Linux Installation

This guide covers installing and running TeamSpeak 6 Server directly on Linux systems without Docker. This method provides maximum control and performance for dedicated server deployments.

System Requirements

Operating System: Linux (64-bit)
- Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or later
- Debian 11 or later
- CentOS 8 / Rocky Linux 8 or later
- Other modern Linux distributions
Architecture: x86_64 (AMD64)
RAM: Minimum 512 MB (1 GB+ recommended)
Disk Space: 100 MB for server files + space for database and logs
Network: Open ports 9987/UDP and 30033/TCP

Installation

Download the server package

Download the latest TeamSpeak 6 Server for Linux from the official website:

# Create a directory for TeamSpeak
mkdir -p ~/teamspeak6-server
cd ~/teamspeak6-server

# Download the latest version (replace URL with actual download link)
wget https://files.teamspeak-services.com/releases/server/6.x.x/teamspeak6-server-linux_amd64-x.x.x.tar.gz

Visit the TeamSpeak Downloads page to get the latest version URL.

Extract the archive

Extract the downloaded archive:

tar -xzf teamspeak6-server-linux_amd64-*.tar.gz
cd teamspeak6-server-linux_amd64

List the extracted files:

ls -la

You should see files including tsserver, LICENSE, and various directories.

Make the server binary executable

Ensure the server binary has execute permissions:

chmod +x tsserver

Verify the server version:

./tsserver --version

Start the server

Run the server for the first time, accepting the license:

./tsserver --accept-license

The server will start in the foreground and display log output. You should see the ServerAdmin privilege key in the output - save this key immediately!

The ServerAdmin privilege key is only displayed during the first startup. Make sure to copy and save it securely.

Test the connection

With the server running, test the connection:

Download the TeamSpeak 6 Client
Connect to localhost:9987 (or your server’s IP)
Use the ServerAdmin privilege key to gain admin access

Running as a Background Service

For production use, you should run the server as a systemd service.

Create a dedicated user

Create a system user for running the TeamSpeak server:

sudo useradd -r -m -d /opt/teamspeak6 -s /bin/bash teamspeak

The -r flag creates a system user, -m creates a home directory, and -d specifies the directory location.

Move server files

Move the server files to the dedicated directory:

sudo mv ~/teamspeak6-server/teamspeak6-server-linux_amd64/* /opt/teamspeak6/
sudo chown -R teamspeak:teamspeak /opt/teamspeak6

Create a systemd service file

Create a systemd service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/teamspeak6.service

Add the following content:

/etc/systemd/system/teamspeak6.service

[Unit]
Description=TeamSpeak 6 Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=teamspeak
Group=teamspeak
WorkingDirectory=/opt/teamspeak6
ExecStart=/opt/teamspeak6/tsserver --accept-license
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal

# Security settings
NoNewPrivileges=true
PrivateTmp=true
ProtectSystem=strict
ProtectHome=true
ReadWritePaths=/opt/teamspeak6

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save and close the file (Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter).

These security settings provide additional protection by restricting what the server process can access.

Enable and start the service

Reload systemd, enable the service to start on boot, and start it:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable teamspeak6
sudo systemctl start teamspeak6

Check the service status:

sudo systemctl status teamspeak6

The status should show “active (running)”.

Retrieve the ServerAdmin key

If this is the first startup, get the ServerAdmin privilege key from the logs:

sudo journalctl -u teamspeak6 -n 100 --no-pager | grep -i "serveradmin\|privilege"

Save this key securely.

Service Management

Use these commands to manage your TeamSpeak 6 Server service:

sudo systemctl start teamspeak6

Firewall Configuration

You need to open the required ports in your firewall:

UFW (Ubuntu/Debian)
firewalld (CentOS/RHEL/Rocky)
iptables

# Allow TeamSpeak voice port (UDP)
sudo ufw allow 9987/udp

# Allow file transfer port (TCP)
sudo ufw allow 30033/tcp

# Optional: WebQuery port
# sudo ufw allow 10080/tcp

# Optional: SSH Query port
# sudo ufw allow 10022/tcp

# Enable the firewall if not already enabled
sudo ufw enable

# Check status
sudo ufw status

# Allow TeamSpeak voice port (UDP)
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=9987/udp

# Allow file transfer port (TCP)
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=30033/tcp

# Optional: WebQuery port
# sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=10080/tcp

# Optional: SSH Query port
# sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=10022/tcp

# Reload firewall
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

# Check status
sudo firewall-cmd --list-all

# Allow TeamSpeak voice port (UDP)
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 9987 -j ACCEPT

# Allow file transfer port (TCP)
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 30033 -j ACCEPT

# Optional: WebQuery port
# sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 10080 -j ACCEPT

# Optional: SSH Query port
# sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 10022 -j ACCEPT

# Save rules (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo netfilter-persistent save

# Save rules (CentOS/RHEL)
# sudo service iptables save

Configuration

You can configure the server using command-line arguments, environment variables, or a configuration file.

Using Command-Line Arguments

Modify the ExecStart line in the systemd service file:

ExecStart=/opt/teamspeak6/tsserver --accept-license --default-voice-port 9987 --filetransfer-port 30033

Using a Configuration File

Generate a default configuration file:

cd /opt/teamspeak6
sudo -u teamspeak ./tsserver --write-config-file

This creates a tsserver.yaml file. Edit it:

sudo nano /opt/teamspeak6/tsserver.yaml

Example configuration:

tsserver.yaml

server:
  accept-license: accept
  default-voice-port: 9987
  voice-ip:
    - 0.0.0.0
    - "::"
  filetransfer-port: 30033
  filetransfer-ip:
    - 0.0.0.0
    - "::"
  log-path: logs
  
  database:
    plugin: sqlite3
    sql-path: sql/
    sql-create-path: sql/create_sqlite/
    client-keep-days: 30

  query:
    http:
      enable: false
      port: 10080
    ssh:
      enable: false
      port: 10022

After editing, restart the service:

sudo systemctl restart teamspeak6

For a complete list of configuration options, see the Configuration documentation.

Verification Steps

Check server process

Verify the server process is running:

ps aux | grep tsserver

You should see the tsserver process running as the teamspeak user.

Check listening ports

Verify the server is listening on the correct ports:

sudo netstat -tulpn | grep tsserver

Or using ss:

sudo ss -tulpn | grep tsserver

You should see ports 9987 (UDP) and 30033 (TCP) in the LISTEN state.

Check service status

Verify the systemd service is active:

sudo systemctl status teamspeak6

The output should show “active (running)” with no errors.

Review logs

Check the logs for any errors:

sudo journalctl -u teamspeak6 -n 50 --no-pager

Look for any warnings or errors that might indicate problems.

Test client connection

Download the TeamSpeak 6 Client
Connect to your server’s IP address and port 9987
Verify you can connect successfully

Updating the Server

Stop the server

sudo systemctl stop teamspeak6

Backup your data

sudo cp -r /opt/teamspeak6 /opt/teamspeak6-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)

Always backup your server data before updating!

Download and extract the new version

cd /tmp
wget https://files.teamspeak-services.com/releases/server/6.x.x/teamspeak6-server-linux_amd64-x.x.x.tar.gz
tar -xzf teamspeak6-server-linux_amd64-*.tar.gz

Replace the binary and files

sudo cp /tmp/teamspeak6-server-linux_amd64/tsserver /opt/teamspeak6/
sudo cp -r /tmp/teamspeak6-server-linux_amd64/sql /opt/teamspeak6/
sudo chown -R teamspeak:teamspeak /opt/teamspeak6

Keep your existing configuration files, logs, and database. Only replace the binary and SQL files.

Start the server

sudo systemctl start teamspeak6
sudo systemctl status teamspeak6

Check the logs to ensure the update was successful:

sudo journalctl -u teamspeak6 -f

Troubleshooting

Server won't start

Check the logs for errors:

sudo journalctl -u teamspeak6 -n 100 --no-pager

Common issues:

License not accepted: Ensure --accept-license is in the ExecStart command
Port already in use: Check if another process is using ports 9987 or 30033
Permission issues: Verify the teamspeak user has read/write access to /opt/teamspeak6

Permission denied errors

Ensure proper ownership of the server directory:

sudo chown -R teamspeak:teamspeak /opt/teamspeak6
sudo chmod +x /opt/teamspeak6/tsserver

Cannot connect from client

Check if the server is running: sudo systemctl status teamspeak6
Verify ports are open: sudo netstat -tulpn | grep tsserver
Check firewall rules: sudo ufw status or sudo firewall-cmd --list-all
Test connectivity: nc -uz <server-ip> 9987

High CPU or memory usage

Check the number of connected clients
Review log files for errors or warnings
Consider adjusting thread settings in tsserver.yaml:

server:
  threads-voice-udp: 5  # Adjust based on CPU cores

Database errors

If you see database-related errors:

Verify database file permissions
Check disk space: df -h
For SQLite integrity issues, the server will attempt to repair on startup
If problems persist, consider switching to MariaDB for better reliability

Next Steps

Configuration

Learn how to customize your server settings

Database Setup

Configure MariaDB for better performance

Get Started

Installation

Configuration

Server Query

Operations

Advanced

System Requirements

Installation

Running as a Background Service

Service Management

Firewall Configuration

Configuration

Using Command-Line Arguments

Using a Configuration File

Verification Steps

Updating the Server

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

Configuration

Database Setup

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Installation

Configuration

Server Query

Operations

Advanced

​System Requirements

​Installation

​Running as a Background Service

​Service Management

​Firewall Configuration

​Configuration

​Using Command-Line Arguments

​Using a Configuration File

​Verification Steps

​Updating the Server

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Configuration

Database Setup

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

System Requirements

Installation

Running as a Background Service

Service Management

Firewall Configuration

Configuration

Using Command-Line Arguments

Using a Configuration File

Verification Steps

Updating the Server

Troubleshooting

Next Steps