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How to Control the Automatic Updates of Your Arma Reforger Server
Arma ReforgerArma ReforgerControl Automatic Updates

How to Control the Automatic Updates of Your Arma Reforger Server

Control automatic updates on an Arma Reforger server and pin mod versions

4 min read
Oct 2, 2026

Your Arma Reforger server can update itself to the latest version on every start. The Auto Update field in the dashboard decides whether that happens.

Field Values Meaning
Auto Update 1 / 0 1 = the server checks for a new server version on every start and installs it, 0 = the installed version stays unchanged

Turn Auto Update on or off

  1. Open dashboard
    Open the dashboard of your server.

  2. Open settings
    Navigate to the Settings.

  3. Enter the value
    Enter the desired value in the Auto Update field: 1 for automatic updates, 0 to turn them off.

  4. Restart the server
    Save the setting and restart your server.

Bring the server to the latest version

When a new update for Arma Reforger has been released, leave Auto Update on 1 and restart your server. During the start, the new server version is downloaded and installed, after which the server starts as usual.

When you should turn off Auto Update

  • No version jump in the middle of a session
    Otherwise every restart pulls in a new version that has already been released. As long as Auto Update is set to 0, your server stays on the version that is currently installed.

  • An update causes problems
    If your server runs on a version where everything works, 0 keeps it there, e.g. until your mods have been adapted to the new update. However, 0 only prevents upcoming updates: an update that is already installed cannot be undone this way.

Mod versions and updates

Your mods are updated on start as well – depending on how they are entered in config.json. The Auto Update field has no effect on this – you control mods only through the version entry. You can find out how to add mods in Add Mods.

  • Without version
    If a mod entry has no version, your server always loads the latest version of this mod on start.

  • With version
    If the entry contains a fixed version number, the mod stays on exactly that version until you change it yourself.

A fixed version can be helpful around big game updates: your mod set then does not change unexpectedly just because a mod author releases a new version in the meantime. However, if a pinned mod version is not compatible with the new game update, the mod may no longer work properly on your server. In that case, enter the new version number or remove the version entry.

Change a mod version

  1. Stop the server
    Stop your server via the dashboard.

  2. Connect via SFTP
    Connect to your server via SFTP.

  3. Adjust the version
    Open the config.json file and enter the new version number under version for the desired mod in the "mods" section – or remove the version line so that the latest version is always loaded.

  4. Start the server
    Save the file and start your server.

Written byEmeraldHost Team
Last updated on Oct 2, 2026 Edit on GitHub

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