Server Ports Explained (and How to Open Extra Ones)
What a port actually is, why your game already works without touching one, and how to open additional ports for voice chat, web maps, or mods — all from the dashboard.
"Port forwarding" is the thing that scares people off self-hosting. The good news: on Quantum Shell your game port is handled for you. The better news: when you need extra ports (a voice mod, a live map, a second service), you can open them yourself in a couple of clicks.
What a port even is
A network address has two parts: a host (where the machine is) and a port (which program on that machine to talk to). Your game already listens on its own port, and we expose it for you. You also pick a friendly address for your server when you create it, so players connect to something memorable:
myserver.servers.quantum-shell.comYou choose the myserver part in the dashboard (and can change it later); we
point it at your server automatically. You never forward a port on your router
and you never expose your home IP.
Why you might need more ports
Some setups run a second listener alongside the game:
- A voice mod (e.g. Simple Voice Chat) on its own port.
- A live web map (e.g. Dynmap/BlueMap).
- A companion service or secondary game protocol.
Opening additional ports
Open your server, go to the Ports tab, and add a port. The platform allocates a public port, patches the live networking, and shows you the address to share — no restart-and-pray.
You can open up to a handful of extra ports per server (the default cap is 5). If you need more, reach out via support.
Management ports (like the RCON / REST admin ports your server uses internally) are blocklisted on purpose — you cannot expose them, because doing so would hand the internet the keys to your server.
Troubleshooting
- Mod port not reachable? Make sure the mod is actually configured to listen on the port you opened, then restart the mod/server so it binds.
- Wrong protocol? Some services are UDP, some TCP — match what the mod docs say.
Once your networking is sorted, the next thing worth understanding is how your world is protected: see backups and restores.
Related guides
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Your world is backed up automatically every time the server stops, plus on demand. Here is how snapshots work, when they run, and how to roll back in one click when something breaks.
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A plain-English tour of what actually happens when you spin up a game server in the cloud — containers, ports, world data, and why managed hosting beats running it on your own PC.
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