The fastest way to run out of credits is to leave your server running all night when nobody is playing. To help you stay on budget, every Fern server comes with Idle Auto-Stop enabled by default.

What is Idle Auto-Stop?

Our billing system constantly checks if anyone is actually playing on your server. If the player count is zero for a set amount of time, we’ll gracefully shut the server down for you.

The Benefit: Since you only pay for the minutes you use, this feature ensures you stop paying the second your community goes to sleep.

How to Configure the Timer

You can decide exactly how long your server should stay "idle" before it turns off.

Open your server in Mission Control.
Go to the Settings tab and select the Properties sub-tab.
Find the Idle Auto-Stop (Minutes) dropdown.
Choose a time (e.g., 15 minutes, 1 hour, or 12 hours). [image - Mission Control > Settings | Server Properties | Highlighting the 'Idle Auto-Stop' dropdown and the current timeout setting]

Can I disable it?

Yes. If you set the timer to Never, your server will stay online 24/7 until you manually stop it or your credits run out.

[!WARNING] Disabling Auto-Stop means your server will continue to burn credits even if nobody is playing. This is usually only recommended for massive public servers with players in every time zone.

The Perfect Pair: Wake on Connect

Auto-Stop becomes even more powerful when combined with Wake on Connect. With both features active, your server will automatically stop to save credits when empty, and boot back up automatically whenever a player tries to join. You get a fully automated server that only charges you for active gameplay.

Curious about what happens if you forget to top up? Read our guide on the Low Balance Grace Period.