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Personalizing and Maintaining Your Server

The Settings tab in the FREAKHOSTING Game Server Control Panel is where you go to customize how your server appears in the panel, view technical details about your server’s infrastructure, and — when absolutely necessary — reinstall your server from scratch. Think of it as your server’s identity card and maintenance toolkit, all in one place.

Difficulty

Intermediate

Time

5 Minutes

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Accessing Server Settings

1

Log In to the Game Panel

Go to games.freakhosting.com and log in with your account credentials.
2

Select Your Server

Click on the server you want to manage from the server list.
3

Open the Settings Tab

Click the Settings tab in the server’s navigation bar. The Settings page opens with four distinct sections stacked vertically.

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Settings Page Overview

The Settings page is divided into four clearly labeled sections. Here is what each one does and when you would use it:
SectionPurpose
SFTP DetailsShows your SFTP connection credentials
Change Server DetailsCustomize your server’s display name and description
Debug InformationView your server’s node, location, and unique ID
Reinstall ServerWipe and reinstall your server’s software from scratch
Let us walk through each one.

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SFTP Details

The top section of the Settings page displays your SFTP connection credentials — the same information shown on the Dashboard. This gives you quick access without having to navigate back. You will see:
  • Server Address: sftp://n20.freakhosting.com:2022
  • Username: freak0705.41298f70
  • A note: “Your SFTP password is the same as the password you use to access this panel.”
  • A Launch SFTP button
For a full guide on connecting to your server via SFTP — including step-by-step instructions for FileZilla and WinSCP — see How to Connect via SFTP.

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Changing Server Details

The Change Server Details section lets you customize how your server appears in the Game Panel. This is purely cosmetic — it does not affect your server’s functionality or performance. But if you manage multiple servers, giving each one a clear name and description makes life much easier.
1

Find the Change Server Details Section

Scroll down on the Settings page to the Change Server Details section. You will see two fields:
  • Server Name — A text field with your server’s current display name
  • Server Description — A larger text area for a description of your server
2

Enter a Server Name

Click the Server Name field and type a name that helps you identify this server at a glance. For example:
  • Minecraft SMP - Season 4
  • TeamSpeak - Community Voice
  • Rust - Vanilla PvP
  • ARK - Ragnarok Cluster
This name appears in your server list and at the top of the server management page, so make it descriptive.
3

Add a Server Description (Optional)

Click the Server Description text area and add any details that help you or your team. For example:
  • Main survival server for the community. Paper 1.20.4 with 30 plugins.
  • Development testing server - OK to reset.
  • Production voice server - DO NOT restart during events.
The description is visible on the server’s management page, serving as a handy note for anyone who has access.
4

Click Save

Click the green Save button to apply your changes. The new name and description take effect immediately.
If you manage multiple servers, use the description field to note important details like the game version, installed mods, or any special configurations. Your future self will thank you when you cannot remember which server is which three months from now.

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Debug Information

The Debug Information section displays technical details about your server’s infrastructure. This is read-only — you cannot change any of these values, but they are useful for troubleshooting and support tickets.
FieldExample ValueWhat It Means
NodeN20The physical or virtual node your server runs on
LocationFrankfurt, GermanyThe data center location where your server is hosted
Server ID41298f70-f0d7-4b1e-b018-617a0ba9c07eYour server’s unique identifier (UUID)

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When You Need Debug Information

  • Opening a support ticket: Include your Server ID so our team can locate your server instantly. Saying “my Minecraft server” when you have three of them is not helpful — the UUID removes all ambiguity.
  • Checking your server’s location: Useful if you want to confirm which data center your server is in, especially if you ordered a specific location for latency reasons.
  • Troubleshooting network issues: Knowing which Node your server is on helps our support team diagnose infrastructure-level issues quickly.
The Server ID (UUID) is the unique fingerprint of your server. No two servers share the same ID across the entire FREAKHOSTING platform. When contacting support, providing this ID helps us find your server in seconds.

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Reinstalling Your Server

The Reinstall Server section is at the bottom of the Settings page, and for good reason — it is the most destructive action available. Reinstalling your server stops it, wipes certain files, and re-runs the original installation script that set it up when you first received it.

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What Reinstallation Does

When you reinstall:
  1. Your server is stopped immediately.
  2. The original installation script runs again — the same one that set up your server when it was first created.
  3. Some files may be deleted or modified during this process — the exact behavior depends on your server type and its installation script.
  4. Your server starts fresh as if it were newly provisioned.

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Before You Reinstall

The panel displays an important notice in the Reinstall Server section:
Please go to the ‘Files’ tab and select all files and folders. Before reinstalling the server, please ensure that all content has been removed. Reinstalling your server will stop it, and then re-run the installation script that initially set it up. Some files may be deleted or modified during this process, please back up your data before continuing.
Translation: The reinstall process works best when you start with a clean slate. Before clicking the button, go to the Files tab, select all files and folders, and delete them. Then come back and reinstall.
Back up everything before reinstalling. Download any files you want to keep — world saves, configurations, plugin data, databases, logs, anything you care about. Once the reinstall runs, affected files are gone permanently. Use the File Manager to archive and download your data, or connect via SFTP to download folders in bulk.

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Performing the Reinstall

1

Back Up Your Data

This is not optional. Download everything you want to keep:
  • World saves (world, world_nether, world_the_end for Minecraft)
  • Configuration files (server.properties, .yml files, etc.)
  • Plugin/mod data (the plugins or mods folder)
  • Any custom scripts or files you have added
Use the File Manager’s archive feature to compress folders, then download the archives. Or connect via SFTP and download entire directories to your computer.
2

Clean Out Your Files (Recommended)

Go to the Files tab. Select all files and folders, then delete them. This ensures the reinstall script has a completely clean environment to work with, preventing conflicts between old files and the fresh installation.
3

Navigate to Settings

Go back to the Settings tab and scroll down to the Reinstall Server section at the bottom.
4

Click Reinstall Server

Click the Reinstall Server button. A confirmation dialog appears to make sure you understand the consequences.
5

Confirm the Reinstallation

Confirm that you want to proceed. The panel stops your server and begins running the installation script. This typically takes between 1 and 5 minutes depending on your server type.
6

Wait for Completion

The server reinstalls and starts up with a fresh configuration. Once it is back online, you can begin setting it up again — uploading your configurations, installing plugins or mods, and restoring any data from your backups.

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When to Reinstall

Reinstalling is a significant step. Here are the scenarios where it genuinely makes sense:

Switch Game or Server Type

If your service plan supports multiple games, reinstalling lets you switch from one server type to another — for example, moving from a Vanilla Minecraft server to a Paper server, or from Minecraft to a Terraria server.

Corrupted Installation

If your server will not start and troubleshooting has not helped, a reinstall gives you a clean slate. Core files may have been corrupted by a bad plugin, a failed update, or a crashed process.

Fresh Start

After months of adding and removing plugins, testing configurations, and accumulating leftover files, sometimes it is faster to start completely fresh than to untangle the mess. Reinstall, then restore only the files you actually need.

Clean Up After Experiments

Ran a bunch of tests or experiments that left your server in a weird state? A reinstall resets everything back to the default configuration without needing to track down every change you made.

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What NOT to Use Reinstall For

ProblemBetter Solution
Server crashed onceRestart the server from the Console or power controls
A single plugin is brokenRemove or replace that specific plugin in the File Manager
Configuration mistakeEdit the config file directly — no need to wipe everything
Want to update the game versionUse the panel’s version settings or Startup tab, not reinstall
Ran out of disk spaceClean up old logs, backups, and unused files
The reinstall process re-runs the original installation script, which may delete or overwrite files. The exact behavior depends on your server type and its installation script. Some scripts overwrite only core server files while leaving custom data intact; others wipe everything. To be safe, always assume everything will be deleted and back up your data before reinstalling.
No. Your server’s IP address, port, and all network settings remain the same after a reinstall. Players can reconnect using the same address they always have. No DNS changes or firewall updates are needed.
Most reinstalls complete in 1 to 5 minutes. The time varies depending on your server type — a lightweight server like TeamSpeak reinstalls in under a minute, while a modded Minecraft server with a larger installation script may take a few minutes longer.
No. Once the reinstall process begins, there is no way to reverse it. The only way to recover your previous setup is from a backup created before the reinstall. This is why we stress backing up so heavily.
The panel recommends it for the cleanest result. Leftover files from a previous installation can sometimes conflict with the fresh install script, causing unexpected behavior. Deleting everything first ensures a smooth reinstall.
Yes. The server name and description can be changed as many times as you like. Just go to Settings, update the fields, and click Save again. There is no limit on how often you can rename your server.

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Need Extra Help?

If you encounter any issues, our support team is ready to assist:

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Last Updated: March 2026 | Game Panel Support: Server settings and reinstall simplified.