Factorio Daemon

A complete solution for running and managing multiple Factorio headless server instances on Linux with systemd. The project consists of two main components:

1. Launcher - A bash script and systemd service template that automatically downloads Factorio, installs mods from mod-list.json, and runs headless servers
2. Webapp - A Go-based web application for managing multiple Factorio server instances with a modern UI

Features

Launcher

• Automatic Factorio Installation: Downloads and installs the specified Factorio version automatically
• Mod Auto-Download: Parses mod-list.json and downloads enabled mods from the Factorio mod portal
• Systemd Integration: Template service file for easy instance management
• Version Management: Supports specific versions or "latest" to always run the newest stable release
• Configuration Templates: Pre-configured server settings and config files with variable substitution

Webapp

• Instance Dashboard: View all Factorio instances with real-time status indicators
• Service Control: Start, stop, restart, enable/disable autostart for any instance
• File Upload: Drag-and-drop upload for mod-list.json, mod-settings.dat, and save files
• Save Backup: Manual backup and restore of save files
• Log Viewer: Real-time log streaming via Server-Sent Events
• Instance Creation: Create new instances with customizable settings

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Linux system with systemd
• Factorio.com account credentials (for mod downloads and public server visibility)
• Go 1.21+ (for building the webapp and moddownloader)
• Root access for initial installation only (services run as non-root user)

Launcher Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/draxxris/factorio-daemon
   cd factorio-daemon

2. Install the launcher:

   cd launcher
   sudo make install

   This will:

   • Create a system user factorio with home directory /opt/factorio
   • Install the launcher scripts and templates
   • Set proper ownership and permissions

3. Configure credentials:

   cd /opt/factorio
   # Create .env with your Factorio credentials
   echo 'export FACTORIO_USERNAME=your_username' | sudo tee .env
   echo 'export FACTORIO_TOKEN=your_token' | sudo tee -a .env
   sudo chown factorio:factorio .env
   sudo chmod 640 .env

4. Create an instance:

   # Copy the example environment file
   sudo cp env-example env-myserver
   
   # Edit the instance configuration
   sudo vi env-myserver
   sudo chown factorio:factorio env-myserver
   sudo chmod 640 env-myserver

   Instance configuration (env-myserver):

   NAME=myserver
   VERSION=latest
   TITLE="[quality=rare] My Server"
   DESCRIPTION="Welcome to my server."
   PORT=34197
   NON_BLOCKING_SAVE=true
   

5. Start your instance:

   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
   sudo systemctl start factorio@myserver
   sudo systemctl enable factorio@myserver

Webapp Installation

cd webapp
make build
sudo make install install-sudoers
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now factorio-webapp

Access the webapp at http://your-server:8080

Note: All services run as the factorio user for security. The webapp uses sudo to manage factorio@* systemd services without requiring a password.

Optional: Nginx Reverse Proxy with Authentication

For production use, it's recommended to run nginx as a reverse proxy with basic authentication:

cd webapp
sudo make nginx-setup

You will be prompted to enter a username and password for accessing the webapp.

This setup:

• Configures nginx as a reverse proxy to the webapp
• Enables basic HTTP authentication
• Sets a 100MB upload limit for save files and mods
• Configures proper timeouts for long-running operations

After setup, access the webapp at http://your-server:8090/ instead of port 8080.

Prerequisites:

• nginx must be installed
• htpasswd tool required (install apache2-utils on Debian/Ubuntu or httpd-tools on RHEL/CentOS)

To remove the nginx configuration:

sudo rm /etc/nginx/conf.d/factorio.conf /etc/nginx/.htpasswd-factorio
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Usage

Creating a Modpack

The easiest way to set up a modpack is to use the Factorio client:

1. Install and configure your mods in the Factorio client
2. Locate your mod-list.json and mod-settings.dat from the Factorio mods directory (%APPDATA%\Factorio\mods)
3. Upload these files via the webapp to your instance's staging area
4. Deploy the files - the launcher will automatically download all enabled mods

Managing Instances via Webapp

1. Open http://your-server:8090/ in your browser
2. Click on an instance card to manage it
3. Upload files via drag-and-drop or click
4. Stop the instance before deploying files
5. Click "Deploy Files" to move staged files to the instance directory
6. Start the instance - factorio.sh will move files to proper locations

The webapp provides a clean interface for:

• Viewing Instances: See all instances with their current status (running, stopped, etc.)
• Controlling Services: Start, stop, restart, enable, or disable instances
• Uploading Files: Drag and drop mod-list.json, mod-settings.dat, or save files
• Deploying Files: Move staged files to the instance directory
• Viewing Logs: Stream real-time logs from any instance
• Backup/Restore: Create backups of save files and restore them later

File Deployment Flow

1. Upload files to staging area
2. Stop the instance (required)
3. Click "Deploy Files" - files are moved to /opt/factorio/{instance}/
4. Start the instance
5. factorio.sh moves files to proper locations:
   • mod-list.json → mods/mod-list.json
   • mod-settings.dat → mods/mod-settings.dat
   • main.zip → saves/main.zip

Managing Instances via CLI

# Start an instance
sudo systemctl start factorio@myserver

# Stop an instance
sudo systemctl stop factorio@myserver

# Restart an instance
sudo systemctl restart factorio@myserver

# Enable autostart
sudo systemctl enable factorio@myserver

# Disable autostart
sudo systemctl disable factorio@myserver

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u factorio@myserver -f

Note: Services run as the factorio user. Use sudo for systemctl commands as they require root to manage systemd services.

Configuration

Launcher Environment Variables

Each instance has an env-{name} file with the following variables:

Variable	Required	Default	Description
NAME	Yes	-	Instance name (used for directory and systemd service)
VERSION	Yes	-	Factorio version or "latest" for newest stable
TITLE	No	"Factorio Server"	Server display name
DESCRIPTION	No	-	Server description
PORT	No	34197	Game port
NON_BLOCKING_SAVE	No	true	Enable non-blocking save

Webapp Environment Variables

These are typically pulled from the systemd unit file:

Variable	Default	Description
SERVER_PORT	8080	HTTP server port
SERVER_HOST	0.0.0.0	HTTP server host
FACTORIO_BASE_DIR	/opt/factorio	Base directory for Factorio
STAGING_DIR	/opt/factorio/webapp/data/staging	Staging directory for uploads
BACKUP_DIR	/opt/factorio/webapp/data/backups	Backup directory for saves
LOG_POLL_INTERVAL	2	Log polling interval in seconds
LOG_MAX_LINES	1000	Maximum log lines to retrieve

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/instances	List all instances with status
GET	/api/instances/:name	Get instance details
POST	/api/instances	Create new instance
DELETE	/api/instances/:name	Delete instance
POST	/api/instances/:name/start	Start service
POST	/api/instances/:name/stop	Stop service
POST	/api/instances/:name/restart	Restart service
POST	/api/instances/:name/enable	Enable autostart
POST	/api/instances/:name/disable	Disable autostart
GET	/api/instances/:name/logs	Get recent logs
GET	/api/instances/:name/logs/stream	Stream logs via SSE
POST	/api/instances/:name/upload	Upload files to staging
GET	/api/instances/:name/staged	List staged files
DELETE	/api/instances/:name/staged	Clear staged files
POST	/api/instances/:name/deploy	Deploy staged files
POST	/api/instances/:name/backup	Backup save file
GET	/api/instances/:name/backups	List backups
POST	/api/instances/:name/backups/:filename/restore	Restore backup

RCON

The Factorio daemon includes built-in RCON support for interacting with running Factorio servers.

Automatic RCON Setup

RCON is automatically enabled for all instances. When an instance starts for the first time:

• A random port is assigned for RCON communication
• A random password is generated for authentication
• Credentials are stored in the instance directory:
  • rcon-port - Contains the RCON port number
  • rcon-passwd - Contains the RCON password

These credentials persist across server restarts, so you only need to retrieve them once.

Security Notes

• RCON binds to 127.0.0.1 only, meaning it's only accessible from the local machine
• For remote access, set up an SSH tunnel or use a reverse proxy
• RCON is only available when the Factorio server is running

Webapp RCON Features

The webapp provides a convenient RCON interface through the instance modal:

1. Access RCON: Click on an instance card, then navigate to the RCON tab in the modal

2. Server Time: Displays the current in-game time on the server

3. Player List: Shows all currently connected players with their names and online status

4. Add Admin: Add new administrators to the server using their Factorio username

Retrieving RCON Credentials

To get the RCON credentials for scripting or external tools:

# Read the RCON port
cat /opt/factorio/{instance}/rcon-port

# Read the RCON password
cat /opt/factorio/{instance}/rcon-passwd

License

AGPL v3 License - See LICENSE.txt file for details