How to Protect Your Holdfast Config on Update

Game updates can overwrite default configuration and launch files. To keep your custom settings safe, always work from copies, never edit the default files directly.

This workflow is recommended by the official Holdfast server hosting wiki.

Why This Matters

Holdfast updates may replace:

• The default config file (serverconfig_default.txt on self-hosted servers, aleforge-default.txt on AleForge)
• Launch scripts (LaunchServer.ps1 on Windows, LaunchServer.sh on Linux)

If you edit defaults directly, your custom server name, map rotation, admin list, and gameplay settings can be lost on the next update.

On AleForge

AleForge uses aleforge-default.txt as the default config in holdfastnaw-dedicated/configs. To protect your settings:

1. Open the Blacksmith’s Portal and go to Files → holdfastnaw-dedicated/configs
2. Do not edit aleforge-default.txt directly. Instead, create or upload a custom config file (for example, my-regiment-config.txt)
3. Use the AleForge Holdfast Config Generator to build your config, download it, and upload it with a custom filename
4. Go to Startup and set the Config File variable to your custom filename
5. Restart your server

Your custom file won’t be touched by default config refreshes. The Config File Startup variable tells AleForge which file to load.

Updating Your Custom Config

When you need to change settings:

1. Download your current config from holdfastnaw-dedicated/configs (or import it into the Config Generator)
2. Make your changes and save with the same custom filename
3. Upload the updated file to holdfastnaw-dedicated/configs, overwriting the previous version
4. Restart your server, no need to change the Config File Startup variable if the filename stays the same

Self-Hosted Servers

Per the Holdfast wiki:

1. Duplicate the default config:

serverconfig_default.txt → serverconfig_myserver.txt

2. Duplicate the launch script:

LaunchServer.ps1 → LaunchServer_myserver.ps1

3. Edit your custom launch script to point to your custom config:

--serverConfigFilePath "serverconfig_myserver.txt"

4. Always start the server using your custom launch script

On Linux, the equivalent launch command uses -serverConfigFilePath "serverconfig_myserver.txt" with the Holdfast NaW binary.

Docker Self-Hosting

If using the cm2network/holdfastnaw Docker image, config files are inside the container at /home/steam/holdfastnaw-dedicated/. Mount a volume for your custom config so it persists across container restarts and updates.

After a Game Update

1. Restart your server (AleForge handles file updates automatically)
2. Verify your Config File Startup variable still points to your custom filename
3. Check Console for errors and connect to confirm your settings are intact
4. If settings reverted, re-upload your backed-up custom config to holdfastnaw-dedicated/configs

Tip: Keep a local copy of your config file backed up outside the server. The Config Generator’s Import Configuration feature makes it easy to restore from a saved file.

Always use custom config filenames and point Startup (or your launch script) at them. Never rely on the default file for production settings.