Running Squad Server as a Linux systemd Service

Running Squad as a systemd Service

systemd gives you automatic restart on crash, startup on boot, and centralized log management.

Step 1 — Create a Dedicated User

sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash steam

Install the server under /home/steam/squad/ as this user.

Step 2 — Pre-configure the Server

Run the server once manually to generate config files, configure them, then set up the service:

sudo -u steam bash -c "cd /home/steam/squad && ./SquadGameServer.sh Port=7787 QueryPort=27165 FIXEDMAXPLAYERS=80 RANDOM=NONE -log"
# Let it fully initialize, then Ctrl+C

Edit all configs in SquadGame/ServerConfig/ before proceeding.

Step 3 — Create the Unit File

Create /etc/systemd/system/squad.service:

[Unit]
Description=Squad Dedicated Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=steam
WorkingDirectory=/home/steam/squad
ExecStart=/home/steam/squad/SquadGameServer.sh \
    Port=7787 \
    QueryPort=27165 \
    FIXEDMAXPLAYERS=80 \
    RANDOM=NONE \
    -log
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=15
KillSignal=SIGTERM
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal
SyslogIdentifier=squad

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Step 4 — Enable and Start

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable squad
sudo systemctl start squad
sudo systemctl status squad

Managing the Service

Updating the Server

sudo systemctl stop squad
sudo -u steam /home/steam/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh \
  +force_install_dir /home/steam/squad \
  +login anonymous \
  +app_update 403240 \
  +quit
sudo systemctl start squad

Startup Time

Squad servers can take 2–5 minutes to fully initialize on first start after an update. The server is ready when you see it appear in the server browser.