terraria-server-manager/README.md

# terraria-server-manager

Run any number of vanilla **Terraria** and **tModLoader** dedicated servers on one Linux host. Each server is its own systemd service, and they're all managed with the `terractl` command.

```bash
sudo terractl new calamity tmodloader
sudo terractl mods calamity add ~/tmod-export
sudo terractl enable calamity --now
sudo terractl attach calamity
```

## Features

- **Many servers, one host.** Each instance is `terraria@<name>.service`, with its own directory, port, world and mods.
- **Vanilla and tModLoader side by side**, chosen per instance.
- **No manual installs.** `terractl fetch` downloads official Terraria and tModLoader server zips (or drop them into `/var/lib/terraria/dist` yourself); they're unpacked on demand, and each instance can be pinned to a specific version. `terractl upgrade` checks a new zip, backs up the worlds and switches version in one step.
- **Safe shutdowns.** Stopping a server saves the world first.
- **A live console.** `terractl attach` shows the server's output and lets you type commands into it; `terractl watch` just shows the output.
- **Mod management.** `terractl mods` installs, enables and removes mods, with correct file ownership.
- **Tab completion** for commands, instance names, mods and console commands.
- **Export and import.** Pack an instance into one `.tar.gz` for backups or moving to another machine, and import it anywhere, with paths, ports and ownership adjusted.
- **Scheduled backups.** `terractl backup enable <name>` backs an instance up daily (or on any schedule) with a systemd timer, saving the world first and keeping the newest 14.
- **Self-check.** `terractl doctor` checks the whole setup, explains what's wrong with the command to fix it, and `--fix` fixes what it safely can.
- **Manage other hosts.** Run any command on another host with `terractl --host nas ...`, and copy or move instances between hosts with `terractl copy` and `terractl move`, like LXD/Incus remotes. Hosts opt in by running the `terractld` daemon; access is per computer, over pinned TLS.
- **Hardened.** Servers run as an unprivileged `terraria` user and can only write to their own data.
- **Access for moderators.** Members of the `terraria` group can start, stop and restart servers, use the console and read the servers' own logs, without `sudo` and without seeing the rest of the system's logs.
- **Helper for Windows.** A PowerShell script exports your enabled tModLoader mods for the server.

## Requirements

- Debian 12+ or Ubuntu 22.04+ (`.deb`), or Fedora, RHEL 9+ and compatible (`.rpm`); other systemd-based distributions should work with `make install`
- `unzip`, `systemd`; for tModLoader, also `curl` and ICU (`libicu`)
- `python3` and `openssl`, for managing other hosts

## Install

From the apt repository, which also brings updates with `sudo apt upgrade`:

```bash
sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://gitea.adbraun.lol/api/packages/adam/debian/repository.key \
  -o /etc/apt/keyrings/terraria-server-manager.asc
echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/terraria-server-manager.asc] https://gitea.adbraun.lol/api/packages/adam/debian stable main" |
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/terraria-server-manager.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install terraria-server-manager
```

On Fedora, RHEL and compatible, from the RPM repository:

```bash
sudo curl -fsSL https://gitea.adbraun.lol/api/packages/adam/rpm.repo \
  -o /etc/yum.repos.d/terraria-server-manager.repo
sudo dnf install terraria-server-manager
```

Or download the `.deb` or `.rpm` from the releases page, then:

```bash
sudo apt install ./terraria-server-manager_<version>_all.deb       # Debian, Ubuntu
sudo dnf install ./terraria-server-manager-<version>-1.noarch.rpm  # Fedora, RHEL
```

Or install from source, without a package:

```bash
sudo make install
```

## Documentation

See [docs/guide.md](docs/guide.md). It covers installation, creating instances, the console, configuration, mods, versions and upgrades, permissions and troubleshooting. Installed systems also have it at `/usr/share/doc/terraria-server-manager/README.md`.

## Repository layout

```
bin/terractl               The command-line tool
lib/terractl-remote        Managing other hosts (--host, remote, daemon, copy, move), in Python
systemd/                   terraria@ service and socket, terractld, terraria-backup@ service and timer
completions/bash/          Bash completion for terractl
config/                    /etc/default settings, sysusers.d, tmpfiles.d, polkit and journald files
packaging/deb/             Debian package metadata and install/remove scripts
packaging/rpm/             RPM spec (Fedora, RHEL)
docs/guide.md              Full documentation
tools/windows/             export-tmod-mods.ps1 for exporting mods from Windows
VERSION                    Current version, used by the build
Makefile                   make check | deb | rpm | install | uninstall | clean
```

## Building

```bash
make check     # syntax checks, plus shellcheck, pyflakes and rpmspec if installed
make deb       # build/terraria-server-manager_<version>_all.deb
make rpm       # build/terraria-server-manager-<version>-1.noarch.rpm (needs rpmbuild)
```

To release, update `VERSION` and `CHANGELOG.md`, commit, and push a matching tag:

```bash
git tag v$(cat VERSION) && git push origin v$(cat VERSION)
```

The `release` workflow (`.gitea/workflows/release.yaml`, Gitea Actions) then builds the `.deb` and the `.rpm`, publishes them as a release with that version's changelog section as the notes, and adds them to the apt and RPM repositories. It needs a runner with the `ubuntu-latest` label. To build a package by hand instead, run `make deb` or `make rpm`.

## License

MIT; see [LICENSE](LICENSE).

## Disclaimer

This is an unofficial community tool. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Re-Logic or the tModLoader team. It does not include any Terraria or tModLoader software; you supply the official server downloads.