How to set up a Garry's Mod server (DarkRP, TTT & Workshop)

Step 1 — Pick a gamemode

• Sandbox — the classic build/mess-around mode, simplest to start.
• DarkRP — roleplay; hugely popular, lots of addons, more setup.
• TTT (Trouble in Terrorist Town) — social deduction; great for communities.
• Prop Hunt, Murder, Deathrun, and more — drop-in gamemodes from the Workshop.

Step 2 — Size your RAM

• 2 GB — a small Sandbox or TTT server.
• 4–6 GB — DarkRP or addon-heavy servers with 20+ players. Workshop-heavy servers love extra RAM.

Step 3 — Deploy

1. Order a Garry's Mod plan and pick it at checkout.
2. Your game panel login arrives by email within minutes.
3. Set your gamemode and starting map in the startup variables and start the server.

Step 4 — Workshop content (the important bit)

The clean way to deliver addons to players is a Steam Workshop collection: create one, add the addons you want, and set its collection ID in your server's startup so GMod pulls them. For server-side addons (gamemodes, admin mods like ULX), upload them to the addons/ folder via the file manager. With full file access nothing is locked down.

Step 5 — FastDL (so joins aren't painful)

Custom content downloads slowly through Steam by default. FastDL points players at an HTTP host for fast downloads of your maps/materials. You can host the files on your server or a web bucket and set sv_downloadurl. Our SSD storage keeps these downloads quick.

Step 6 — Admin

Install an admin addon (ULX/ULib is the classic) and add yourself as superadmin with your SteamID. You then manage players, props and rounds in-game, with the panel console available for anything else.