How to Set Up FastDL on Your Team Fortress 2 Server

FastDL (fast download) lets players download your custom maps, materials, models, and sounds over HTTP from a web server instead of directly from the game server. Without it, downloads go through Source networking at roughly 8 KB/s, so a single custom map can take over an hour.

How It Works

You host your custom files on a web server and point your game server at them with sv_downloadurl. The folder structure on the web server must mirror the game's tf/ folder, so a map at tf/maps/cp_custom.bsp is served from that same relative path on the web host.

Step 1: Set the Download URL

1. Log in to the NolimitHost Game Panel and stop your server.
2. Open tf/cfg/server.cfg in Files and add:

   sv_downloadurl "https://fastdl.example.com/tf/"
   sv_allowdownload 1

3. Save the file.

Step 2: Mirror Your Files

1. On your web host, create a folder for the game, for example tf/.
2. Recreate the sub-folders that match your custom content: maps/, materials/, models/, and sound/.
3. Upload the same files that are on your game server. File and folder names are case-sensitive, so they must match exactly.
4. Compress each file with bzip2 (.bz2) to speed up transfers. Source clients decompress them automatically. For example, upload cp_custom.bsp.bz2 alongside cp_custom.bsp.

Step 3: Restart and Test

1. Start the server from the Console page.
2. Join and let a missing custom file download. If it downloads instantly, FastDL is working.

Troubleshooting