Configuring the Linux Server Firewall

Introduction

For a dedicated game server like Palworld, it's essential to allow specific ports through the firewall to ensure proper connectivity. This guide covers how to open port 8211/UDP, which the server uses for multiplayer, in some of the most common Linux firewall tools: ufw (Uncomplicated Firewall), firewalld, and iptables.

Caution

Be careful to not lock yourself out of SSH access if you are connecting remotely. Ensure you always allow port 22/TCP (SSH) from your IP address!

Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW)

The Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) is a user-friendly interface for managing iptables and is commonly used in Ubuntu and other Debian-based distributions. Let us allow the ports as such:

sudo ufw allow 8211/udp
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw enable

Then, verify the rules are in place:

sudo ufw status

The output should look something like this:

Status: active

To                         Action      From
--                         ------      ----
8211/udp                   ALLOW       Anywhere
22/tcp                     ALLOW       Anywhere
8211/udp (v6)              ALLOW       Anywhere (v6)
22/tcp (v6)                ALLOW       Anywhere (v6)

firewalld

firewalld is a dynamic firewall manager with support for network/firewall zones and is commonly used in Fedora, CentOS, and RHEL.

Allow the required ports:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=8211/udp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=22/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Then, verify the rules are in place:

sudo firewall-cmd --list-all

Iptables

Iptables is a widely used, low-level firewall utility for Linux.

Add Rules:

sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 8211 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j ACCEPT

Save the Rules:

The command to save iptables rules varies by distribution. For Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo iptables-save > /etc/iptables/rules.v4

For CentOS/RHEL:

sudo service iptables save

Then, verify the rules are in place:

sudo iptables -L

Conclusion

After applying the above rules in the appropriate firewall tool, your Satisfactory server's necessary ports should be open for UDP traffic. Ensure that the firewall service is enabled and running on your system for the changes to take effect. Regularly check and update your firewall rules to maintain server security and functionality.