A console without RCON
s&box only takes commands from a real console. RCON Hub gives each server one that keeps running when the app closes, so players, kicks and your own commands work from the app, inside RCON Hub or remotely.
tools v0.1.8
s&box server manager
Run s&box on your own PC or a rented panel: SteamCMD installs and updates on the public or staging branch (by itself when Facepunch ships a build), the server's console without RCON, chat, kicks and bans that work in every game, admins in one click, Sandbox's per-player limits, and a restart when the server freezes or the game breaks — in the same free app as your other games.
s&box server manager at a glance
- Live connection
- The server's own console through a console host (no RCON), answers from its log; rented servers through the Pterodactyl panel
- Hosting
- Your PC (SteamCMD app 1892930, public or staging branch); rented servers on a Pterodactyl panel, with its files, FTP or SFTP
- Games
- Any public sbox.game package (one per server), with an optional map package
- Bans
- Kick-on-join in every game, shared across servers and ClanStop; Sandbox's bans.json kept in step
- Admins
- users/config.json with claims (kick, ban, restart and the game's own), checked before saving; Make admin in one click from the Players page
- Tested
- Live, on a real s&box server with real players (26.10.13a): install, start, the console, status, joins, leaves and chat, kick, ban and unban, Sandbox's ban file, a freeze, a game that doesn't load; rented servers not yet on a real host
s&box tools
What RCON Hub does for s&box servers
Bans that work in every game
Only Facepunch's Sandbox has a ban command, and it can't unban. RCON Hub's ban list kicks a banned player as soon as they join, in every game, across all your servers, and keeps Sandbox's own file in step.
Updates that keep players in
Players on a newer build can't join an older server. RCON Hub checks Steam every half hour and updates and restarts by itself, with a warning first, or just tells you if you'd rather click Update.
Restarts before the jitter
s&box servers start to jitter after about 12 hours up. Two restarts a day are set to begin with, a server up for 11 hours is restarted anyway, and a frozen server is ended and started again.
The admins file without the JSON
Make a player admin in one click from the Players page, or add admins by SteamID and tick their claims; RCON Hub checks every line before it saves, because a broken users/config.json can stop the server from starting.
A game that doesn't load is caught
A mistyped or removed sbox.game package leaves the server running empty. RCON Hub sees it in the log, stops the server and says why.
When the game breaks, it's fixed
Seen live: an item spawned from sbox.game can make Sandbox load its code twice, or fill the log with the same error every frame, and everyone who joins gets errors. RCON Hub spots it, posts it with who was on, and restarts the server.
Sandbox limits
Per-player limits for props, explosives, thrusters, wheels and more, players touching only their own props, and spawn protection: set on the Server page, applied at once and at every start.
Chat, joins and leaves from the log
Players' chat reaches the Chat page, Discord and triggers, with the right name and SteamID, even for names with brackets. s&box has no command to message players in game, so news and countdowns go to Discord.
Under the hood
How RCON Hub connects to s&box
s&box has no RCON: its console only reads commands from a real console. RCON Hub runs each server inside a small console host (a Windows pseudo console) that types the commands and keeps the server running when the app closes, and reads the answers, joins, leaves, chat and bans from the server's own log. Rented servers go through their Pterodactyl panel's console.
Bans
Banning players on s&box
Ban in all games
RCON Hub can ban one person on every server of every game you run, from one page. Here's how that ban reaches s&box: s&box has no ban that works in every game (only Facepunch's Sandbox has one, without an unban). RCON Hub keeps its own ban list by Steam64 and kicks a banned player the moment they join, on every s&box server you run; in Sandbox it also keeps the game's own ban file in step, which gives it an unban.
ClanStop global bans (Fair-Fight)
On servers where you turn it on, a clear cheat confirmed by ClanStop keeps a player off every server that enforces global bans. A match kicks the player from that server right away; only ClanStop can make a ban global, after re-checking the evidence. How global bans work. How to set it up, step by step (English guide).
ClanStop global bans reach s&box through the same kick-on-join ban list, in every game. There are no s&box-specific fair-play rules: s&box logs no kills (each game decides its own).
Guides
s&box guides
Step-by-step fixes for the problems s&box server owners hit most.
- How to fix an s&box server that breaks after players spawn itemsSpawning some items from sbox.game breaks an s&box Sandbox server until a restart. Here's how RCON Hub spots it, tells you who was on and restarts it. Read the guide
- How to keep an s&box server updated (and stop version mismatch lockouts)Players on a newer s&box build can't join an older server. Here's how RCON Hub updates your s&box server by itself and restarts it before it jitters. Read the guide
- How to run and manage an s&box dedicated server without RCONThe s&box dedicated server has no RCON, only a console window. Here's how RCON Hub runs its console for you, reads the answers and edits admins safely. Read the guide
- How to ban players on an s&box server in any game (no RCON needed)s&box has no RCON and only Sandbox can ban. Here's how RCON Hub bans players in every s&box game, kicks them on rejoin and gives Sandbox the unban it lacks. Read the guide
Every game
Plus what RCON Hub does for every game
- One sign-in, per-game accessGive each person a role per game and per server from one People page.
- Ban in all gamesBan one Steam64 id on every server of every game at once, and see how it went in each.
- Flags from every gameFair-fight flags, triggers, cheat signals and reports in one table.
- Rented serversNitrado, Pterodactyl panels like BisectHosting, or any host with FTP or SFTP, with the same screens as a server on your PC.
- Player profiles and leaderboardsModeration history, notes, watch list, seasons and per-wipe boards.
- ClanStop sharingList your server and share player data — off until you turn it on.
- Your languageEvery screen in 12 languages, and Discord posts in your community's language. What players read in game stays English.
s&box server manager FAQ
Does s&box have RCON?
No. Its dedicated server only takes commands typed in its own console. RCON Hub runs each server inside a small console host that does the typing, and reads the answers from the server's log.
Do I need to forward ports?
Often not: players come in through Steam's networking and join with connect and the server's Steam ID, which RCON Hub shows. The query port helps RCON Hub check the server from outside.
Can I ban someone in a game that has no ban command?
Yes. RCON Hub's ban list works in every game: a banned player is kicked as soon as they join.
Which games can the server run?
Any public sbox.game package, one per server (like facepunch.sandbox), with an optional map package.
Why do players get errors after someone spawns an item?
Some items from sbox.game break Sandbox: it loads its code a second time, or logs the same error every frame. Only a restart fixes it. RCON Hub notices, posts it with who was on, and restarts the server: at once when it's empty, else after a countdown.
Can RCON Hub send messages into the game?
Not in s&box: its server console has no command for chat. RCON Hub posts news and restart countdowns to Discord instead.
Is the s&box server manager ready?
Yes. Its tools have been tested on a real s&box server. Adding a rented server (Nitrado, a Pterodactyl panel or FTP) is still marked Preview until it has been fully tried on a real host. RCON Hub is beta software, so back up before big changes.
Where can I get help with the s&box server manager?
Ask on ClanStop's Discord. Server owners and the RCON Hub team answer setup questions, bug reports and game requests there. The link is in the menu and at the bottom of every page.
Questions or problems?
Ask on ClanStop's Discord: support, ideas, game requests and ban appeals.
Other games RCON Hub manages
Run s&box with RCON Hub 0.3.13
Free for Windows 10 and 11, published by ClanStop. Beta software — back up your server's settings and world before changing anything.