Network Storage for s&box
Live demo

Install Network Storage

A Linux VPS with sudo, about two minutes. Windows works too. You end with a running server, a project, API keys and an HTTPS address.

1

Install the server

Public IP

curl -fsSL https://github.com/sbox-cool/sbox-network-storage-server/releases/latest/download/install.sh \
  | sudo env SBOX_NS_PROJECT="My Game" SBOX_NS_DNS=1 \
      SBOX_NS_ACME_EMAIL="you@example.com" SBOX_NS_ACCEPT_LETSENCRYPT_TERMS=1 sh

Most VPS hosts. Your name looks like NAME.n1.sboxns.com and players connect straight to your IP. Ports 443 and the HTTP check port must be reachable. SBOX_NS_ACCEPT_LETSENCRYPT_TERMS=1 accepts the Let's Encrypt subscriber agreement; the email is the certificate contact.

What the installer verifies

The installer downloads the release SHA256SUMS and refuses to install if the archive does not match. To read the script first, download install.sh from the latest release.

Public IP or tunnel?

With a public IP, signed DNS gives you a name like NAME.n1.sboxns.com that points straight at your server, with its own Let's Encrypt certificate. Ports 443 and the HTTP verification port must be reachable.

Without open ports, a Cloudflare Tunnel connects out from your machine and your name is NAME.sboxns.com. The two are mutually exclusive. Check either with sbox-ns dns status or sbox-ns doctor.

2

Keep the printed credentials

The installer prints your project ID, public key, secret key and HTTPS address. That is all the configuration a first game needs. Print them again, or add a project later:

sudo sbox-ns quickstart "My Game"

doctor checks the database, ports, certificate and that your name points at this server.

sudo sbox-ns doctor
3

Open the dashboard

Visit your HTTPS address and sign in at /login; manage the server at /dashboard. For the first sign-in, create a single-use link on the server:

sudo sbox-ns admin login-link

There is no /admin/login route.

4

Connect the s&box editor

Install the official Network Storage library (version 1.0.309133 or newer; older versions do not start on s&box editor 26.10). Open Editor > Network Storage > Setup, enter the project ID, public key, secret key and your HTTPS address as the Base URL, then push your collections, endpoints and workflows with Editor > Network Storage > Sync Tool. A successful sync confirms the editor can reach your server.

Game code uses only the public key:

NetworkStorage.Configure(
    "YOUR_PROJECT_ID",
    "sbox_ns_YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY",
    "https://YOUR_HOSTNAME" );

Use the exact HTTPS address the installer printed. The secret key belongs only in editor tooling or trusted servers, never in a published game.

Free HTTPS, without buying a domain

sboxns.com gives your server a stable name derived from its own key, so nobody else can claim or change it. Move the server and keep the name: players reconnect without a game update.

Does my server depend on sboxns.com?

Only to create your name and to update it when your IP changes. Once your name exists, players reach your server without going through sboxcool's servers: with a public IP they connect to you directly and Bunny DNS answers the lookup; with a tunnel, Cloudflare carries the traffic to you. If sboxcool.com goes down, your existing name keeps working.

Your own domain

Install without SBOX_NS_TUNNEL=1, set SBOX_NS_PUBLIC_URL="https://ns.example.com", and configure a certificate or an HTTPS reverse proxy. Docker and PostgreSQL are covered in the self-hosting guide.

No lock-in. Clear boundaries.

The server does not require a sboxcool account, payment, email registration or usage reports. Anonymous install statistics and security emails are separate opt-ins. Your database stays on your machine.

Creating a hosted name sends registration metadata (your name, public key and, for public-IP names, your IP address) to sboxcool. Public-IP names publish your server's IP in DNS. Tunnel names route requests through Cloudflare, whose connector has its own crash reporting. For an independent deployment, use your own HTTPS setup and leave optional services disabled.

Each subdomain belongs to an independently operated server. Contact that game's operator about its player data. For hosted-name abuse, contact support with the hostname and evidence. Read the acceptable-use policy and the privacy policy.