Metin2 private server security: anti-cheat, network hardening, and the backup habit that keeps a server alive
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2026 3:51 pm
Metin2 private server security: anti-cheat, network hardening, and the backup habit that keeps a server alive
Quick summary
The guide's baseline for a VPS is 2 or more CPU cores, 4 GB of RAM minimum with 8 GB recommended, 20 GB of SSD storage, and unmetered bandwidth with low latency and DDoS protection. It points at Debian 12 or Ubuntu 22.04, and at European data centers for latency to the Metin2 player base.
Once the machine is up, the checklist is short: install MySQL or MariaDB, keep the OS and packages updated, open the game ports and SSH, and set up automatic security updates.
The security layer on top of that is SSH keys instead of passwords, a firewall through ufw or iptables that exposes only the necessary ports, and DDoS protection where the host provides it.
The game side
This is the part that decides whether a server lasts. The guide lists packet encryption between client and server, an anti-cheat system to detect speed hacks, damage hacks, and bots, monitoring logs for suspicious activity, and a clear ban policy with a way for players to report cheaters.
It also flags database hygiene: strong passwords for every database user, access restricted to localhost, hashed player passwords, and backups that are restored and tested rather than only taken.
What is in the server files
The community walkthrough for the Windows server files covers the three parts you download together: the server, the client, and the source. Building the server means opening the Visual Studio solution, and the walkthrough lists the components you actually need, which are MSVC v142, C++ CMake, C++ ATL, C++ MFC, and C++/CLI. MySQL holds the database. The server's configuration lives in each core's CONFIG and conf.txt, with paths that assume the dev directory sits at a fixed location, and the cores need symlinks created for them.
That is the practical reason to settle the directory layout before you start. The config files are written against it.
Why this comes before content
The guide's list of common mistakes is blunt about the order. Launching too early, ignoring the economy, a pay to win item shop, no backups, going silent, copying another server, and neglecting anti-cheat are all on it. The anti-cheat line carries the sharpest wording: one obvious cheater drives away ten honest players.
I would read that as the reason to spend the first week on hardening instead of on new content. A server with a working ban policy and a tested backup survives its first cheater wave. A server with a new dungeon and no backup does not.
Source
Quick summary
- A Metin2 private server is reachable on the game ports, typically 13000 to 13100, so the firewall is the first thing to get right.
- The 2026 hosting guide lists SSH key authentication with password login disabled, a firewall that opens only what is needed, and DDoS protection as the baseline.
- On the game side, packet encryption between client and server and an anti-cheat that looks for speed hacks, damage hacks, and bots are the two things the guide puts first.
- Backups are listed as a daily minimum, covering both the database and the server files.
The guide's baseline for a VPS is 2 or more CPU cores, 4 GB of RAM minimum with 8 GB recommended, 20 GB of SSD storage, and unmetered bandwidth with low latency and DDoS protection. It points at Debian 12 or Ubuntu 22.04, and at European data centers for latency to the Metin2 player base.
Once the machine is up, the checklist is short: install MySQL or MariaDB, keep the OS and packages updated, open the game ports and SSH, and set up automatic security updates.
The security layer on top of that is SSH keys instead of passwords, a firewall through ufw or iptables that exposes only the necessary ports, and DDoS protection where the host provides it.
The game side
This is the part that decides whether a server lasts. The guide lists packet encryption between client and server, an anti-cheat system to detect speed hacks, damage hacks, and bots, monitoring logs for suspicious activity, and a clear ban policy with a way for players to report cheaters.
It also flags database hygiene: strong passwords for every database user, access restricted to localhost, hashed player passwords, and backups that are restored and tested rather than only taken.
What is in the server files
The community walkthrough for the Windows server files covers the three parts you download together: the server, the client, and the source. Building the server means opening the Visual Studio solution, and the walkthrough lists the components you actually need, which are MSVC v142, C++ CMake, C++ ATL, C++ MFC, and C++/CLI. MySQL holds the database. The server's configuration lives in each core's CONFIG and conf.txt, with paths that assume the dev directory sits at a fixed location, and the cores need symlinks created for them.
That is the practical reason to settle the directory layout before you start. The config files are written against it.
Why this comes before content
The guide's list of common mistakes is blunt about the order. Launching too early, ignoring the economy, a pay to win item shop, no backups, going silent, copying another server, and neglecting anti-cheat are all on it. The anti-cheat line carries the sharpest wording: one obvious cheater drives away ten honest players.
I would read that as the reason to spend the first week on hardening instead of on new content. A server with a working ban policy and a tested backup survives its first cheater wave. A server with a new dungeon and no backup does not.
Source