> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.freakhosting.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Use the Server Console

> Learn how to use the Game Panel console to read server output, send commands, monitor resources, and troubleshoot your FREAKHOSTING game server in real time.

## Your Server's Live Command Center

The console is the beating heart of your game server. It is a live, scrolling window into everything your server is doing right now -- every player connection, every plugin loading, every warning, and every error. Think of it as standing in the server room watching the monitor, except you can do it from anywhere with a browser.

Whether you need to give a player operator permissions in Minecraft, broadcast a message to everyone online, or check why your server just crashed, the console is where it all happens. You will find it on the **Console** tab at [games.freakhosting.com](https://games.freakhosting.com) -- and it is the first thing you see when you open your server.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Difficulty" icon="gauge-low">
    Beginner
  </Card>

  <Card title="Time" icon="clock">
    2 Minutes
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## What You See on the Console Tab

When you open your server and land on the **Console** tab, here is what you are looking at:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Terminal Output" icon="terminal">
    The large **black terminal area** dominates the page. This is where your server's live output scrolls in real time -- startup messages, player joins, plugin output, errors, and everything else the server process writes to the log. New messages appear at the bottom and the view auto-scrolls to keep up.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Command Input" icon="keyboard">
    At the very bottom of the terminal, you will see a text field with a **">"** prompt and placeholder text that reads **"Type a command..."**. This is where you type commands that get sent directly to your server, just as if you were typing into the server's own terminal.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Copy and Fullscreen" icon="expand">
    In the **top-right corner** of the terminal area, there are two small icons. The **copy icon** copies the entire visible log output to your clipboard (great for sharing with support). The **fullscreen (expand) icon** opens the terminal in a larger view so you can see more log lines at once.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Resource Cards" icon="chart-line">
    Below the terminal, three resource monitoring cards are displayed side by side: **CPU Usage**, **Memory Usage**, and **Inbound/Outbound** network traffic. Each card shows a teal-colored icon and displays real-time values when the server is running. When the server is offline, they show **Offline** with an infinity symbol for the limit.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Reading Server Output

The terminal output is your server talking to you. Learning to read it quickly will save you hours of troubleshooting. Here is what to look for:

### Startup Messages

When your server boots, you will see a flood of messages. This is normal. The server is loading its configuration, plugins, mods, maps, and network bindings. Look for lines that say things like "Done" or "Server started" near the end -- that means everything loaded successfully.

### Player Activity

Most game servers log player connections and disconnections. You will see messages like a player joining, leaving, or being kicked. This is useful for verifying that people can actually connect to your server.

### Errors and Warnings

Lines containing **WARN**, **ERROR**, or **SEVERE** deserve your attention. A single warning is usually fine (plugins occasionally complain about non-critical things). But repeated errors or a stack trace (a wall of technical lines starting with "at ...") usually means something needs fixing -- a misconfigured plugin, a missing file, or a version mismatch.

<Tip>
  If you see an error you do not understand, use the **copy icon** in the top-right of the terminal to copy the log output, then paste it into a support ticket or search for the error message online. Most game server errors have well-documented solutions.
</Tip>

***

## Sending Commands

The command input field at the bottom of the terminal is your direct line to the server. You type a command, press **Enter**, and it executes immediately on the server -- no prefix, no slash needed (unlike in-game chat where you type `/command`, in the console you just type `command`).

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click the Command Field">
    Click on the input field at the bottom of the terminal where it says **"Type a command..."**. The field will activate and the cursor will appear.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Type Your Command">
    Enter the command you want to run. Remember -- console commands do **not** use a leading slash. For example, type `say Hello everyone!` not `/say Hello everyone!`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Press Enter">
    Hit **Enter** on your keyboard. The command is sent to the server instantly and you will see the result (or any output) appear in the terminal above.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Commands execute immediately with no confirmation dialog. Double-check what you are typing before pressing Enter, especially for destructive commands like `stop`, `ban`, or `whitelist clear`. There is no undo button.
</Warning>

***

## Game-Specific Command Examples

Different game servers accept different commands. Here are practical examples for the most popular games:

### Minecraft (Java & Bedrock)

| Command                       | What It Does                                                             |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `op playername`               | Gives a player operator (admin) permissions                              |
| `deop playername`             | Removes operator permissions from a player                               |
| `say Hello everyone!`         | Broadcasts a yellow message to all online players                        |
| `kick playername Reason here` | Kicks a player with an optional reason                                   |
| `ban playername`              | Permanently bans a player from the server                                |
| `whitelist add playername`    | Adds a player to the server whitelist                                    |
| `stop`                        | Gracefully stops the server (it will restart if auto-restart is enabled) |
| `gamerule keepInventory true` | Changes a game rule                                                      |
| `tp player1 player2`          | Teleports player1 to player2                                             |

### TeamSpeak 3

| Command                                           | What It Does                          |
| ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| `clientlist`                                      | Lists all currently connected clients |
| `serverinfo`                                      | Shows detailed server information     |
| `clientkick clid=5 reasonid=5 reasonmsg=Bye`      | Kicks a specific client               |
| `sendtextmessage targetmode=3 target=1 msg=Hello` | Sends a message to the server chat    |

### Garry's Mod

| Command                    | What It Does                            |
| -------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| `status`                   | Shows connected players and server info |
| `changelevel gm_flatgrass` | Changes the map                         |
| `kick playername`          | Kicks a player                          |
| `sv_password mypassword`   | Sets a server password                  |

### Rust

| Command                    | What It Does                        |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| `status`                   | Shows connected players             |
| `say Hello everyone`       | Broadcasts a message to all players |
| `kick playername "reason"` | Kicks a player                      |
| `server.save`              | Forces a server save                |
| `server.writecfg`          | Saves current configuration         |

<Info>
  Each game server has its own unique set of commands. Check your game's official documentation or community wiki for a complete command reference. The console accepts whatever commands the underlying game server software supports.
</Info>

***

## Using the Copy Button

The **copy icon** in the top-right corner of the terminal area copies all currently visible log output to your clipboard. This is incredibly useful in several situations:

* **Sharing with support** -- Paste the log into a support ticket so our team can see exactly what happened.
* **Debugging errors** -- Copy an error message and search for it online to find community solutions.
* **Record keeping** -- Save a snapshot of the log before restarting your server if you want to preserve the output.

Simply click the copy icon, open a text editor or your support ticket, and paste with **Ctrl+V** (or **Cmd+V** on Mac).

***

## Fullscreen Mode

The **expand icon** (next to the copy icon, top-right of the terminal) switches the console into fullscreen mode. This is helpful when:

* You are reading through a long startup log and want to see more lines at once
* You are actively troubleshooting and need maximum screen real estate
* You want a cleaner, distraction-free view of the server output

Click the expand icon again (or press **Escape**) to exit fullscreen and return to the normal view.

***

## Resource Monitoring Cards

Below the terminal, three cards give you a real-time snapshot of your server's resource usage:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="CPU Usage" icon="microchip">
    Shows current CPU consumption as a percentage. The limit is based on your plan's allocated CPU. A teal CPU icon sits to the left. When the server is offline, this reads **Offline** with an infinity symbol (**∞**) for the limit. When running, a small real-time graph appears showing CPU usage over time.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Memory Usage" icon="memory">
    Displays current RAM consumption against your plan's memory limit. Same teal icon style with a live graph when active. If your server is consistently hitting its memory limit, you may need to upgrade your plan or reduce the number of plugins and mods loaded.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Network Traffic" icon="network-wired">
    Shows **Inbound** and **Outbound** data transfer in real time. This tells you how much data is flowing to and from your server. High inbound traffic with many players is normal. Unexplained spikes could indicate an issue worth investigating.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>
  Keep an eye on the resource cards while your server is running. If CPU sits at 100% constantly or memory hits the limit, your server may lag or crash. Consider optimizing your configuration, reducing loaded plugins, or upgrading to a higher plan.
</Tip>

***

## Common Console Scenarios

Here are everyday situations and how the console helps you handle them:

| Scenario                                                | What to Do                                                                                                                                   |
| ------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| You just installed a new Minecraft plugin               | Restart the server (or type `reload confirm` if the plugin supports hot-reloading), then watch the console for the plugin's startup messages |
| A player is cheating or griefing                        | Type `ban playername` in the command input and press Enter                                                                                   |
| Your server crashed and you want to know why            | Scroll up in the terminal output and look for **ERROR** or **SEVERE** lines just before the crash                                            |
| You want to change a game setting without editing files | Use the appropriate in-console command (e.g., `gamerule` for Minecraft, `server.writecfg` for Rust)                                          |
| Players report lag and you want to check resources      | Look at the CPU and Memory cards below the terminal -- high usage is the most common cause                                                   |
| You need to share your server log with support          | Click the **copy icon** in the top-right of the terminal and paste it into your support ticket                                               |

***

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do I need to type a slash before console commands?">
    No. Unlike in-game chat (where commands start with `/`), the server console accepts commands without any prefix. Just type the command name directly. For example, type `op Steve` not `/op Steve`.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I scroll up to see older log messages?">
    Yes. Scroll up in the terminal to see previous output from the current server session. However, the console only shows log output since the server was last started. For older logs, use the **File Manager** to view the full log files stored on disk.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why does the console show 'Offline' for resource usage?">
    The resource monitoring cards only display data when the server is actively running. If your server is stopped, they will show **Offline** with an infinity symbol. Start your server and the cards will populate with real-time graphs and values.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there a command history in the console?">
    Yes. Press the **Up Arrow** key in the command input field to cycle through your previously entered commands, just like a terminal. This saves you from retyping frequently used commands.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I paste commands into the console?">
    Yes. Click on the command input field and use **Ctrl+V** (or **Cmd+V** on Mac) to paste a command. This is especially useful for long commands or ones you have prepared in a text editor.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My console is flooded with repeated messages — what should I do?">
    Repeated messages usually come from a misconfigured plugin, a rapid error loop, or excessive debug logging. Identify the source of the spam from the message content, then either fix the plugin configuration, reduce the log verbosity in your server settings, or remove the problematic plugin entirely.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

<Note>
  ### Need Extra Help?

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

  * **Live Chat:** Quick assistance via our website.
  * **Support Ticket:** [Open a Ticket](https://freakhosting.com/clientarea/submitticket.php)
  * **Discord:** [Join our Community](https://discord.gg/freakhosting)
  * **Email:** [support@freakhosting.com](mailto:support@freakhosting.com)
</Note>

<Tip>
  ### Save on Your Hosting

  Ready to get a new server? Use code **KB20** at checkout for **20% off** your first month!
</Tip>

***

<div align="center">
  **Last Updated:** March 2026 | **Game Panel Support:** Console management simplified.
</div>