Skip to main content

Dashboard overview

Introduction

You are interested in an ARK server or already own one, but you still lack a comprehensive overview of the administration and the findability of all necessary options? Especially at the beginning, this can be a challenge. But don't worry, we'll provide you with a detailed introduction to the administration of your service below, so you'll have the best possible overview.

After going through this guide, you will easily be able to manage your server efficiently and find all the necessary options and features quickly and easily. Here, you will get a structured overview that will help you step by step to get familiar with the server administration and expand your knowledge in a targeted manner. This way, you can ensure that your ARK server is optimally adapted to your needs and that you get the most out of the available options.

Information

In the Information section of your navigation panel, you will find a number of sub-items to help you manage your server. These include Dashboard, News, Statistics, DDoS Manager, Tebex Shop, Log Files, Event Log, Service interruptions, Frequently Asked Questions and the ZAP-Hosting.com documentation. In the following you will get a detailed introduction to these different areas.

Dashboard

The Dashboard of your server is the heart of the administration. All basic and essential information about your service is clearly presented here. This includes, for example, information about the location, status, IP: Port, used memory, game in progress, server name, map and the number of available slots. In addition, the utilization of the CPU, memory and RAM is also displayed.

img

In the dashboard you also have the option of starting, stopping or restarting your service, to have full control over its operation. Furthermore, you can access the live console to get real-time information about the server's state and take direct action if necessary.

Messages

The News provides you with a comprehensive overview of all announcements and news related to your service. Here you will find important information on various aspects such as:

  • Changes of the service for example by updates or new features
  • Announcements about possible maintenance or technical problems
  • Special offers and promotions that give you exclusive benefits or discounts
  • Other relevant information that may be relevant to the use of your service

By checking the News regularly, you'll stay informed and be able to adjust your service accordingly to get the most out of your server.

Statistics

Under the Statistics you get a comprehensive overview of the load values of your server. There you will find information about various aspects such as the load of the available slots, the CPU and the memory. You can view this data for different time periods, for example for the last 60 minutes, 24 hours, 3 days, 7 days or 30 days.

img

Thanks to this information, you get a good insight into the usage of your server. Additionally, these statistics are often helpful to identify possible performance issues and narrow down their causes. For example, you can trace back when the utilization has increased and whether this is related to certain events or changes. This is particularly important when sudden problems arise, as it allows you to take targeted steps to troubleshoot and systematically analyze possible causes.

DDoS Manager

The DDoS Manager allows you to view past attacks and thus get a better overview of potential threats. Furthermore, you have the option to activate notifications for ongoing DDoS attacks on your server to be able to react quickly to such incidents.

img

Moreover, you can customize the protection provided that you have booked your own IP address. There are two different options available:

  • Sensor Mode: In this mode the protection is enabled, but inactive. As soon as an attack is detected, the protection becomes active and filters the attack to ensure the stability of your server.
  • Permanent: This setting means that the protection is permanently active and enabled. All incoming attacks are continuously filtered to protect your system from possible DDoS attacks. (Only recommended for continuous attacks)

These customization options allow you to adjust the DDoS protection to your individual needs and thus increase the security of your server.

info

The use of the DDoS Manager is only possible if either an own IP address or the option "DDoS Manager Overview" has been booked as an additional option. If these components are missing from your current package, you can add them at any time by upgrading.

Tebex Shop

With TEBEX you have the possibility to turn your game server into cash by selling virtual goods and ranks for real money. It's a powerful and reliable tool designed specifically for game server administrators who want to offer a better gaming experience to their players.

img

TEBEX is easy to use and offers numerous features to customize and optimize your store. You can customize your store layout, add payment options, and even launch marketing campaigns to reach more players.

By clicking on the image, you can create your own game server store with TEBEX. The setup is quick and easy, so you'll be ready to sell your virtual goods in no time.

Log files

Is a technical problem occurring and you are unsure about its cause? A first possible solution strategy is to check the Log files. These files contain a lot of information about the server, such as current events, hints or error messages.

Error messages in particular can help to identify and better understand the cause of a problem. Often, difficulties can be uncovered and resolved by taking a targeted look at the log files.

info

The information found there does not help or you do not understand it? Don't worry! In this case, we are also daily available in support. Just create a Ticket and explain your problem to us. We will look at it as quickly as possible and help you to solve the problem accordingly! :)

Event log

The Event Log provides you with a comprehensive overview of all activities related to server administration. Here you can track at any time when a server started, stopped or crashed, as well as when updates, backups or new installations were performed.

img

Service Interruptions

Your server was temporarily offline and you can't explain why? A look into the event log and log files did not provide any information either? It could be that the cause of the problem does not lie directly with your server, but with the host system on which your server is operated.

If our monitoring system detects a general interruption, our technicians are automatically notified and take care of the problem as soon as possible.

In this section you will find an overview of the interruptions history of the host system on which your game server service is running. You can find more information and the latest version of our service status on our new status page.

Frequently Asked Questions

In case you still have unanswered questions, we recommend that you first take a look at our Questions & Answers (FAQ) category. There we try to answer frequently asked questions and concerns comprehensively. This can provide you with valuable information and possibly already offer a solution to your concern.

ZAP-Hosting Documentation

We offer extensive documentation for our products, which serves as a knowledge base for the most frequently asked questions and concerns. There you will find various guides and help on different topics that will assist you in using and managing your product.

img

We also offer guides for your product. This includes for example the following guides:

GuidePage
Become AdminView guide
Install ModsView guide
Serverlisting problemsView guide
Server ConfigurationView guide

List updated last on 03.05.2023

Settings

In the Settings section of your navigation panel, you will find a number of sub-items that will help you manage your server. These include the Settings, Configs, Games, Versions, Steam Workshop and the Restart planner. In the following you will get a detailed introduction to these different areas.

Settings

Under the settings you will find an overview of the most common setting options for your server. These also include a short explanation. The use of the settings page is especially recommended for newcomers to server administration.

img

Here you can make for example the following adjustments:

  • Basic settings: server name, server password, game server map and more
  • Game settings_ Cuddle baby
  • Difficulty: Player Damage Multiplier, Dino Damage Multiplier, Structure Damage Multiplier and more.

If you are more confident and want to make more precise changes, we recommend using the Config Editor instead. You can find more information about this in the Configs category.

Configs

The config file editor allows you to edit the configuration files directly from the website in the classic way, without the simplified view. This option allows you to customize the settings of your server and configure them according to your personal preferences.

By using the editor, you get direct access to all available options and can customize them precisely. This is especially useful for advanced users who want full control over their server settings and know exactly what changes they want to make.

info

Have you noticed that some of your changes are partially overwritten? Please be aware that certain option values are taken from the settings page. If you want to make these changes directly in the config, you must first disable the relevant options on the settings page.

Games

Under Games you always have the possibility to change the game variant of your existing game or to install another game in general. Games with the same slot price can be selected directly under Available Games. For all other games an adjustment of the slot price is required first. More information about this can be found in the Game Change guide.

img

Versions

Under Versions you have the possibility to view and manage the current version of your game server. Here you can update to the latest version at any time or activate automatic updates to ensure that your server is always up to date.

img

Moreover, you can also enable the email notification feature for automatic updates to keep you informed about updates and ensure that you are always up-to-date.

Steam Workshop

If you are looking for new content to enhance your gaming experience, the Steam Workshop offers a wide selection of mods and maps for a variety of games. To use a collection of mods or maps in your game, you simply need to enter the Steam Workshop Collection ID. Then, you will need to restart your server to ensure that the new content is loaded. Once this is done, you can use the new content on your server and add more variety and fun to your game.

img

Restart planner

Do you want to schedule server restarts at specific times? The Restart Planner allows you to set up scheduled automatic restarts of your game server. With this feature, you can set up restarts at specific times or at regular intervals.

img

Tools

In the Tools section of your navigation panel, you will find a range of sub-items that will help you manage your server. These include FTP Browser, Databases, and Backups. In the following, you will receive a detailed introduction to these different areas.

FTP-Browser

Using the FTP Browser, you will get all the necessary information to establish a connection to the FTP access. The FTP access allows you direct access to the files of your game server. We recommend using an external FTP program such as Filezilla or WinSCP for optimal use. If you are not familiar with how to use FTP, then taking a look at the following guide may help you.

img

FileZilla: FileZilla is the easiest and most familiar FTP client. Just install, start and enter your access data in the upper bar, which you find on this page a bit further up. After a quick click on "Connect", you are logged in directly to the server and can manage the files.

WinSCP: WinSCP is actually intended for SCP and SFTP (the encrypted descendants of the file transfer protocol FTP) but can handle FTP the same. The program is more comprehensive than FileZilla and is suitable for advanced users.

Databases

In addition to our game server products, we also offer 10 included databases. These databases are necessary, for example, when data needs to be stored in a database. Under Databases, you can create a database and view the access credentials. You also have the option to activate the backup option and import existing database backups.

img

Backups

Under Backups, you have the option to create both manual and automatic backups for your server and its associated database. This makes it easier to recover your data in case of any problems or data loss.

In the settings, you can specify whether backups should be created automatically and whether this should be done daily or weekly. Additionally, you can decide whether the oldest backups should be deleted if necessary, such as when the available storage space becomes limited.

img

We provide 10 GB of storage space on the storage server for backups for our game server products by default. If you need more storage space, it can be upgraded for a fee. This way you ensure that you always have enough space for your backups and can still access older backups if necessary.