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A server group creates replaceable servers from one shared configuration. Use a group when you want several identical servers or want SimpleCloud to adjust the number of servers for you. See Persistent Servers if the right-hand column matches what you are creating. Before you start, connect at least one serverhost to your network.

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Choose a group type

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Create a server group

1

Open the creation page

In the dashboard, open Server Groups and click Add Group.
2

Choose the type and name

Choose Server or Proxy, then enter a unique name. Names may contain up to 100 ASCII letters, digits, underscores, and hyphens ([A-Za-z0-9_-]) and are unique within the network case-insensitively — Lobby and lobby count as the same name.Enable Activate on creation if SimpleCloud should start the group immediately.
3

Choose the software

Select the server software and the available version options.If the software is not listed, choose Custom and fill in the required fields.
4

Set the resources

Choose the player limit and memory for each server. Make sure your serverhosts have enough memory for the number of servers you plan to run.For a proxy group, also enter its starting port.
5

Create the group

Review the configuration, add any plugins you need, and click Create Group.

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Activate or deactivate a group

An active group starts and stops servers to meet its scaling configuration. An inactive group does not run any servers. Activate on creation is enabled by default. After creating the group, open its Servers tab to follow the first server as it starts. You can activate or deactivate the group later from its action menu.

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Configure scaling

Scaling controls how many servers SimpleCloud keeps ready. Open the group, then go to Settings > Scaling. Both modes use these limits:
  • Minimum Servers is the baseline number of servers the group keeps running.
  • Maximum Servers is the most servers the group may run.
Then choose the mode that matches how you want the group to grow.

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Scale by player slots

Choose Slots when SimpleCloud should adjust the number of servers according to player capacity. Set Available Slots to the number of free player spaces you want to keep across the group. SimpleCloud starts servers when more capacity is needed and stops unused servers when enough capacity remains. It always stays between your minimum and maximum. For example, if each server allows 100 players and Available Slots is 50, SimpleCloud starts another server when the group has fewer than 50 free player spaces.
Idle Time does not currently delay scale-down. SimpleCloud may stop an unused server as soon as the group has enough spare capacity.

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Scale by available servers

Choose Servers when you want a set number of servers ready for players. Player Threshold decides when a server is too full to count as ready. For example, with Minimum Servers set to 2 and Player Threshold set to 0.75, SimpleCloud keeps two servers below 75% capacity ready when possible. It starts more servers as those servers fill, up to Maximum Servers.
Servers mode only starts servers. It does not stop extra servers automatically. Choose Slots if the group should also scale down.
Save your changes, then watch the Servers tab to confirm the group moves toward the new capacity.

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Choose where servers can run

Open Settings > Deployment to choose which serverhosts may run the group. Leave every serverhost enabled unless the group must run on specific machines. When you enable only some serverhosts, drag them into the order SimpleCloud should prefer them. SimpleCloud can use another enabled serverhost when a preferred one has no capacity. If you disable every serverhost, SimpleCloud cannot start a new server for the group.

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Apply group changes

Changes to software, plugins, or server files apply when new servers start. After saving a change, open the group’s action menu and use Hold to rolling restart to apply it to running servers. A rolling restart replaces the group’s servers one at a time so capacity remains available during the change. Restart all stops the current servers together, and deactivating the group stops them without starting replacements.
Files stored only inside a group server are temporary. Use a persistent server for data that must survive replacement.

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Troubleshooting

Make sure the group is active, Minimum Servers is at least 1, and at least one enabled serverhost is online with enough free memory.
Open the affected server’s logs and the serverhost logs. They show whether software setup, a workflow, or the server process failed.
Check Minimum Servers, Maximum Servers, and the setting used by your mode: Available Slots for Slots mode or Player Threshold for Servers mode. Remember that only Slots mode automatically stops extra servers.