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Configuration File

Pokemon Showdown uses config/config.js for server configuration. This file must be created from the example template: 
cp config/config-example.js config/config.js
The configuration file supports hot-reloading by default. Changes will be automatically detected and applied without restarting the server.

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Network Settings

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Server Port

The port your server listens on for connections:
config/config.js
exports.port = 8000;
Default: 8000

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Bind Address

The network interface address to bind to:
config/config.js
exports.bindaddress = '0.0.0.0';
Default: 0.0.0.0 (all interfaces)
Don’t change this setting unless you know what you’re doing. The default 0.0.0.0 allows connections from all network interfaces.

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SSL/HTTPS Configuration

Enable secure WebSocket connections (WSS) for HTTPS access:
config/config.js
exports.ssl = {
  port: 443,
  options: {
    key: './config/ssl/privkey.pem',
    cert: './config/ssl/fullchain.pem',
  },
};
Default: null (disabled)
The client requires port 443 for SSL. If you use a different port, you’ll need to forward it to 443 using iptables or similar tools.

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Let’s Encrypt Example

Here’s an example deploy script for Let’s Encrypt certificates: 
cp /etc/letsencrypt/live/sim.psim.us/privkey.pem ~/Pokemon-Showdown/config/ssl/
cp /etc/letsencrypt/live/sim.psim.us/fullchain.pem ~/Pokemon-Showdown/config/ssl/
chown user:user ~/Pokemon-Showdown/config/ssl/privkey.pem
chown user:user ~/Pokemon-Showdown/config/ssl/fullchain.pem

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WebSocket Compression

Enable message compression for WebSocket connections:
config/config.js
exports.wsdeflate = {
  level: 5,
  memLevel: 8,
  strategy: 0,
  noContextTakeover: true,
  requestNoContextTakeover: true,
  maxWindowBits: 15,
  requestMaxWindowBits: 15,
};
Default: null (disabled)
Message compression may increase processing time. Only enable if bandwidth is a concern.

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Proxy Configuration

Trust X-Forwarded-For headers from specific proxy IPs:
config/config.js
exports.proxyip = ['127.0.0.1', '10.0.0.0/8'];
Default: false (don’t trust any proxies)
Each string should be either an IP address or a subnet in CIDR notation. Leave as false unless you’re running behind a reverse proxy.

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Performance Settings

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Subprocess Configuration

Configure child processes for various server tasks:
config/config.js
exports.subprocesses = {
  network: 1,      // Network worker processes
  simulator: 1,    // Battle simulation workers
  validator: 1,    // Team validation workers
  verifier: 1,     // User authentication workers
  localartemis: 1,
  remoteartemis: 1,
  friends: 1,
  chatdb: 1,
  modlog: 1,
  pm: 1,
  battlesearch: 1,
  datasearch: 1,
};
Network workers: Should not exceed the number of CPU threads available. Check your CPU thread count:
node -e "console.log(require('os').cpus().length)"
Using more workers than available threads will cause performance issues.
Simulator workers: Only increase for servers with hundreds of concurrent battles. For most servers, leave at 1.
To disable subprocesses entirely (useful for low-memory environments):
config/config.js
exports.subprocesses = 0;

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Lazy Sockets

Disable automatic network initialization:
config/config.js
exports.lazysockets = true;
Default: false Use this if you want to manually connect the server to the network or run it offline.

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Chat and Moderation

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Modchat Settings

Set minimum rank requirements for participation:
config/config.js
exports.chatmodchat = false;        // Chat rooms
exports.battlemodchat = false;      // Battles
exports.pmmodchat = false;          // Private messages
exports.laddermodchat = false;      // Ladder battles
Options: false (anyone) or a group symbol ('+', '%', '@', '#', '~') or 'autoconfirmed'
These settings can be used as a whitelist - set to '+' and voice every user you want whitelisted.

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Join/Leave Messages

Control join and leave message display:
config/config.js
exports.reportjoins = true;
exports.reportjoinsperiod = 0;  // Milliseconds for batched reports
Join messages can cause lag on larger servers (80+ users). Consider disabling or using batched reporting.

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Battle Reporting

Show battle start messages in the lobby:
config/config.js
exports.reportbattles = true;
exports.reportbattlejoins = true;
Disable reportbattlejoins on large tournament servers to reduce chat spam.
Restrict link posting to autoconfirmed users:
config/config.js
exports.restrictLinks = false;
Default: false Set to true to combat spam and malicious links.

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Name Filter

Remove Unicode characters used for impersonation:
config/config.js
exports.disablebasicnamefilter = false;
Default: false (filter enabled)
Only disable if you need Greek, Cyrillic, or other alphabets that may be filtered.

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Punishment Settings

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Punishment Monitor

Notify staff when users accumulate room punishments:
config/config.js
exports.monitorminpunishments = 3;
Default: 3 punishments Set to 0 to disable the monitor.

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Auto-Lock

Automatically lock users with multiple room bans:
config/config.js
exports.punishmentautolock = false;
Default: false
Requires monitorminpunishments to be greater than 0. Auto-locks users with 3+ active room bans.

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Throttles and Checks

Disable rate limiting and IP checking (for development):
config/config.js
exports.nothrottle = false;  // Disable all time-based throttles
exports.noipchecks = false;  // Disable IP-based alt checking
Never enable these on production servers - they disable important security features.

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Logging

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Chat Logging

Log all chat room messages:
config/config.js
exports.logchat = false;
exports.logchallenges = false;  // Log challenge battles
exports.loguserstats = 1000 * 60 * 10;  // User stats interval (10 minutes)

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Chat Log Reader

Choose the search method for chat logs:
config/config.js
exports.chatlogreader = 'fs';  // or 'ripgrep'
Options: 'fs' (Node.js filesystem) or 'ripgrep' (faster, requires ripgrep installed)

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Game Settings

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Pokemon of the Day

Set a Pokemon to always appear in slot #2 of Random Battle teams:
config/config.js
exports.potd = 'pikachu';
Default: '' (disabled)

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Forced Timer

Force the battle timer on for all battles:
config/config.js
exports.forcetimer = false;

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Draw Requests

Allow players to offer and accept draws:
config/config.js
exports.allowrequestingties = true;

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Force Registration

Require registration for ladder battles above a certain ELO:
config/config.js
exports.forceregisterelo = false;  // or a number like 1200

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Tournament Settings

config/config.js
exports.tourroom = '';  // Main tournament room
exports.tourannouncements = [];  // Allowed announcement rooms
exports.tourdefaultplayercap = 0;  // Default player cap (0 = unlimited)
exports.ratedtours = false;  // Make tournaments ladder-rated

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Security Settings

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Crash Guard

Write errors to log instead of crashing:
config/config.js
exports.crashguard = true;
Default: true
While enabled by default for convenience, it’s generally better to let Node.js crash and restart the server properly.

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Crash Guard Email

Send email alerts for crashes (requires nodemailer):
config/config.js
exports.crashguardemail = {
  options: {
    host: 'mail.example.com',
    port: 465,
    secure: true,
    auth: {
      user: '[email protected]',
      pass: 'password'
    }
  },
  from: '[email protected]',
  to: '[email protected]',
  subject: 'Pokemon Showdown has crashed!'
};
Default: null (disabled) Install nodemailer to use this feature: 
npm install nodemailer

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Auto Lockdown

Automatically shut down after lockdown battles finish:
config/config.js
exports.autolockdown = true;

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Console Access

IP addresses allowed to use the developer console:
config/config.js
exports.consoleips = ['127.0.0.1'];
Default: ['127.0.0.1'] (localhost only)
The console allows arbitrary command execution. Only add highly trusted IPs. Set to [] to disable entirely.

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Backdoor Access

Allow Pokemon Showdown system operators to provide tech support:
config/config.js
exports.backdoor = true;
Default: true
This gives Showdown system operators (like Zarel) console admin access for technical support. Disable if you don’t trust them with admin access.

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Development Mode

Allow login without authentication (development only):
config/config.js
exports.noguestsecurity = false;
NEVER enable this on production servers. It allows anyone to log in as any user with /trn [USERNAME].

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Login Server

Configure authentication with the main Pokemon Showdown login server:
config/config.js
exports.loginserver = 'http://play.pokemonshowdown.com/';
exports.loginserverkeyalgo = "RSA-SHA1";
exports.loginserverpublickeyid = 4;
exports.loginserverpublickey = `-----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY-----
...public key data...
-----END PUBLIC KEY-----`;
Don’t change these settings - there aren’t any other login servers available.

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Routes

Configure Pokemon Showdown hosting domains:
config/config.js
exports.routes = {
  root: 'pokemonshowdown.com',
  client: 'play.pokemonshowdown.com',
  dex: 'dex.pokemonshowdown.com',
  replays: 'replay.pokemonshowdown.com',
};

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Advanced Options

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Config Watch

Automatically reload config file on changes:
config/config.js
exports.watchconfig = true;

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Hotpatch Restrictions

Disable /hotpatch all command:
config/config.js
exports.disablehotpatchall = false;
Configure battle search functionality:
config/config.js
exports.nobattlesearch = false;  // true to disable, 'psbattletools' for alternative

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REPL Sockets

Enable/configure REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop) sockets:
config/config.js
exports.repl = true;
exports.replsocketprefix = './logs/repl/';
exports.replsocketmode = 0o600;

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Inactive User Threshold

How long before inactive users are pruned:
config/config.js
exports.inactiveuserthreshold = 1000 * 60 * 60;  // 1 hour

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Appeal URL

URL for users to appeal disciplinary actions:
config/config.js
exports.appealurl = 'https://example.com/appeal';

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Startup Hook

Function to call when server is ready:
config/config.js
exports.startuphook = function () {
  console.log('Server is ready!');
};

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Next Steps

Administration

Set up user management and moderation

Security

Secure your production server

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