Servers

In this game, a server refers to a computer that can be connected to, accessed, and manipulated through the Terminal. All servers in the game are connected to each other to form a large, global network. To learn about how to navigate this network and connect to other servers, see the Networking page.

Server RAM
Perhaps the most important property of a server to make note of is its RAM, which refers to how much memory is available on that machine. RAM is important because it is required to run Scripts. More RAM allows the user to run more powerful and complicated scripts.

The "free", "scan-analyze", and "analyze" Terminal commands can be used to check how much RAM a server has.

Identifying Servers
A server is identified by two properties: its IP address and its hostname. An IP address is a 32-bit number represented in dot-decimal notation. For example, "56.1.5.0" and "86.5.1.0" might be two IP addresses you see in the game. A hostname is a label assigned to a server. A hostname will usually give you a general idea of what the server is. For example, the company Nova Medical might have a server with the hostname "nova-med".

Hostnames and IP addresses are unique. This means that if one server has the IP address "1.1.1.1" and the hostname "some-server", then no other server in the game can have that IP address or that hostname.

There are many Netscript Functions and Terminal commands in the game that will require you to target a specific server. This is done using either the IP address or the hostname of the server.

Player-owned Servers
The player starts with a single server: his/her home computer. This server will have the hostname "home." The player's home computer is special for a variety of reasons. First, the home computer's RAM can be upgraded. This can be done by visiting certain locations in the World. Second, the home computer persists through Augmentation Installations. This means that you will not lose any RAM upgrades or Scripts on your home computer when you install Augmentations (you will however, lose programs and messages on your home computer).

The player can also purchase additional servers. This can be done by visiting certain locations in the World, or it can be done automatically through a script using the purchaseServer Netscript Function. The advantage of purchased servers is that, in terms of RAM, they are cheaper than upgrading your home computer. The disadvantage is that your purchased servers are lost when you install Augmentations.

Hackable Servers
Most servers that are not owned by the player can be hacked for money and exp. See the Hacking and Hacking Mechanics pages for more details.

Different servers have different levels of security, but also offer different rewards when being hacked. See the List of servers for more details.