Skip to content

How Takaro Connects to Your Game Server

Takaro can talk to a game server in two ways. Use the Takaro mod or plugin for your game: your server connects out to Takaro, so you don’t open any ports. The older direct connection, where Takaro reaches into your server, is still there for 7 Days to Die and Rust servers that don’t run the mod yet.

Section titled “The Takaro mod or plugin (recommended)”

A mod or plugin installed on your game server connects outbound to Takaro’s WebSocket endpoint (wss://connect.takaro.io/). Once connected, data flows both ways over that single connection. Every official game has one, 7 Days to Die and Rust included.

┌──────────────────┐              ┌──────────┐
│ Your Game Server │ ──────────── │  Takaro  │
│  (7D2D / Rust /  │     WSS      │  (Cloud) │
│   Minecraft ...) │    :443      │          │
└──────────────────┘              └──────────┘
 Outbound only, no
 port forwarding needed

Your game server is the one dialing out, just like a web browser loading a website. Most networks allow outbound HTTPS/WSS traffic by default, so no port forwarding or inbound firewall rules are needed.

The game server pushes events (player joins, chat messages, deaths) to Takaro over the WebSocket. When Takaro needs the server to do something (teleport a player, send a message, run a command) it sends a request over the same connection and the game server responds.

Authentication uses two tokens configured in the mod or plugin: an identity token that identifies your specific server, and a registration token from your Takaro dashboard that authenticates to your domain.

For 7 Days to Die this also means you no longer need Allocs Server Fixes.

The older direct connection (legacy)

Section titled “The older direct connection (legacy)”

Takaro initiates the connection to your game server over the internet: HTTP requests to the web API for 7 Days to Die, or a WebSocket to RCON for Rust.

┌──────────┐              ┌──────────────────┐
│  Takaro  │ ──────────── │ Your Game Server │
│  (Cloud) │   HTTP /     │  (7D2D / Rust)   │
│          │   RCON       │                  │
└──────────┘              └──────────────────┘
                           Inbound port must
                           be accessible
  • 7 Days to Die needs Allocs Server Fixes and inbound access to the web API port (default 8080, set in serverconfig.xml).
  • Rust needs inbound access to the RCON WebSocket port (commonly 28016, set as a startup parameter).

Servers you import from CSMM start on this connection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Section titled “Frequently Asked Questions”

Do I need to open any inbound firewall ports?

Section titled “Do I need to open any inbound firewall ports?”
  • With the Takaro mod or plugin: No. Your server connects outbound to Takaro. You only need standard outbound internet access.
  • With the older direct connection (7 Days to Die web API, Rust RCON): Yes. Takaro connects to your server, so that port must be reachable from the internet.

What if my game server is behind a strict firewall that blocks outbound connections?

Section titled “What if my game server is behind a strict firewall that blocks outbound connections?”

The game server needs outbound HTTPS/WSS access (port 443) to connect.takaro.io. If outbound traffic on port 443 is blocked, you need to create a firewall rule allowing it. This is the same port used for normal web browsing, so it is rarely blocked.

What happens if the connection drops?

Section titled “What happens if the connection drops?”

The mod or plugin reconnects by itself. On the older direct connection, Takaro retries its connection attempts.

Further Reading

Section titled “Further Reading”