About this site
Spawnbench is a set of free tools for people who run their own game servers: checking whether a server is reachable, working out which ports to forward, sizing RAM, writing config files, and the in-game calculators that come up once the server is running.
It is built by the people who run Spawnly, a paid game server host, and Cobbly, its free Minecraft tier.
What is here
- Server status checker - asks a server the same question the in-game browser does, and tests the port directly when it does not answer.
- Port forwarding guides - the ports each game needs, the ones it does not, and router-by-router steps.
- RAM calculator - memory, CPU and disk for a given game, player count and mod load.
- Config generators - server settings files written in each game’s own format, from a form.
- Restart scheduler - a cron line and shell script that restart a Linux server on schedule, with in-game warnings first.
- Game calculators - raid costs, breeding timers, factory ratios and the rest of the in-game maths.
- Minecraft generators - MOTDs, give commands, server banners, shapes and start scripts.
Where the numbers come from
Ports come from each game’s dedicated server documentation and its server files. Where a game derives its query or extra ports from the game port, the tools derive them the same way, so a server moved off its default port still gets the right list.
Status checks use the open-source gamedig library, which speaks each game’s own query protocol. The build fails if a game is pointed at a protocol gamedig does not know, because an unknown protocol fails exactly like an offline server and would otherwise go unnoticed.
Memory figures are estimates. A few developers publish their own sizing, and where they do - Vintage Story’s, for example - we use it. For the rest, nobody publishes a per-player figure, so ours are built from the engine and from what the game keeps simulating. Treat them as a starting point to adjust from, not a guarantee.
How it is paid for
Advertising, and the two hosting services above. Where a page suggests a host, it suggests one of ours. We say so on every page rather than pretending to be a neutral comparison site.
That does not change what the tools tell you. A calculator that recommended more RAM than you need would be easy to catch, and would lose the trust the site depends on. The numbers come from the same sources whether or not you ever buy anything.
Found something wrong?
Games update, and config keys and ports change with them. If a tool gives you something that does not match your game version, tell us at [email protected].