Get up and running in minutes
A quick tour of installing and configuring Cousin Server Manager. For the complete reference of every tab and setting, see the full README on GitHub.
Setup in 4 steps
1. Download & install
Grab the latest CousinServerManagerSetup.exe from GitHub Releases and run the setup wizard. Choose the port you want the web interface to run on.
2. Open the dashboard
Open your browser to http://localhost:<port> to reach the Dashboard - the home screen for every server you configure.
3. Add & configure your servers
Point Cousin Server Manager at your ARK: Survival Ascended install (or install fresh via SteamCMD), set launch parameters, INI settings, and assign servers to clusters.
4. Turn on automation
Enable Auto-Restart Scheduler, Auto-Backup, and (with a license) Auto-Update Monitor so your servers stay healthy without you watching them.
What you'll need
- Windows Server or Windows 10/11 machine capable of running ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated servers
- SteamCMD (Cousin Server Manager can download/install this for you)
- Enough disk space for each ARK server install (~30 GB per server)
- A modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) to access the web dashboard
- Optional: a Discord webhook URL for lifecycle notifications
- Optional: a free CurseForge API key for the built-in mod browser
Looking for the full tab-by-tab reference?
Every tab - Overview, Launch Parameters, INI Settings, RCON Console, Mods, API & Plugins, and more - is documented in detail in the project README on GitHub.
Read the full READMEQuestions during setup?
Our Discord community and support team can help you get your cluster configured.