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Add A Host (Cloud Or Standalone)

Hosts are added from Servers -> Add New Host.

Supported OS

Use Debian 12. Ubuntu is supported as well, but 99k LAN rate is not compatible with Ubuntu. This guide and production workflow assume Debian 12.

Self-Host Deployment

The QLSM Host (self) provider runs game servers on the same machine that runs the QLSM Docker stack. Useful when you already have a spare Linux box and don't want a separate VM just for game servers.

  1. Set Provider to QLSM Host (self).
  2. The form shows the detected OS, pre-fills the inferred SSH user, and may pre-fill Server address if QLSM_HOST_IP is configured. Verify these values before continuing.
  3. Set Timezone.
  4. Click Add Host button to submit the form.
  5. Wait until setup finishes and host is Active.

QLSM generates and manages its own SSH key for self-host automation. Your personal SSH keys are never accessed.

For self-host setup, the SSH user can be root or another account with passwordless sudo privileges. QLSM uses that account as the management login for automation tasks.

During setup, QLSM creates a dedicated ql system user for Quake Live files and services. Game server assets and processes run under ql, but QLSM continues to connect as the configured management account when it needs to automate the host later.

Only one QLSM Host (self) deployment may exist at a time.

Standalone Workflow

  1. Set Provider to Standalone.
  2. Fill:
  3. Host Name
  4. IP Address
  5. SSH Port
  6. SSH Username
  7. SSH Private Key (or password for bootstrap — QLSM installs a managed key then discards the password)
  8. Timezone
  9. Run Test Connection and confirm it shows Connected. OS is auto-detected during the connection test.
  10. Click Add Host button to submit the form.
  11. Wait until setup finishes and host is Active.

Vultr Cloud Deployment

Prerequisites

Create a Vultr API key by following Vultr's official guide: Create New API Key. Copy and store the key immediately because Vultr only shows it once.

Set VULTR_API_KEY in the QLSM environment before using Vultr provisioning.

One-liner install — pass the key inline:

VULTR_API_KEY=your_vultr_api_key bash <(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dngrtech/qlsm/main/qlsm-install.sh)

Git clone / manual install — edit .env before starting:

# In .env, find and uncomment this line:
VULTR_API_KEY=your_vultr_api_key

Then start with docker compose up -d.

One-line install example with both a domain and Vultr provisioning:

SITE_ADDRESS=qlsm.example.com VULTR_API_KEY=your_vultr_api_key bash <(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dngrtech/qlsm/main/qlsm-install.sh)

Workflow

  1. Set Provider to VULTR cloud provider.
  2. Select Continent, Region, and Machine Size / Plan.
  3. Click Add Host button to submit the form.
  4. Wait until host status reaches Active.

Cloud hosts inherit timezone from selected region. That timezone is later used by Configure Auto-Restart.

Timezone Requirement

Timezone is operational, not cosmetic.

  • Configure Auto-Restart executes in host local timezone.
  • Wrong timezone means restart at the wrong local hour.
  • Wrong restart time delays Workshop item refresh on running servers.

Continue with: Configure Auto-Restart