting Only)

If you're using a hosting provider, skip this entirely — it's handled for you.

If you're self-hosting and want players outside your home network to connect, you need to forward port 30814 (both TCP and UDP) on your router.

The exact steps vary by router, but the general process is:

1. Find your computer's local IP address (usually 192.168.x.x)
   • Windows: Open Command Prompt, type ipconfig, look for "IPv4 Address"
   • Linux: Run hostname -I or ip addr
2. Log into your router (usually at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 in your browser)
3. Find the Port Forwarding section (often under Advanced, NAT, or Firewall settings)
4. Create a new rule:
   • Port: 30814
   • Protocol: Both (TCP and UDP)
   • Internal IP: Your computer's local IP from step 1
5. Save and apply

Windows Firewall

Windows will usually prompt you to allow BeamMP-Server through the firewall on first run. If it doesn't, or if you accidentally clicked "Block":

1. Open Windows Defender Firewall → Advanced Settings
2. Go to Inbound Rules → New Rule
3. Select "Port" → TCP and UDP → Port 30814
4. Allow the connection
5. Apply to all profiles

Common Port Forwarding Issues

• Double NAT: If your ISP uses carrier-grade NAT (common with some fibre providers), port forwarding won't work. You'll need to call your ISP and ask for a public IPv4 address, or use a VPN/hosting provider instead.
• IPv6 only: BeamMP currently only supports IPv4. If you only have IPv6, you'll need a hosting provider or a tunnelling service.
• Port already in use: If 30814 is taken, change the port in both your router and ServerConfig.toml.

This is the single biggest reason people struggle with self-hosting. If port forwarding gives you grief, a hosting provider eliminates the problem entirely.

Step 6: Start Your Server

Windows

Double-click BeamMP-Server.exe. You should see output like:

[INFO] Server name set: My BeamMP Server
[INFO] Server started on port 30814

Linux

./BeamMP-Server-xxx

If you see [ERROR] messages, check:

• Is your AuthKey correct?
• Is port 30814 open (if self-hosting)?
• Are all dependencies installed (Linux)?

Running as a Background Service (Linux)

For a server that starts automatically and runs 24/7, create a systemd service:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/beammp.service

[Unit]
Description=BeamMP Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=beammpserver
WorkingDirectory=/home/beammpserver/beammp-server
ExecStart=/home/beammpserver/beammp-server/BeamMP-Server-xxx
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Then:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable beammp
sudo systemctl start beammp

Step 7: Connect to Your Server

If You're the Host (Same PC)

1. Open BeamNG.drive with the BeamMP Launcher
2. Go to the multiplayer server browser
3. Click "Direct Connect" in the left sidebar
4. Enter 127.0.0.1 and port 30814
5. Click Connect

If You're on the Same Network

Use the host PC's local IP (e.g., 192.168.1.50) with Direct Connect.

If Your Server Is Public

It'll appear in the server browser — search for your server name. Players can also Direct Connect using your public IP and port.

If You're Using a Hosting Provider

Your provider will give you a server IP. Players use Direct Connect with that IP, or find it in the server browser if it's public.

Adding Mods and Custom Maps

Vehicle Mods

Drop .zip files into the Resources/Client folder. Players automatically download them when they join. That's it.

Warning: Not all mods are multiplayer-compatible. If players get stuck on "done" or "start" when joining, a mod is probably broken. Remove mods one at a time to find the culprit.

Custom Maps

1. Put the map's .zip file in Resources/Client
2. Open the zip and look inside the levels folder — note the folder name (e.g., myawesomedriftmap2021)
3. Update ServerConfig.toml:

Map = "/levels/myawesomedriftmap2021/info.json"

4. Restart the server

Server-Side Plugins (Lua)

For server-side scripting (admin tools, race systems, etc.), create folders in Resources/Server/ with .lua files. These are hot-reloaded — you don't need to restart the server when editing them.

Troubleshooting

Server doesn't appear in the server list:

• Make sure Private = false in ServerConfig.toml
• Check your AuthKey is valid
• Wait a minute — it can take 30-60 seconds to appear

Players can't connect (self-hosted):

• Verify port forwarding is set up correctly
• Check your firewall allows port 30814 (TCP + UDP)
• Test with a port checker tool (e.g., canyouseeme.org)
• Make sure you're not behind double NAT

Server crashes with mods:

• Remove all mods from Resources/Client and test
• Add mods back one at a time to isolate the issue
• Check mod compatibility with the current BeamMP version

High latency / lag:

• Reduce MaxPlayers and MaxCars
• If self-hosting, check your upload speed (10+ Mbps recommended for 10 players)
• Use a server location closer to your players

What's Next?

Now that your server is running, you might want to:

• Fine-tune your config — read our BeamMP Server Configuration Guide for every setting explained
• Add popular mods — check out How to Add Mods to Your BeamMP Server
• Grow your community — make your server public, set up a Discord, and create a welcoming experience

Want a BeamMP server without the setup hassle? Connect Hosting has you covered — pick a plan, enter your AuthKey, and you're online in under 60 seconds. Get started →