ARK: Survival Evolved

A native plugin for the Linux ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server. It runs inside the game server and connects to Takaro by itself, with no sidecar. Players do not install anything.

Install

1. Before you start

An ARK: Survival Evolved Linux dedicated server on public build 21241282 (Steam app 376030). Windows servers and other builds are not supported.
Control over the server’s start command.
A Takaro game server of type Generic and its registration token (Takaro → Game servers → Add → Generic).

2. Download

Download the latest release from takaro.io/games/ark-survival-evolved (or from the releases page, https://github.com/gettakaro/connectors/releases?q=ark). Take takaro-ark-native-linux-21241282-<version>.zip. Check it with SHA256SUMS from the same release (sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing).

3. Install

Stop the server. In your ARK install folder (the one that contains ShooterGame/), make a folder TakaroArk/ and unzip into it:

cd /path/to/ark && mkdir -p TakaroArk && unzip takaro-ark-native-linux-21241282-<version>.zip -d TakaroArk

<ark install>/
    ShooterGame/
    TakaroArk/
        TakaroArkNative/
            libtakaro-ark-native.so
            launch.sh
            takaro.cfg.example
            ...

From now on, start the server through the launcher instead of ShooterGameServer:

/path/to/ark/TakaroArk/TakaroArkNative/launch.sh /path/to/ark 'TheIsland?listen?SessionName=My-ARK?Port=7777?QueryPort=27015' -server -log

The launcher checks the server executable and refuses any other ARK build. In Docker, run the container with --init (Compose init: true).

4. Configure

Copy TakaroArk/TakaroArkNative/takaro.cfg.example to takaro.cfg in the same folder, set TAKARO_REGISTRATION_TOKEN and start the server. The other keys are optional:

Key	Default
`TAKARO_SERVER_NAME`	`ARK (<first characters of the identity>)`; unique in your Takaro domain.
`TAKARO_IDENTITY_TOKEN`	Generated once and kept in the state folder.
`TAKARO_WS_URL`	`wss://connect.takaro.io/`
`TAKARO_STATE_DIR`	`<ark install>/.takaro/ark-native`
`TAKARO_CA_FILE`	The system CA bundle.
`TAKARO_SERVER_CHAT_NAME`	None. Sender name on messages from Takaro (see below).

A non-empty environment variable with the same name wins over the file.

Server chat name (optional). Messages from Takaro show the sender in front of the text, in ARK’s chat sender colour (Takaro: Welcome!), in global chat and to one player. The sender is the chat name set for this server in Takaro; a change there applies to the next message, no restart needed. On a Takaro version that does not send that name, set TAKARO_SERVER_CHAT_NAME in takaro.cfg instead (read at server start); the name set in Takaro wins over it. With neither, the message shows as ARK’s own (SERVER): <message> line.

5. Check that it works

The server shows up as online in Takaro within a minute of the world loading (at most 15 minutes after start). The server’s console output shows:

ARK_NATIVE_DIAG ... takaro-identified gameServerId=<id> protocolVersion=<n>

A wrong token shows takaro-identify-failed instead. Fix takaro.cfg and restart the server.

6. Upgrade

Stop the server, unzip the new release over the old one and start the server again:

cd /path/to/ark && unzip -o takaro-ark-native-linux-21241282-<version>.zip -d TakaroArk

The zip has no takaro.cfg, so yours stays; do not delete TakaroArkNative/ first, or you lose it. Keep <ark install>/.takaro/ark-native (or your TAKARO_STATE_DIR): it holds the server identity, ban reasons and expiry dates. To uninstall, stop the server, delete TakaroArk/ and start ShooterGameServer directly again.

What works, what doesn’t

Checked on server build 21241282 (game version 361.7). ✅ works, ⚠️ works with a limit, ❌ not supported.

What		Notes
Connection	✅	Connects once the world has loaded.
Player list	✅	Steam ID and in-game name.
Player location	✅	Matches the in-game GPS.
Teleport	✅
Player inventory	✅
Item list	✅	Player-facing names.
Entity list	✅	Player-facing creature names.
Locations	⚠️	Spawn points. Not checked on takaro.io yet.
World map	⚠️	The Island, after you upload a map image in Takaro. Not checked on takaro.io yet.
Send a message	✅	To everyone or one player, with the server chat name as sender; a message to an offline player is refused, never broadcast.
Console commands	✅	`DoExit` is refused; use Takaro’s shutdown.
Kick	✅
Ban and unban	✅	Timed and permanent; bans survive restarts and timed bans are lifted by the plugin.
Ban list	⚠️	Not checked.
Give an item	✅	Amounts above one stack are delivered in rounds.
Shop	✅	Use `claim` delivery for shop listings.
Shut down the server	✅	Saves the world first.
Player joined / left	✅
Chat messages	✅	Global chat.
Player death	✅	With position; the attacker only when the killer is a player.
Entity killed	✅	The creature and the held weapon (empty when unarmed).
Server log lines	✅	World save and startup lines only.
Discord chat bridge	✅
Modules	✅
Game name, version and icon	⚠️	Shows ARK: Survival Evolved, the game build, the connector version and the game icon. Not checked on takaro.io yet.
Other ARK maps	⚠️	Work, but only The Island has map bounds.
Windows servers, other builds	❌	The plugin refuses to load on any other executable.

Developers: the source and build scripts are in mod/ and scripts/.

This page is generated from the ARK: Survival Evolved connector’s README in the gettakaro/connectors repository. Corrections belong there.

Download the ARK: Survival Evolved connector

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