ArkView is a free program that reads your Ark save file and hands the results to Arkon. Without it, Arkon can only talk to your server through RCON, so it can't see what is on the map. With it, map commands like +hunt, +findtame, and +structures start working.
New to Arkon? Connect your server first with the Getting Started guide. ArkView is an add-on for a server that already works with Arkon.
Everything marked 🔹 on the wiki needs ArkView. The main ones:
| Area | Commands and features |
|---|---|
| Map tools | +hunt, +findtame, +mytames, +mapstats, +playerheat |
| Map analysis | +structures, +territory, +findexpired, +checkmassbreed, +finditem |
| Anti-cheat | +scanforeigntames, +tamestatcheck, +uncryocheck |
See the Quick Reference for what each command does.
ArkView runs next to your Ark server. Every time the server saves, ArkView reads the save and gets the data ready. When someone runs a map command, Arkon asks ArkView for that data over the internet.
A few things follow from this:
8000, 8001, 8002). Not your RCON or game port.ArkView needs the full path to your map's .ark file.
| Game | Where the save lives |
|---|---|
| ASE | ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks/TheIsland.ark |
| ASA | ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks/TheIsland_WP/TheIsland_WP.ark |
Swap TheIsland for your map's name.
Player and tribe files must sit next to the save. ArkView reads the
.arkprofile(players) and.arktribe(tribes) files from the same folder as the.arkfile. Your server already puts them there. If you copy saves somewhere else, copy those files too, or ArkView's player and tribe data will come up empty. (Some ASA hosts keep that data inside the.arkinstead; ArkView 2.25.0 and newer reads it from there when the files don't exist.)
No spaces in the path. ArkView refuses a save path that contains a space. If your server sits under a folder like
Program Files, see the fix in Troubleshooting.
Pick the one that matches your server.
ArkViewer.exe from GitHub Releases.C:\ArkView\TheIsland\, and run it once. It creates a config.ini file next to itself, then you can close it.config.ini (see Step 3), then run ArkViewer.exe again and leave it open.For more than one map, make one folder per map, each with its own copy of ArkViewer.exe and its own config.ini.
Start it with Windows: press
Win + R, typeshell:startup, and put a shortcut toArkViewer.exein the folder that opens.
These commands are for Ubuntu or Debian with Python 3.10 or newer. They install ArkView once, then run one copy per map. Swap theisland for your map's name.
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y git python3-venv
sudo useradd -r -s /usr/sbin/nologin arkviewer
sudo mkdir -p /opt/arkviewer && sudo chown arkviewer:arkviewer /opt/arkviewer
sudo -u arkviewer git clone https://github.com/vertyco/arkview /opt/arkviewer
cd /opt/arkviewer
sudo -u arkviewer python3 -m venv .venv
sudo -u arkviewer .venv/bin/pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt
sudo -u arkviewer mkdir -p /opt/arkviewer/maps/theisland
sudo -u arkviewer cp /opt/arkviewer/default_config.ini /opt/arkviewer/maps/theisland/config.ini
sudo nano /opt/arkviewer/maps/theisland/config.ini
Fill it in using Step 3, then save with Ctrl + O, Enter, Ctrl + X.
sudo cp /opt/arkviewer/deploy/[email protected] /etc/systemd/system/
sudo sed -i 's|main.py$|main.py 0.0.0.0|' /etc/systemd/system/[email protected]
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now arkview@theisland
The sed line makes ArkView listen for outside connections. Without it, ArkView only answers requests from the same machine, so Arkon can't reach it.
journalctl -u arkview@theisland -f
For another map, repeat step 2 with a new folder name and a different Port, then run sudo systemctl enable --now arkview@<newname>.
Save files under
/home? The service blocks access to/homeby default. Runsudo sed -i 's|^ProtectHome=true|ProtectHome=read-only|' /etc/systemd/system/[email protected], thensudo systemctl daemon-reloadand restart the service. Thearkvieweruser also needs permission to read the save folder.
Docker runs one container per map. Build the image from the ArkView repo:
git clone https://github.com/vertyco/arkview
cd arkview
cp docker-compose.example.yml docker-compose.yml
docker build -t arkviewer:latest .
Edit docker-compose.yml. For each map, set:
TheIsland_WP folder for ASA, or the SavedArks folder for ASE) to /savesconfigs/<map>.ini file mounted to /app/config.ini8000 inside the containerInside the container the paths change, so in each .ini use MapFilePath = /saves/TheIsland_WP.ark (ASA) or MapFilePath = /saves/TheIsland.ark (ASE), and keep Port = 8000. Then start it:
docker compose up -d
The example file has comments for every line. If your save files aren't owned by user ID 1000, build with --build-arg UID=<uid> --build-arg GID=<gid>.
Most settings can stay as they are. These are the ones that matter:
| Setting | What to put |
|---|---|
Port |
The TCP port Arkon will connect to, for example 8000. Each map needs its own. |
MapFilePath |
Full path to the .ark file from Step 1. |
ClusterFolderPath |
(Optional) Your cluster transfer folder, so tames uploaded to the cluster show up too. Leave blank if you don't run a cluster. |
BanListFile |
(Optional) Path to your server's BanList.txt. |
Threads |
How many CPU cores ArkView may use while reading a save. 2 is fine for most servers. |
APIKey |
Your Arkon ArkView key (see below). Strongly recommended. |
Debug |
Leave this False. True blocks all outside connections. |
Example for an ASA server on Windows:
[Settings]
Port = 8000
MapFilePath = C:\ArkServer\ShooterGame\Saved\SavedArks\TheIsland_WP\TheIsland_WP.ark
ClusterFolderPath =
BanListFile =
Priority = LOW
Threads = 2
ReprocessOnArkDataUpdate = False
Debug = False
DSN =
APIKey = paste-your-key-here
The API key stops strangers from reading your map data. Without it, anyone who finds your ArkView port can see where every tribe has built.
+arkset view. Copy the value next to ArkView API Key.APIKey = in every config.ini you run.Arkon sends this key every time it asks ArkView for data, and ArkView turns away any request without it. One key covers every ArkView in your Discord server. If the key ever leaks, the Discord server owner can run +arkset regenkey to make a new one. Arkon DMs it to you, and then you update every config.ini and restart each ArkView.
Arkon connects to ArkView the same way it connects to RCON, so the port must be reachable from the internet.
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "ArkView 8000" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 8000 -Action Allowsudo ufw allow 8000/tcp51.79.109.160. On Linux: sudo ufw allow from 51.79.109.160 to any port 8000 proto tcp.Behind CGNAT? Port forwarding doesn't work if your internet provider shares one public IP between customers. The Nitrado guide shows how to use a cheap VPS as a relay, and the same relay works for a home server.
+viewservers in Discord.Port from that map's config.ini. Not your RCON port.Repeat for each map. The ArkView Toggles button next to it has Hunt, Find, FindTame, and Playerheat switches. Set one to False to turn that player command off for that server.
+arkviewer to see each server's ArkView status and when it last synced.+structures <tribe name> or +hunt rex.If results come back, you're done. ArkView re-reads the save every time your server saves, so the data stays current on its own.
Tribe logs don't need ArkView. They run over RCON, so set a channel with +tribeset logchannel <cluster> #channel whether or not ArkView is running. Full setup: Tribe Logs.
ArkView has to run somewhere it can read your save files. Most rented game servers don't let you run your own programs, so you can't install ArkView on the host itself.
If your host gives you FTP access to the save folder, you can copy the save to a machine you control every few minutes and run ArkView there. The ArkView on Nitrado (ASA) guide walks through this step by step. The same approach should work with other hosts that offer FTP, but Nitrado is the only one it has been tested on.
ASE on Nitrado has no RCON, so Arkon can't connect to it at all. ArkView doesn't change that.
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Map commands time out | Arkon can't reach ArkView | Check the port forward, the firewall rule, and the Port in +viewservers. Test from outside your network: on a phone with Wi-Fi off, open http://<your-public-ip>:<port>/. Any response means the port is open. |
| Works on the same PC but not from outside (Linux) | ArkView is only listening locally | Make sure the service's ExecStart line ends in main.py 0.0.0.0 (the sed line in Option B), then restart the service. |
| "Invalid API key" or "No API key provided" | The key in config.ini doesn't match Arkon's |
Copy the key again from +arkset view, paste it into APIKey, and restart ArkView. |
| Commands return nothing right after starting | The first read hasn't finished yet | Wait a few minutes on a big map, then check +arkviewer. |
| Map data works but ArkView's players and tribes are empty | The .arkprofile and .arktribe files aren't next to the .ark file |
Point MapFilePath at the save in its real folder, or copy those files along with the save. |
| ArkView says the map path has invalid characters | The path has a space in it | Link a folder without spaces to it. On Windows (Command Prompt as administrator): mklink /J C:\ArkSaves "C:\Program Files\ArkServer\ShooterGame\Saved\SavedArks", then use C:\ArkSaves\... in MapFilePath. |
| The Linux service restarts in the middle of reading | It ran out of its memory limit | Raise MemoryMax=4G in /etc/systemd/system/[email protected], then run sudo systemctl daemon-reload and restart the service. |
Still stuck? Ask in the Discord Support Server and include what +arkviewer shows.