zima-apps/Apps/ark-suac/README.md

ARK: Survival Ascended Server

ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server container for ZimaOS.

Overview

This app provides a dedicated server for ARK: Survival Ascended, allowing you to host your own game server with automatic updates and remote administration capabilities.

Features

• Automatic Updates: Server files are automatically updated on startup
• Cluster Support: Configure multiple servers to work together
• Remote Administration: RCON access for server management
• Customizable: Adjust game parameters, player limits, and maps
• Secure by Default: Runs with minimal privileges and capabilities

Configuration

Ports

• 7777/udp: Game port for player connections
• 27020/tcp: RCON port for remote server administration

Volumes

All volumes are mounted under /DATA/AppData/ark-survival-ascended/:

• steam: Steam runtime files
• steamcmd: SteamCMD installation
• server-files: ARK server files and save data
• cluster-shared: Shared data for cluster setups

Environment Variables

• TZ: Timezone (default: Europe/Stockholm)
• ASA_START_PARAMS: Server start parameters and map configuration
• ENABLE_DEBUG: Set to "1" to enable debug mode (prevents server startup)

Security

Baseline Security

• Runs as non-root user gameserver
• All capabilities dropped (cap_drop: ALL)
• no-new-privileges security option enabled
• No privileged mode required
• No Docker socket access

Data Persistence

All game data, including server files, save games, and configuration, is persisted in the bound volumes. The container will automatically download and update server files on startup.

Usage

First Start

1. Install the app through ZimaOS App Store
2. Configure desired map and settings via ASA_START_PARAMS
3. Start the container - first startup will download ~11GB of server files
4. Connect to your server via the ARK game client

Map Configuration

Change the map by modifying ASA_START_PARAMS. Example maps:

• TheIsland_WP (default)
• ScorchedEarth_WP
• Ragnarok_WP
• Valguero_WP

Cluster Setup

For multi-server clusters:

1. Use the same clusterid parameter for all servers
2. Share the cluster-shared volume between containers
3. Configure different ports for each server instance

Remote Administration

Connect to RCON on port 27020 using tools like:

• ARK Server API
• Battlemetrics RCON
• Command line: nc hostname 27020

Performance Requirements

• RAM: ~13GB per server instance
• Disk: ~11GB for server files + space for save games
• CPU: Modern multi-core processor recommended

Updates

Server files are automatically updated on container startup. To update the container image itself, pull the new version through ZimaOS.

Troubleshooting

Server Not Visible

• Verify port 7777/udp is properly forwarded
• Check firewall settings
• Ensure ASA_START_PARAMS includes ?listen parameter

Connection Timeouts

• Verify your network configuration
• Check that UDP traffic is not being blocked
• Ensure the server has completed initialization (can take several minutes)

Debug Mode

Set ENABLE_DEBUG=1 to prevent server startup and investigate container issues.

References

• Upstream Repository
• ARK Official Website
• SteamCMD Documentation

Support

For issues specific to this ZimaOS integration, please contact the Zima Apps Team. For game server issues, refer to the upstream repository or ARK official support.