Choose your hosting method
See below for the different methods for hosting a Fika server. Choose the one that is appropriate to your network configuration.
WARNING
Some technical knowledge is required to host a Fika server. If you are unsure, please visit our Discord for assistance.
Port Forwarding is the process of opening a port externally to a device within your network. Players can enter your external IP and connect directly to the server running on your computer.
Pros
Direct connection between players and your server (best performance).
No software dependencies.
Cons
Requires access to your router configuration.
Certain ISP or network configuration such as CGNAT/shared public IP cannot port forward.
Your device local IP may change which will break the port forwarding rule (can be addressed by static IP allocation).
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) allows you to join a virtual network provided by a centralized server. All communication goes through the centralized server and then is shared between peers connected to the same network.
Pros
No port forwarding required
Easy to set up and use
Works with restricted networks such as CGNAT/shared public IP
Cons
Direct connection is not possible in some instances. Communication will be relayed through the centralized server, which can severely degrade performance
Requires all players to install and configure the VPN client
Your external IP address is shared with the VPN service
Fika supports hosting on a local server with or without access to Internet. A router is required to be able to establish a connection to the local IP address of the server.