ARK Server Manager

The ARK Survival AscendedServer Manager admins actually want.

Cousin Server Manager is a Windows-based ARK server manager (ASA server manager) for fleet control, SteamCMD maintenance, safe automation, backups, RCON, monitoring, plugins, and UPS power protection.

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Free core edition · No credit card required · Windows dedicated servers

Your server files, saves, backups, and RCON logs never leave your machine.Privacy details

Why ARK: Survival Ascended needs a real server manager

Managing an ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated server by hand means juggling RDP sessions, editing raw INI files, remembering to check SteamCMD for updates, recovering from crashes, and manually warning players before every restart. It gets worse fast the moment you run more than one map or a full cluster.

Cousin Server Manager is a purpose-built ASA server manager that brings that work together. Manage installations and updates, control servers through RCON, schedule maintenance, protect backups, manage mods and plugins, and give co-admins only the access they need — all from a locally hosted Windows application. With a configured UPS, it can also detect a power outage, warn players, save and stop servers gracefully, and optionally shut down Windows when your emergency thresholds are met.

Built for real workflows

Who uses Cousin Server Manager?

Solo & small hosting communities

Run one or two servers without needing a full hosting company's toolchain - install, configure, and manage everything from a single browser tab.

Cluster owners

Organize maps into dashboard clusters, apply bulk actions, and keep INI settings, mods, and plugins consistent across servers with copy tools.

Communities with moderators

Delegate day-to-day admin work safely with per-user permissions - grant RCON or ban access without handing over full server control.

Core capabilities

The tools behind a dependable ASA fleet

UPS Power Protection

Monitor a UPS and prepare your ARK servers for a power outage before battery time runs out.

Connects to Network UPS Tools (NUT), with guided Windows setup for supported USB, network, serial, and custom UPS drivers
Shows live battery charge, estimated runtime, load, voltage, on-battery time, and power-event history
Warns players, saves and gracefully stops every ARK server, then can optionally shut down Windows at your configured emergency thresholds — requires a license

Fleet Dashboard & Clusters

See one server or an entire ASA fleet in a live dashboard, then organize work around the servers you manage together.

Live lifecycle state, map, ports, players, build ID, RAM use, uptime, CPU affinity, and priority
Create dashboard clusters separately from ARK in-game transfer cluster IDs
Scope bulk actions to selected servers, all visible servers, or the current dashboard cluster

Safe Lifecycle & Bulk Control

Start, stop, restart, update, or recover one server or many with player-aware shutdown controls.

Staggered fleet starts plus bulk stop, restart, and stop-update-restart actions
Configurable RCON warning countdowns, SaveWorld and DoExit for graceful stops, with force cleanup if needed
Port checks, RCON readiness checks, operation locking, and task queues prevent conflicting maintenance work

SteamCMD Install, Update & Repair

Install and maintain ASA server files from the browser instead of managing SteamCMD by hand.

Download SteamCMD, install or reinstall ASA dedicated server files, and follow live progress logs
Compare installed and remote Steam build IDs before manual, automatic, or pre-launch updates
Validate and repair server files with SteamCMD when an installation needs attention

Automatic Updates

Detect new Steam builds in the background, notify players, and run a controlled update-and-restart sequence.

Configurable background checks and on-demand update checks continue without an open browser tab
Optional update check before each server start
Player warnings, save, stop, update, restart, logs, and Discord results — requires a license

Scheduled Restarts & RCON Tasks

Keep routine maintenance predictable with backend schedules that run whether or not the dashboard is open.

Per-server weekly restart schedules, custom player-warning templates, optional updates, and wild-dino cleanup
Recurring or one-time RCON commands for one server, a dashboard cluster, or your entire fleet
Enable, edit, run now, or remove scheduled commands — scheduled commands require a license

Watchdog, Recovery & Monitoring

Spot unhealthy servers early and recover from crashes or unresponsive RCON sessions with safeguards against restart loops.

Crash recovery, boot-timeout handling, RCON-silence detection, and configurable restart limits
CPU, RAM, and disk-space warnings with Discord notifications and alert cooldowns
Live logs, dashboard activity, uptime history, and start/stop reasons for operational visibility

Launch Parameters & INI Control

Configure how each server runs with visual launch settings and safe editors for Game.ini and GameUserSettings.ini.

Live launch-command preview, common ASA settings, cluster transfer options, mods, and custom arguments
Structured and raw INI editing, search, repeated keys, recovery copies, and copy tools for multiple servers
Queues INI changes while a server is running and can synchronize a configured INI from a GitHub raw URL before launch

Beacon Advanced Configuration

Connect your Beacon account to configure advanced ARK settings with Beacon v4 catalog data directly in the manager.

Authenticated Beacon API access and Beacon v4 catalog data are available from each server workspace
Configure Beacon-backed item stat limits without manually building every Game.ini clamp entry
Generates the required Game.ini and launch settings so ASA applies the selected item stat limits

RCON Console & Command Templates

Run live server commands with a console built for routine administration, player messaging, and repeatable tasks.

Live responses, command history, quick commands, broadcasts, SaveWorld, DoExit, and player list tools
Built-in command library with form-based placeholders and exact-command preview
Save, edit, and reuse custom command templates or send generated commands across servers

Automatic Backups & Restore Tools

Protect worlds and player profiles with flexible scheduled or on-demand backups, retention controls, and restore tools.

Optional SaveWorld before backup, ZIP world backups, separate player-profile backups, and retry handling for locked files
Choose a backup location and retain world and player backups independently
Browse, restore, delete, or open backup folders; restoring backups requires a license

Mods & CurseForge Support

Search, add, and maintain ASA mods from a built-in CurseForge browser without leaving the manager.

Search, sort, browse, and look up mods by CurseForge ID with metadata and thumbnails
Add, remove, reorder, enable, or disable each server’s mod list
Copy mod lists to other servers by replacing or merging the destination list

ASA API & Plugin Management

Install, update, and manage AsaApiLoader and ASA Server API plugins from the same server workspace.

Detect installed components, check releases, download updates, and enable API loading
Inspect plugin DLL and configuration status, copy plugins or configuration, and open plugin folders
Edit generated or raw JSON configuration and reload a plugin through RCON — advanced management requires a license

Discord & Event Webhooks

Keep staff informed with customizable Discord webhooks for the server events that matter to your community.

Use a main webhook plus additional webhooks for individual events, each with its own enable switch and test message
Customize templates with server, build, player, resource, and UPS details where available
Cover lifecycle, updates, crashes, watchdog recovery, resource warnings, bans, RCON, scheduled restarts, and UPS power events

Central Ban Manager

Manage player bans across a server, a dashboard cluster, or your whole fleet from one place.

Find known players by name or EOS ID, add a reason, and issue lifetime or timed bans
Send ban and unban actions immediately through RCON or queue them for offline servers to retry later
Track active bans and complete ban history, with automatic expiry handling — requires a license

Multi-User Access Control

Delegate day-to-day administration without giving every co-admin unrestricted server access.

Create accounts and control allowed tabs, sensitive actions, and access to Ban Manager or Scheduled Commands
Grant access to individual servers or entire dashboard clusters, including servers later added to those clusters
Enable or disable accounts as needed — user administration requires a license

Local Windows Web Interface

Run the manager on your Windows host and administer it from a browser on your network.

Locally hosted web interface with live authenticated WebSocket status, logs, progress, countdowns, and UPS data
Native Windows folder and file pickers plus Explorer integration for server, configuration, backup, and plugin folders
Use your preferred secure remote-access solution when you need to administer the host away from home

Live dashboard

See your whole cluster at a glance

localhost:8080 / dashboard

The Island

Running

24 / 70 players

RAM 4.2 GB

Scorched Earth

Running

11 / 70 players

RAM 4.2 GB

Aberration

Updating

0 / 70 players

RAM 4.2 GB

$ live activity log · auto-update monitor armed · 3 servers online

Pricing

Unlock advanced automation, protection & administration

The core ASA server manager is free. A license adds automatic updates, restore tools, scheduled commands, advanced plugins, Ban Manager, multi-user administration, and UPS power protection.