Windows Node Setup

This guide walks you through adding a Windows node to BadgerPanel. Windows nodes use native process management instead of Docker containers, making them suitable for running game servers directly on Windows.

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Prerequisites

Before installing a Windows node, ensure your server has:

• Windows Server 2019+ or Windows 10/11 Pro (Windows Server recommended for production)
• Administrator access via PowerShell
• Network connectivity to your panel URL (HTTPS)
• Sufficient disk space and memory for your planned game servers

Docker is not required on Windows nodes. The daemon manages game server processes natively using Windows Job Objects for resource isolation.

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Creating the Node in the Panel

1. Navigate to Admin > Nodes and click Add Node.
2. Fill in the node details:

Field	Description
Name	A friendly name for this node (e.g., "Windows Game 1")
Description	Optional description for your reference
FQDN	The fully qualified domain name or IP address of the server
OS	Select Windows
Memory	Total memory available for game servers (in MB)
Disk	Total disk space available for game servers (in MB)

3. Click Create. The panel generates an install command for PowerShell.

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Running the Install Command

Open an Administrator PowerShell session and run the install command from the panel:

irm "https://panel.example.com/api/nodes/install/TOKEN" | iex

Replace the URL with the actual command shown in your panel. The command includes a unique registration token.

What the Script Does

1. Verifies administrator privileges - the script will not proceed without admin access
2. Creates directories - sets up the daemon directory at C:\BadgerDaemon\
3. Downloads the daemon binary - fetches the Windows daemon executable
4. Configures the firewall - adds Windows Firewall rules for the daemon and SFTP ports
5. Registers with the panel - uses the token to authenticate and register the node
6. Installs as a Windows service - registers BadgerDaemon as a Windows service set to start automatically

Token Validity

The registration token is valid for 1 hour and is one-time use. If it expires, delete the node in the panel and create a new one.

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Native Process Management

Unlike Linux nodes that use Docker containers, Windows nodes run game servers as native Windows processes. Each server process is wrapped in a Windows Job Object, which provides:

• Resource limits - memory and CPU limits are enforced at the OS level
• Process isolation - each game server runs in its own job object
• Clean shutdown - when a server is stopped, the job object terminates all child processes

This approach means game servers run directly on the host OS without any virtualization or container overhead.

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Verifying the Connection

After running the install script, check the node's status in Admin > Nodes.

Status	Meaning
Online	The daemon is connected and communicating normally
Offline	The daemon is not sending heartbeats - check if the service is running
Pending	The node was created but the daemon has not connected yet
Error	The daemon reported an error - check the daemon logs for details

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Log Location

Daemon logs are stored at:

C:\BadgerDaemon\logs\

Log files are rotated automatically. Check the latest log file for troubleshooting.

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Service Management

The daemon runs as a Windows service called BadgerDaemon. Manage it with PowerShell:

# Check the service status
Get-Service BadgerDaemon

# Stop the daemon
Stop-Service BadgerDaemon

# Start the daemon
Start-Service BadgerDaemon

# Restart the daemon
Restart-Service BadgerDaemon

# Set the service to start automatically
Set-Service BadgerDaemon -StartupType Automatic

# Disable automatic startup
Set-Service BadgerDaemon -StartupType Manual

You can also manage the service through the Windows Services management console (services.msc).

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Storage Drives

Windows nodes support multi-drive configuration, allowing you to spread game server data across multiple disk drives. This is useful when you have multiple SSDs or want to separate game server storage from the OS drive.

See the Node Drives guide for detailed setup instructions.

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Removing a Windows Node

Before removing a node, delete or transfer all servers hosted on it.

1. In the panel, go to Admin > Nodes, select the node, and click Delete.
2. On the Windows server, open an Administrator PowerShell session:

# Stop and remove the service
Stop-Service BadgerDaemon
sc.exe delete BadgerDaemon

# Remove the firewall rules
Remove-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "BadgerDaemon*"

# Remove the daemon files and configuration
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "C:\BadgerDaemon"

# Optionally remove server data (WARNING: deletes all game server files)
# Remove any additional drive paths you configured