HogWarp Server Troubleshooting Guide
Diagnose and fix the most common HogWarp dedicated server errors including API key failures, .NET errors, and connection issues.
HogWarp Server Troubleshooting Guide
This guide covers the most common issues encountered when running a HogWarp dedicated server and how to resolve them.
Server Fails to Start
Error: Invalid API key
Cause: The API_KEY environment variable is missing, empty, or contains an incorrect value.
Fix:
- Log in to presence.hogwarp.com with Discord
- Copy your API key from the dashboard
- Set it as
API_KEYin your panel's Startup settings or in your shell environment - Restart the server
Double-check for leading/trailing spaces in the key — these are invisible but will cause auth failures.
Error: .NET runtime not found or similar .NET error
Cause: The dotnet7 package is not installed in the Wine prefix.
Fix:
winetricks dotnet7
This must be run in the same Wine prefix used to launch HogWarpServer.exe. After installation completes, try starting the server again.
Server process exits immediately with no error
Cause: Could be a Wine initialization problem, missing DLLs, or a corrupted server installation.
Fix:
- Run the server manually with output captured to check for errors:
wine HogWarpServer.exe 2>&1 | head -50 - Verify all files from the GitHub release are present in the server directory
- Re-download and re-extract the server files fresh from GitHub releases
Server Starts but Does Not Appear in Server List
Cause: Port 11778 is not reachable from the internet, or the API key is valid but there is a network issue between the server and presence.hogwarp.com.
Fix:
- Confirm port 11778 is open on both TCP and UDP — see HogWarp Port Forwarding and Firewall Setup
- From an external machine, test connectivity:
nc -zv YOUR_SERVER_IP 11778 - Check that no host firewall (UFW, iptables, firewalld) is blocking the port
- If on a cloud VPS, verify the provider's security group/firewall rules also allow port 11778
Players Cannot Connect
Player sees the server in the list but gets a connection error
Possible causes and fixes:
- Port blocked: See firewall steps above
- Version mismatch: Your server version is incompatible with the client version. Update the server — see Updating Your HogWarp Server
- Server is full: The server has reached
MAX_PLAYERS; a player must disconnect before others can join
Player cannot see the server in the list at all
- Confirm the server is running (check process list and logs)
- Confirm
SERV_NAMEis set correctly — an empty name may cause list display issues - Wait 1–2 minutes after server start; registration with the presence service is not instant
Plugins Not Working
This is expected behavior on Linux. The HogWarp plugin system is Windows-only and does not function under Wine. Server-side plugins are not supported on Linux-based hosting including DustBowl.Games servers.
High Memory Usage or Server Crashes
- Check available RAM with
free -h - The server needs at least 1 GB RAM for stable operation under player load
- If the process is being OOM-killed, increase your server's memory allocation in the panel
- See HogWarp Server Performance and Resource Requirements
Reading the Server Logs
When running the server manually, capture output to a log file for easier debugging:
wine HogWarpServer.exe > server.log 2>&1 &
tail -f server.log
DustBowl.Games customers can view live console output directly in the panel's Console tab.
Getting Further Help
If you cannot resolve your issue using this guide:
- Check the HogWarp GitHub Issues for known bugs
- Ask in the HogWarp community Discord
- Contact DustBowl.Games support through your panel if the issue appears to be hosting-related