Machines

Connect a machine

A "machine" is the computer that actually runs your game servers, a dedicated server, a VPS, or a spare PC. SoEzyPanel connects to it over SSH and installs everything for you.

Requirements

A machine running Windows Server 2022/2025 or Linux (Ubuntu 22.04+ / Debian 12).
At least 4 vCPU and 16 GB RAM for ARK: Survival Ascended; 4 GB+ is fine for Palworld/Enshrouded.
The machine's public IP and an admin account (Administrator on Windows, root or a sudo user on Linux).
Port 22 (SSH) reachable from the internet, this is how the panel manages the machine.

Important: Windows machines must run the Windows preparation script first. Linux machines should follow Prepare a Linux machine. This installs SSH and the runtimes the panel needs.

Connect the machine

In the panel open Servers → Machines, then Add machine (or the + next to Machines in the sidebar).
Enter the machine IP. SoEzyPanel scans it to check it's reachable and compatible.
Enter your credentials, the username and password (or SSH key). They're stored with AES-256 encryption.
Pick the OS and the SSH port (default 22), then click Start installation.
SoEzyPanel installs SteamCMD and the required software. When it finishes, the machine is Ready.

Machine installing

On Windows, the machine page shows Installing is in progress with each step: checking the machine, creating folders, installing SteamCMD and preparing the game runtime. The runtime is the long part, it downloads several GB (or is built on the machine for its exact Windows version) and can take 15 to 60 minutes. It runs on our side, so you can close the page. Servers and services can be added as soon as the machine is Ready, and from then on a new server only needs its own game files.

Note: If a step fails, the machine page says why and offers Retry installation. It continues from a clean check, nothing already done is redone from scratch.

Tip: Prefer key-based SSH? Choose SSH key as the auth method. Otherwise a password is fine, the connection itself is always encrypted.

How it works under the hood

SoEzyPanel manages your machine over SSH (port 22). Each game server runs in its own Docker container for clean isolation, and an FTP server gives you direct file access, its login details appear on each server's Connect tab. The preparation script installs this whole stack for you.

Where things live on the machine

Everything the panel keeps on a Windows machine is under one folder, C:\SoEzyPanel: containers (one folder per game server), games (the shared game files new servers copy from), steamcmd, storage\backups and storage\clusters (your backups and the files shared by a cluster), images, scripts and tools. Machines connected before November 2026 keep their original C:\gamepanel folder.

Ports

Only SSH (22) needs to be open to connect a machine. Your game, query and FTP ports come into play once you run servers, see Ports & firewall. Never expose RCON or SSH to the whole internet.

RCON-only machines

If a server is hosted elsewhere and you only want console/commands, add it as an RCON-only machine, provide the host and RCON port instead of SSH. You won't get install/power control, but broadcasts and commands work.

Deleting a machine

On the machine page, open Danger zone and click Delete, then enter your account password. The machine is removed from the panel together with its game servers and services, even if it no longer answers. Nothing is changed on the machine itself, and your player data is kept.

While the machine still answers you can tick Also clean the machine. Each game server is then removed from the machine first (container, files, backups, firewall rules, FTP), then everything else the panel installed (game files, SteamCMD, the game runtime, services and the C:\SoEzyPanel folder), and the machine is deleted. Windows, Docker and SSH stay installed. Your tasks are kept: a task that only ran on those servers is switched off so you can point it at another server. The machine page shows the progress; if a server can't be removed it says why, and you can cancel or delete without cleaning.

Note: A server whose machine no longer answers can be removed on its own too: open the server's Danger zone, and when the delete reports the machine is unreachable choose Remove from the panel only.

Next step

With a machine Ready, add a game server onto it. Hit a snag? See Machine troubleshooting.

← Dashboards Prepare a Windows machine →