Holdfast Server Hosting — Setup, Configuration, Mods and RCON (July 2026)

Holdfast server online in 10 minutes

You don’t want to read hour-long SteamCMD tutorials. You want a Holdfast server that runs. Here’s the practical path:

1. Configure a Holdfast plan and pick pay-per-use
2. Server gets an IPv4 + port set assigned automatically
3. Start the server — Anvil’s official dedicated server (Steam AppID 1424230) installs on first boot
4. In the panel set the server name, admin password, and optionally the server password
5. Pick game mode and map from the server config
6. Join via the server browser — done

If you’re running the server for a regiment, jump straight to the mods and RCON block below.

Slot planning: what runs on which RAM size?

Holdfast ticks one main thread for battle simulation. Single-core CPU performance matters more than RAM — we run on AMD Ryzen 9 9950X with up to 5.7 GHz boost, the fastest single-core consumer chip currently available.

That said, RAM determines how many maps and mods fit in memory simultaneously. The following table is community-experience based — Anvil does not publish hard spec values:

Setup	Players	RAM	Plan
Naval private server 20-30 slots	30	2 GB	Mini
Vanilla army public, 80 slots	80	4 GB	Starter
100-120-slot public with moderate mods	120	6 GB	Basic
150-slot standard army	150	8 GB	Standard
150-slot line battle + 5-10 Workshop mods	150	10 GB	Pro
Big event with map rotation + custom unit packs	150-180	16 GB	Advanced

180 slots? The maximum_players parameter has no hard cap, but community tests report stability plateaus around 180 players — depending on map complexity and number of simultaneously firing lines. Standard remains 150 (army) and 80 (naval).

Server configuration

Server configuration uses the commands documented in the official Holdfast wiki (wiki.holdfastgame.com/Server_Configuration).

Most important fields:

server_name "My Holdfast Server"
server_admin_password "a-long-random-password"
server_password ""
maximum_players 150
network_port <set-by-us>

Security note: server_admin_password is also your RCON password. Anyone who knows it can kick, ban, change maps, and shut down the server. Pick a long random string, share only with co-admins.

The exact enum values (game mode, map, faction setup) live in wiki.holdfastgame.com/Server_Configuration_Enums — the list changes with updates, so we link to the official wiki instead of duplicating it statically here.

Steam Workshop mods on your server

Holdfast has had an official SDK since 28 May 2020 (currently SDK 5.0), and the community distributes maps, uniforms, flags, sound mods, and script mods through the Steam Workshop.

These commands control which mods the dedicated server loads — all accept Steam Workshop IDs (the last number in the workshop URL):

Command	Effect
mods_installed <id1>,<id2>,...	Mods loaded by both server and client
mods_installed_server_only <id>	Mods only the server loads (e.g. admin tools)
load_mod <id>	Single mod load on demand
load_mod_client_only <id>	Client-only mod (visual tweaks)
load_mod_server_only <id>	Server-only mod (logging, anti-cheat layer, etc.)

Example: a regiment server with three uniform Workshop mods and one custom map:

mods_installed 2849572310,2851230012,2912000456,3010099887

Mods download automatically on server start — big map packs can take 5-10 minutes, after which everything is in the container and the server is joinable.

Console note: Players on PS5 or Xbox Series (console release July 2025) can play on unmodded cross-play servers. Activating Workshop mods excludes console players — Unity’s IL2CPP AOT compilation does not allow dynamic code loading on console SDKs.

RCON admin: managing the server in-game

Holdfast has a built-in remote console system. Once connected to the server and authenticated with rc setadminpassword <your-password> as admin, you have access to all admin commands (wiki.holdfastgame.com/Remote_Console_Commands).

Frequently used commands:

• rc kick <playerid> <reason> — Kick a player
• rc ban <playerid> <minutes> <reason> — Temporary or permanent ban
• rc changemap <enum> — Switch maps
• rc setteamcount <2|4> — Set number of teams
• rc setmaxplayers <number> — Change slot count live
• rc info — Query server status

Tip: The rc prefix supports tab autocompletion — press Tab while typing and the server suggests the next sensible option.

Organising line battles — what the tooling gives you

Holdfast is famous for its weekly line battles. If you run your own league or event, these are typical server requirements:

Event type	Recommended slots	RAM	Pay-per-use cost for 4h
Regiment vs. regiment (training)	30-50	2 GB	approx. €0.11 (€0.026/h)
Friendly line battle (80 players)	80	4 GB	approx. €0.19 (€0.048/h)
Public event with drill server	100-120	6 GB	approx. €0.25 (€0.063/h)
League match at full strength	150	10 GB	approx. €0.38 (€0.095/h)
Tournament final with custom maps	150 + mods	16 GB	approx. €0.54 (€0.135/h)

A full line battle weekend costs less than a coffee — pay-per-use only bills the hours the server actually runs. If you want to be online 24/7, the fixed plan works out cheaper (see plan recommendation below).

American Revolution on your own server (since June 2026)

On 11 June 2026 Anvil released the American Revolution expansion — as a free update inside the base game, not a separate app. For server operators that means:

Fact	Value
Release	11 June 2026, free for all owners
New settings	Bunker Hill, Boston Harbor, Delaware, Saratoga
New classes	15+ (Continental Army & Revolutionary-era British)
Server setup	None required — runs on existing dedicated servers

Your server picks up the content automatically with the regular game update (restart via the panel if the server was running during the release). The new map and faction enums for server_configuration are in the official enum wiki as usual — existing Napoleonic rotations keep working unchanged.

Naval servers: 80 slots, 40 vs. 40

Naval servers run with 80 slots in a 40v40 format. Players crew ships of the line and frigates (gunners, sailors, marines); captains steer. RAM load is lower than army (fewer simultaneously visible player models) but rarely fits below 4 GB.

Age of Sail (free, 5 March 2026, standalone Steam app 4434720) is not an update to the base game but a separate title featuring the British, Spanish and French navies plus privateers, 7 ship classes, and battles of around 100 players. It does not run on the Holdfast NaW dedicated server — currently there are official servers only. Once Anvil releases hosting tooling for third-party providers, we will offer it.

Common issues and fixes

”Server doesn’t show in the browser”

Holdfast uses Steam’s server browser subsystem. If your server doesn’t appear, check:

1. Is the UDP game port actually open? (We handle this automatically; verify via RCON anyway)
2. Did the server get registered with Steam’s master server on startup? Look for “Connected to Steam” in the log
3. Don’t filter on “Vanilla” if your server loads mods — modded servers are hidden by that filter

”Workshop mods don’t load”

Common cause: wrong workshop ID copied (the URL has a numeric ID at the end, not a slug). Double-check. For multiple IDs in mods_installed: comma only, no space.

”Server crashes at 150 players”

Expected on a 2 GB plan. Holdfast keeps all active soldier models and line simulation in RAM. For 150-slot events, take at least 8 GB; with mods, 10-16 GB.

”High latency for British / French regiments”

We host in Frankfurt. Pure UK or FR communities with strict latency requirements may want a second server in their region — but for DACH+EU communities Frankfurt is a very good pick.

Concrete plan recommendation

• You’re a regiment captain running training + one line battle weekend per month → 6 GB plan, pay-per-use (€0.063/h): around €1.30-2.50/month at 20-40 event hours
• You host a public 150-slot server 24/7 → 10 GB fixed plan at €27/month (effectively €21.60/month on a 360-day term)
• You’re building a league with its own tournament server → 16 GB plan, event-only (€0.135/h): around €5.40-13.50/month at 40-100 event hours
• You want a private naval server for your crew → 4 GB plan, pay-per-use (€0.048/h): around €1-3/month at 20-60 hours

Configure your Holdfast server | Official server docs in the Holdfast wiki | SFTP setup for custom maps