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Enable a Factorio whitelist without locking out your group

A Factorio whitelist controls which named players can join your factory. Set it up from a management session you can recover through the game panel, then test both an allowed account and an unlisted account. Hiding a server from the public browser alone does not provide the same restriction.

Keep a recovery route open

You need access to your own game panel console and permission to change the server’s configuration. Record the exact Factorio usernames your group uses. Do not substitute their billing email addresses or Steam display names without checking the identity the game reports.

Save a private copy of your current server settings and whitelist. Note any startup options that select an alternative whitelist path or explicitly enable whitelist use. Factorio exposes separate --server-whitelist and --use-server-whitelist options; a template may manage them for you.

Populate the list before enforcing the policy

  1. Check the installed command syntax with the game’s help and inspect the existing list using /whitelist get.
  2. Add your own known game identity with /whitelist add PLAYER, replacing the placeholder with the exact username.
  3. Add one trusted tester and the remaining approved players. Inspect the list again for spelling errors.
  4. Check the template’s whitelist enable setting. Where the panel exposes a corresponding switch, save the intended enabled state. Ask support to inspect hidden startup options if necessary.
  5. Keep the panel console available while the tester reconnects. Do not close your only management session before the access test.

Verify admission and rejection

Ask the listed tester to leave and rejoin through the allocated game address. Confirm that the server accepts them and that the log reports the expected identity. Then use an authorised unlisted test account to check rejection. A successful test needs both results.

An empty list is a special case: the upstream console documentation says an empty whitelist disables whitelist functionality. Do not clear the list as a way to lock everybody out. Use the panel’s maintenance controls if you need to keep the game unavailable during work.

If an unlisted account still joins, inspect the effective enable setting, selected file and any account-specific bypass behaviour in your installed version. Do not assume a saved JSON file proves that the running process loaded it.

Recover and maintain the list

If a legitimate player cannot join, check their exact game username before changing the overall policy. Add the missing identity from the panel console and have them retry. Restore the recorded configuration if your template change prevents startup.

After a planned restart, inspect the list and repeat the allowed-account check. Keep a small staff record of who approved each addition. Remove departed members by name using /whitelist remove PLAYER, leaving the other entries intact. For a public event, decide how you will admit guests before advertising the address rather than disabling access controls in a rush.

Official references

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