RCON (remote console) lets a program outside your server send console commands to it over the network, protected by a password. Admin apps, web dashboards and Discord bots use it to kick players, broadcast messages or run a save without anyone opening the panel.
You do not need RCON to run your server with us. The Console tab in the panel already sends commands straight to the server. Only switch RCON on when a specific tool asks for it, and switch it off again when you stop using that tool.
Why RCON deserves care
Whoever has the RCON password has the console. They can op themselves, ban your players, stop the server or run any command you could. On top of that, classic RCON is not encrypted, so the password travels over the network in plain text. Three rules follow from that:
- Use a long random password. Around 20 letters and numbers, generated by a password manager. Never your account password, never something reused elsewhere.
- Share it only with the tool that needs it. Not with every moderator, not in Discord.
- Turn it off when you are done. An RCON port nobody uses is pure risk.
Some games limit which characters the password may contain, and some also cap its length (DayZ allows at most 20 characters). Letters and numbers always work, so stick to those, and use a shorter password if the panel still rejects it.
Minecraft Java: server.properties
Minecraft configures RCON in server.properties. It needs a port of its own, separate from the port players join on.
Step 1: get a free port
- Open the game panel and select your server
- Click Network in the left menu
- Click Add allocation
A new port is added to your server. Note its number: that is your RCON port. If the button is greyed out and hovering over it shows Allocation limit reached., you already use all your ports. Check whether one of them is marked Unused and use that one.
Step 2: edit server.properties
- Go to the Files tab and open
server.propertiesin the root folder - Set these three lines, using your own port and password:
enable-rcon=true
rcon.port=25576
rcon.password=PUT_A_LONG_RANDOM_PASSWORD_HERE
- Save the file and restart the server
When the server starts, the Console shows a line saying RCON is running on your port. If the password is left empty, Minecraft does not start RCON at all.
The panel rewrites only server-ip, server-port and query.port in this file on each start, so your RCON lines stay as you set them.
A related setting, broadcast-rcon-to-ops, decides whether operators who are online see the commands sent over RCON in their chat. Leaving it on is a useful way to notice if someone else is using your RCON.
Turning it off
Set enable-rcon=false, save, and restart. If you added a port only for RCON, you can remove it afterwards on the Network tab with Remove. Only remove a port you added yourself: other ports may be in use by the game, crossplay or a plugin.
Games with RCON in the Startup tab
For many other games we set RCON up through startup variables, so you manage it on the Startup tab instead of in a file. Open the game panel, select your server, click Startup and look for variables with RCON in the name. What you find depends on the game:
- An RCON password. Set your own long random password here. Several games ship with a known default password, so change it even if you never plan to use RCON.
- A switch to enable RCON. Games such as Counter-Strike 2, V Rising and The Isle have one. Turn it on only while you need it.
- An RCON port marked Read-only. We assigned that port to your server when it was created, so the port is already open for your server and you do not have to add one.
Changes on the Startup tab apply after a restart.
On some games, such as DayZ and The Isle, the RCON password is also shown on the server's Overview page as RCON password, where you can copy it or change it directly.
When RCON cannot be switched off
A few games in our lineup run with RCON always on:
- Rust starts with RCON enabled, and the port is fixed. You cannot turn it off from the panel, so the password is your protection. Set RCON Password on the Startup tab to something long and random.
- Palworld always runs with RCON on, because the panel's Console tab sends your commands through it. Its RCON uses the server's admin password, so keep that password strong and private.
Other games
Some games keep their remote admin settings in their own configuration file rather than in startup variables. If your game is not covered above, check the Startup tab first, then the game's own config file through the Config or Files tab. If you cannot find it, ask us and we will tell you where it lives for your game.
Troubleshooting
The tool cannot connect. Check that you entered the RCON port, not the game port, and the server's IP address from the panel. Most games use a separate RCON port. Counter-Strike 2 is an exception: its RCON listens on the game port.
Authentication failed. The password in the tool does not match. Copy it again from the panel or the file, and remember that a password changed on the Startup tab only takes effect after a restart.
Minecraft RCON does not start. rcon.password is empty, enable-rcon is not true, or rcon.port is the same as the game port. Pick a port from the Network tab that nothing else uses.
The panel rejects my password. That game limits the characters or the length. Use only letters and numbers, and try a shorter password.
Strange commands appear in the console. Someone else has your RCON password. Change it at once, restart, and turn RCON off if you do not need it.
Unsure whether your game supports RCON, or which port it uses? Open a ticket from the support page with your server name and the tool you want to connect, and we will help you set it up.