How TeK Built RaftDedicatedServer (RDS) and Why It Runs on HolyHosting

Raft was never meant to have dedicated servers. That gap is exactly what TeK decided to fill. The result is RaftDedicatedServer, better known as RDS, and it has reshaped how communities run multiplayer Raft. The conversation with TeK covered how the project began, what it took to strip Steam out of the networking stack, and why most of his services now run on HolyHosting.

Where RDS came from

TeK did not set out to write server software. He wanted to host minigames and roleplay events on Raft. The problem was that no real dedicated server existed, and the official workaround required a second Raft license just to keep a host process alive. For a community project, that was a non-starter.

"At first, I wanted to create a minigames server and a roleplay server on Raft, but there was no dedicated server, so I had no other choice than to make my own. Hosting a Raft server would've required a second Raft copy. So, we decided to make our own NetworkingLayer by removing Steam so that users can host a server without needing a second Raft key."

In short, RDS exists because the alternative was duct tape.

Pulling Steam out of the equation

The hardest part of the project was the networking. Raft was glued to Steam's relay system. Removing that meant reverse engineering how Steam moved packets between players and rebuilding the pipeline on top of plain TCP/IP. TeK calls this RaftTCP, or RTCP.

The benefit is direct. Players connect straight to the server using raw packets instead of being bounced through Steam's intermediaries. Fewer hops, lower latency, fewer mystery disconnects.

The gameplay side was equally awkward. Raft assumes someone in the lobby is the host. When you replace that role with a headless server, certain mechanics get strange.

"We had to make sure the game worked as intended gameplay-wise when there wasn't a host. Like sleeping, for example. In the Raft base game, all players need to sleep on the server, but the server, which is a hidden player, never sleeps."

Those are the kinds of bugs that only surface once you have shipped the rest of the system.

What TeK actually enjoys building

Asked about his favorite part of the project, the answer was not the deep networking work. It was the layer on top.

"Creating the frontend systems to make the server owner's life easier: permissions, ranks, plugins, easy support for mods, chat commands. And the first time RDS really worked without Steam was a great moment."

That kind of tooling is what separates a working binary from something operators actually want to run for years.

Where RDS is heading

The long-term roadmap is stability, performance, and a push toward a server-authoritative model so players cannot edit their inventory or position client-side. A light anticheat is already in place, but full authority requires a deeper rework of Raft's networking, the same wall TeK had to climb on the first pass.

Why HolyHosting

HolyHosting reached out to TeK first. He had not heard of the brand and was cautious about a cold contact. The meetings changed that quickly.

"I discovered their awesome team. The devs were so nice during our meetings, and implementing RDS on HolyHosting was very easy. Now, I run most of my services using HolyHosting servers and recommend my users to use them rather than self-hosting our software."

A few specific points came up more than once.

Panel features. Operators can see every player who has connected, schedule recurring tasks, watch the console, send commands, and monitor resource usage from one screen. For a community admin who does not want to live in SSH, that matters.

Proton support. Self-hosting RDS on Linux is possible but painful. HolyHosting wrote proprietary code to run RDS through Proton and improved overall performance in the process. TeK was unable to reproduce that result on his own setup.

One-click installs. This is the feedback TeK hears most from his community. Spinning up RDS on a fresh Linux box requires real sysadmin knowledge. On HolyHosting, you buy the plan, click install, and the server is running. License keys are managed automatically through the panel.

Lessons learned

Asked what he would do differently, TeK was direct.

"If I were to start all over again I would have probably gone with HolyHosting first rather than wasting hours on Linux stuff to get it partially running. Their talented Linux experts also helped me set up everything needed on my own server as well."

He closed with a note about where the partnership is going.

"HolyHosting is one of the only providers I'm happy to work with. Their teams really feel professional. They know what they are doing, and they know what they are talking about. In the future, I'm definitely looking forward to offering them dedicated server software for new games."

Looking to spin up your own Raft dedicated server, or curious about how RDS works under the hood? Our support staff is available 24/7/365 to help with whatever you need.