---
title: Private Server Setup
---

import {Tab, Tabs} from 'fumadocs-ui/components/tabs';
import {File, Folder, Files} from 'fumadocs-ui/components/files';

## Starting a server

In each of the mod file folders we provide server files as well (one for each operating system), you can use these files to run your own server.

<Tabs items={['Windows', 'Mac/Linux']}>
	<Tab value="Windows">
		Download `server-win.exe` and run that file.
	</Tab>
	<Tab value="Mac/Linux">
		Download `server-mac`. Once you download that open terminal and navigate to where that file is
		by running
		```sh
		cd /path/to/directory/where/server-mac/is
		```

		Then, run
		```sh
		chmod +x server-mac
		```

		After that you can run

		```sh
		./server-mac
		```
		to run the server.
	</Tab>
</Tabs>

## Connecting to the server

Once the server is running you will have to modify your config to point to the server.
To modify your config go to the location where your `Mods` folder is,
beside that folder will be another folder called `config`, inside the `config` folder will be a file called `Multiplayer.jkr`.
If this file is not there for you then you need to launch the game with the Multiplayer mod installed at least once.

<Files>
	<Folder name="Mods">
		<File name="Multiplayer"/>
	</Folder>
	<Folder name="config" defaultOpen>
		<File name="Multiplayer.jkr"/>
	</Folder>

</Files>

The contents of this file will look something like this by default:

```lua
return {
    ["username"] = "Guest",
    ["server_url"] = "balatro.virtualized.dev",
    ["server_port"] = 8788,
}
```

If you are running the server on your computer you can change the `server_url` field to `"localhost"`,
but your friends will have to connect to you over the internet or through a tunnel service like Hamachi or ZeroTier.

For them to connect over the internet you will have to port forward port `8788` on your PC and router,
then they will have to input your public IP address in the `server_url`. You can find your public IP address by going to a site like this: https://www.whatismyip.com.