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install-rehlds-on-linux/en.md
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| 1 | +--- | |
| 2 | +title: "How to Install ReHLDS on Linux (2026 Guide)" | |
| 3 | +excerpt: "Replace Valve's HLDS engine with ReHLDS on a Linux server: which files to copy, how to verify it loaded, and the compatibility traps with Metamod and ReGameDLL." | |
| 4 | +category: "installation" | |
| 5 | +tags: "rehlds, linux, server-setup" | |
| 6 | +image: "" | |
| 7 | +read_time: "9 min read" | |
| 8 | +--- | |
| 9 | +<p>ReHLDS is a reverse-engineered, bug-fixed rewrite of the Half-Life dedicated server engine, maintained by the <code>rehlds</code> GitHub organisation. It is a drop-in replacement for the engine binary: same directory layout, same cvars, same mods. What you get is a large pile of fixed engine bugs, real anti-exploit protections against the classic HL crash packets, faster networking, and cvars that plain HLDS simply does not have. There is no serious reason to run stock HLDS on a public server in 2026.</p> | |
| 10 | + | |
| 11 | +<h2>1. Start from a working HLDS install</h2> | |
| 12 | +<p>ReHLDS replaces files inside an existing App 90 install — it is not a full server. If you do not have one yet, do <a href="/tutorials/install-cs16-dedicated-server-linux-steamcmd">the SteamCMD install</a> first and make sure the vanilla server boots to a map.</p> | |
| 13 | + | |
| 14 | +<h2>2. Get the right build</h2> | |
| 15 | +<p>Download the latest ReHLDS release archive from the project's GitHub releases page. The archive contains both platforms; you want the Linux directory. Do not mix a Linux <code>engine_i486.so</code> with Windows <code>swds.dll</code> files from a different release — engine and Metamod ABI expectations are tied to the build.</p> | |
| 16 | +<p>The Linux files that matter:</p> | |
| 17 | +<pre>engine_i486.so | |
| 18 | +hlds_linux (the launcher ReHLDS ships) | |
| 19 | +libstdc++.so.6 (only if the archive contains one — usually you keep the system one)</pre> | |
| 20 | + | |
| 21 | +<h2>3. Back up, then copy</h2> | |
| 22 | +<pre>cd /home/steam/hlds | |
| 23 | +cp engine_i486.so engine_i486.so.valve.bak | |
| 24 | +cp hlds_linux hlds_linux.valve.bak | |
| 25 | + | |
| 26 | +cp /path/to/rehlds/engine_i486.so ./engine_i486.so | |
| 27 | +cp /path/to/rehlds/hlds_linux ./hlds_linux | |
| 28 | +chmod +x hlds_linux hlds_run</pre> | |
| 29 | +<p>Both files go in the <strong>server root</strong> (next to <code>hlds_run</code>), never inside <code>cstrike/</code>. Copying <code>engine_i486.so</code> into <code>cstrike/</code> is a classic mistake — the server keeps running the Valve engine and you spend an hour wondering why <code>rehlds_version</code> is unknown.</p> | |
| 30 | + | |
| 31 | +<h2>4. Start the server</h2> | |
| 32 | +<pre>cd /home/steam/hlds | |
| 33 | +./hlds_run -game cstrike -strictportbind -ip 0.0.0.0 -port 27015 \ | |
| 34 | + +map de_dust2 +maxplayers 20 +sv_lan 0</pre> | |
| 35 | +<p>On startup ReHLDS prints its banner. Look for a line naming ReHLDS and its version — if you only see the Valve <code>Half-Life Dedicated Server</code> banner, the engine file was not replaced.</p> | |
| 36 | + | |
| 37 | +<h2>5. Verify it is actually running</h2> | |
| 38 | +<p>In the server console:</p> | |
| 39 | +<pre>rehlds_version</pre> | |
| 40 | +<p>A stock HLDS answers <code>Unknown command: rehlds_version</code>. ReHLDS prints its version string. That single command is the whole verification — do not trust the file timestamp, trust the cvar.</p> | |
| 41 | + | |
| 42 | +<h2>6. ReHLDS-specific cvars worth setting</h2> | |
| 43 | +<p>Put these in <code>cstrike/server.cfg</code>. They are the reason people install ReHLDS in the first place:</p> | |
| 44 | +<pre>// reject malformed / oversized packets instead of crashing | |
| 45 | +sv_rehlds_attachedentities_playeranimationspeed_fix 1 | |
| 46 | +sv_rehlds_local_gametime 1 | |
| 47 | +sv_rehlds_send_mapcycle 0 | |
| 48 | + | |
| 49 | +// hardening | |
| 50 | +sv_rehlds_force_dlmax 1 | |
| 51 | +sv_filterban 1 | |
| 52 | +sv_rcon_maxfailures 5 | |
| 53 | +sv_rcon_minfailures 5 | |
| 54 | +sv_rcon_minfailuretime 30</pre> | |
| 55 | +<p>Enable them one at a time, restart, and watch the log. Some hardening cvars interact badly with old plugins that send hand-built messages — if the server starts crashing right after you turn a batch on, see <a href="/tutorials/fix-crash-rehlds-security-cvars">crash after enabling ReHLDS security cvars</a>.</p> | |
| 56 | + | |
| 57 | +<h2>7. Rebuild the rest of the stack in order</h2> | |
| 58 | +<p>ReHLDS on its own is only the engine. The order that works:</p> | |
| 59 | +<ol> | |
| 60 | +<li><strong>ReHLDS</strong> (engine) — you are here.</li> | |
| 61 | +<li><strong><a href="/tutorials/install-regamedll-cs16">ReGameDLL_CS</a></strong> — replaces <code>cstrike/dlls/cs.so</code>, the game logic.</li> | |
| 62 | +<li><strong><a href="/tutorials/install-metamod-r">Metamod-r</a></strong> — the plugin loader, pointed at from <code>liblist.gam</code>.</li> | |
| 63 | +<li><strong><a href="/tutorials/install-amx-mod-x-1-9">AMX Mod X</a></strong> — loaded by Metamod.</li> | |
| 64 | +<li><strong><a href="/tutorials/install-reapi">ReAPI</a></strong> — only useful once ReHLDS <em>and</em> ReGameDLL are both in place.</li> | |
| 65 | +</ol> | |
| 66 | +<p>Do not install ReAPI before ReGameDLL. ReAPI hooks functions that only exist in ReGameDLL; without it the module refuses to load or the server dies at map start.</p> | |
| 67 | + | |
| 68 | +<h2>Common errors</h2> | |
| 69 | +<ul> | |
| 70 | +<li><strong><code>Unknown command: rehlds_version</code></strong> — the engine was not replaced. You copied <code>engine_i486.so</code> to the wrong directory, or you are launching a different <code>hlds_linux</code> (check with <code>ps aux | grep hlds</code> and look at the path).</li> | |
| 71 | +<li><strong><code>Segmentation fault</code> immediately at startup</strong> — mismatched binaries: a 64-bit build of something in the chain, or a Metamod version that predates the ReHLDS API. Confirm with <code>file engine_i486.so</code>; it must say <code>ELF 32-bit LSB shared object, Intel 80386</code>. If it says x86-64, you downloaded the wrong archive.</li> | |
| 72 | +<li><strong><code>Host_Error: Couldn't get DLL API from ./cstrike/dlls/cs.so</code></strong> — your ReGameDLL build is older or newer than the ReHLDS engine's expected interface. Update both to the current releases; see <a href="/tutorials/fix-regamedll-rehlds-incompatible">ReGameDLL/ReHLDS incompatibility</a>.</li> | |
| 73 | +<li><strong>Metamod plugins show <code>bad load</code></strong> after the switch — you are on classic Metamod with an old ABI. Move to Metamod-r, or read <a href="/tutorials/fix-metamod-bad-load">the bad load fix</a>.</li> | |
| 74 | +</ul> | |
| 75 | + | |
| 76 | +<h2>Rolling back</h2> | |
| 77 | +<p>Because you backed up the originals, rollback is two commands:</p> | |
| 78 | +<pre>cd /home/steam/hlds | |
| 79 | +cp engine_i486.so.valve.bak engine_i486.so | |
| 80 | +cp hlds_linux.valve.bak hlds_linux</pre> | |
| 81 | +<p>Restart, run <code>rehlds_version</code>, and confirm it is unknown again. Keep those <code>.bak</code> files — they are the only trivially available copy of the Valve engine once you have overwritten it, short of re-running <code>app_update 90 validate</code> (which, usefully, also restores them).</p> | |
| 82 | + | |
| 83 | +<h2>Verification checklist</h2> | |
| 84 | +<ul> | |
| 85 | +<li><code>rehlds_version</code> returns a version string.</li> | |
| 86 | +<li>The server reaches a map and accepts a client connection.</li> | |
| 87 | +<li><code>meta list</code> (if Metamod is installed) shows every plugin as <code>RUN</code>.</li> | |
| 88 | +<li>The log has no repeating warnings on map change.</li> | |
| 89 | +</ul> | |
| 90 | +<p>If all four hold, you are on ReHLDS. Next: <a href="/tutorials/install-rehlds-regamedll-reapi-stack">the full modern stack</a>, or compile it yourself with <a href="/tutorials/build-rehlds-from-source">the Docker build guide</a>.</p> | |
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