Freeciv 3.2 Game Server on Ubuntu 24.04
by cloudimg
A dedicated multiplayer game server for Freeciv 3.2 clients, on a host you control
Your own Freeciv game host, not a public one
freeciv-server is the dedicated multiplayer server of Freeciv, the free and open source turn based empire building strategy game. It is the headless companion to the desktop game: your players keep using their normal Freeciv client, connect to your VM instead of a public server, and get their own lobby where they chat, take a player slot, agree the ruleset and play a full game whose entire rules engine runs on your host. This image is that server, ready to run, and it suits gaming communities, clans, LAN parties, classrooms and tournament organisers who want a private, always on host with predictable latency and their own rules.
The right version, which matters more than it sounds
Freeciv's network protocol is capability gated, so a server only admits clients from the series it was built for. Ubuntu's own repository still carries the previous 3.1 line. This image is built from the official 3.2.5 upstream source release and admits the 3.2 client series, so your players connect with the game they already have. A client from any other series is refused cleanly, with the server's own explanation, rather than half connecting and desynchronising mid game.
Every ruleset, and a real console
The full server ruleset set is installed, from the upstream default through the classic and multiplayer tuned variants to the science fiction alien ruleset, along with the nation definitions and the bundled map scenarios. You drive the server from the shell with a single command: list players and connections, create and remove artificial intelligence players, change any setting live, switch ruleset, save and load games, and start the game yourself.
No network administrator password to leak
Nothing privileged is baked into the image, and unusually there is no network credential at all, which is stronger than rotating one. Freeciv has no password protected remote console, and this image caps every network connection at the ordinary play access level, including the very first to arrive, so no connection can take control of your server by connecting first. Administration is deliberately local only, over SSH, through a console channel that ordinary users on the machine cannot reach. The service is also gated so that it physically cannot start and cannot bind the game port until first boot has written the configuration for your own VM. Exactly one port is opened, the game port itself, and the server runs unprivileged under a hardened systemd unit.
Only the server half is redistributed
Freeciv's own build system separates server data from client data. This is a server only build, so the image carries the rules engine and the rulesets, nations and scenarios it genuinely needs, and none of the tilesets, sound sets, music, themes or flag artwork that belong to the client. The compiler toolchain is removed again before the image is captured.
What you get
- freeciv-server 3.2.5, built from the official upstream source release, verified against a pinned checksum, running under systemd
- The full server ruleset set, nation definitions and map scenarios
- A root only server console wrapper for every administrative command
- A bundled self check that proves the server end to end by driving the real Freeciv protocol as independent clients, refusing an incompatible client and a privilege escalation, and creating and starting a real game
- One public port, an unprivileged service account, a hardened systemd unit and a console channel ordinary users cannot reach
- A step by step deployment guide covering joining, administering, tuning, rulesets and savegames
- Unattended security upgrades left enabled, and 24/7 cloudimg support
Licensing
freeciv-server and every data file in this image are distributed under the GNU General Public License version 2 and are free to redistribute. The cloudimg charge ($0.04 per vCPU/hour) covers packaging, security patching, image maintenance and 24/7 expert support. FREECIV is the name of the Freeciv project and its contributors; cloudimg is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by that project.