> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.playflowcloud.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Update server custom_data > Updates the `custom_data` field on a running server. Use this to store match state, player counts, map info, or any metadata that your game server or matchmaking system needs to expose via the API. The data is immediately visible in list and get responses. ## OpenAPI ````yaml https://api.computeflow.cloud/api/doc post /api/v3/servers/{instance_id}/update openapi: 3.1.0 info: title: PlayFlow API version: 3.0.0 description: > PlayFlow is a game server hosting and orchestration platform. Deploy, manage, and scale multiplayer game servers globally with built-in matchmaking, lobby management, and billing. ## Authentication All API endpoints (except Health) require the `api-key` header: ``` api-key: pf_your_project_api_key ``` Find your API key in the PlayFlow dashboard under **Project Settings**. Each project has two keys, both sent in the `api-key` header: - **Server key** (`pf_...`) — full access. Keep it secret (server-side only). - **Client key** (`pfclient_...`) — safe to embed in shipped game clients. It has access to all player-facing lobby, matchmaking, and read endpoints, but is **rejected with `403`** from admin/privileged routes: admin lobby get/force-delete (`GET`/`DELETE /v3/lobbies/{config}/{id}`), build deletion (`DELETE /v3/builds/{id}`), and project settings (`POST /v3/projects/settings`). Server lifecycle mutations (start/stop/restart/update) are allowed for client keys by default but can be locked to server-key-only per project via the `client_key_server_control` setting. ## Quick Start 1. **Upload a build**: `POST /v3/builds/upload-url` → get presigned URL → `PUT` your ZIP → processing starts automatically 2. **Start a server**: `POST /v3/servers/start` → get connection info in `network_ports` 3. **Connect your game client**: Use `host:external_port` from the response ## Key Concepts - **Builds**: Your game server binary packaged as a ZIP or Docker image. Versioned per name per project. - **Servers**: Running game server instances. Each gets dedicated compute and network ports with automatic health monitoring. - **Pool Servers**: Pre-provisioned servers for instant startup (~5s vs ~30s cold start). - **Regions**: 13 global regions (us-east, us-south, us-west, eu-north, eu-west, eu-uk, ap-south, sea, ap-north, ap-southeast, south-africa, south-america-brazil, south-america-chile). - **Compute Sizes**: From micro (512MB) to dedicated-xlarge (16GB dedicated CPU). ## Server Lifecycle `launching` → `running` (game ports open) → `stopped` (game exits, TTL expires, or manual stop) ## Build Lifecycle `uploading` → `processing` (build pipeline creates deployable image) → `ready` | `failed` ## Rate Limits - General reads: 100 req/sec per API key - Write operations (start server, upload build): 10 req/sec per API key - Player-facing lobby writes (join, matchmaking, start): 10 req/sec **per player** (keyed by `x-player-id`), so a game's whole player base doesn't share one bucket - Headers: `X-RateLimit-Limit`, `X-RateLimit-Remaining` ## Plan Limits - **Free**: 1 server max, forced 1hr TTL, small size only - **Pro**: Unlimited servers, all sizes, custom TTL, pool servers ## Error Format All errors return: `{ "error": "message", "detail": "context", "status": 404 }` servers: - url: https://api.computeflow.cloud security: - ApiKeyAuth: [] tags: - name: Servers description: >- Create, manage, and monitor game server instances. Each server gets dedicated compute, network ports, and automatic health monitoring with TTL enforcement. Servers start in `launching` status and transition to `running` when the game opens its ports. - name: Builds description: >- Upload and manage game server builds. Supports ZIP uploads (automatically processed into deployable images) and direct Docker image references. Builds are versioned per name per project — uploading a new build with the same name auto-increments the version. Servers always use the latest `ready` build unless a specific version is pinned. - name: Projects description: >- Configure project-level settings including network ports, player authentication, environment variables, server pooling, and lobby/matchmaking rules. Settings apply as defaults to all servers in the project and can be overridden per-server at start time. - name: Lobbies description: >- Player-centric lobby and matchmaking system. Every request identifies the player via the `x-player-id` header. Use `/me` endpoints to interact with your current lobby — the API resolves which lobby you're in automatically. **Quick start:** `POST /v3/lobbies/default` creates a lobby with sensible defaults (no dashboard config needed). Share the invite `code` with friends, or use `POST /v3/lobbies/default/me/matchmaking` to find opponents automatically. **Matchmaking** supports symmetric teams (2v2, 5v5), asymmetric roles (1 monster vs 5 hunters), FFA, battle royale duos, and skill-based matching with auto-expanding MMR buckets. paths: /api/v3/servers/{instance_id}/update: post: tags: - Servers summary: Update server custom_data description: >- Updates the `custom_data` field on a running server. Use this to store match state, player counts, map info, or any metadata that your game server or matchmaking system needs to expose via the API. The data is immediately visible in list and get responses. operationId: updateServer parameters: - schema: type: string description: Server instance ID to update. required: true description: Server instance ID to update. name: instance_id in: path requestBody: required: true content: application/json: schema: type: object properties: custom_data: type: object additionalProperties: {} description: >- Replace the server's custom_data with this value. Useful for updating match state, player counts, or any metadata your game needs to expose via the API. description: Fields that can be updated on a running server. responses: '200': description: Server updated with new custom_data. content: application/json: schema: type: object properties: instance_id: type: string description: >- Unique identifier for this server instance (UUID). Use this to reference the server in all other API calls. name: type: string description: Display name of the server, as provided when starting. status: type: string enum: - launching - running - stopped description: >- Current server status. "launching": machine is being created and game is starting up. "running": game is ready and accepting connections. "stopped": server has been shut down. network_ports: type: array items: type: object properties: name: type: string description: >- Port name matching the port_configs entry (e.g., "game_udp"). internal_port: type: number description: >- Port number the game server listens on inside the container. external_port: type: number description: >- Public port number that players connect to from outside. protocol: type: string enum: - udp - tcp description: Network protocol for this port. host: type: string description: >- Hostname or IP address players connect to. For UDP: a proxy IPv4 address. For TCP: "connect.computeflow.cloud" (Fly.io L7 routing). tls_enabled: type: boolean description: >- Whether TLS termination is enabled for this port (TCP only). required: - name - internal_port - external_port - protocol - host - tls_enabled description: >- A network port mapping showing how external traffic reaches your game server. Use host:external_port as the connection address for game clients. description: >- List of allocated network ports with connection details. Give host:external_port to game clients for connecting. Empty if the server has stopped. startup_args: type: - string - 'null' description: >- Command-line arguments passed to the game executable. Null if none were provided. service_type: type: string enum: - match_based - persistent_world description: >- Server type. "match_based" (default): short-lived servers for individual matches. "persistent_world": long-running servers for persistent game worlds. compute_size: type: string description: >- Machine size this server is running on (e.g., "small", "medium", "dedicated-large"). region: type: string description: >- Region where this server is deployed (e.g., "us-east", "eu-west"). version_tag: type: string description: >- Build name this server was started with (e.g., "default", "beta"). version: type: - number - 'null' description: >- Build version number this server is running. Null if no specific version was resolved. started_at: type: - string - 'null' format: date-time description: >- ISO 8601 timestamp when the server transitioned to "running" status (game ports opened). Null if still launching or never reached running state. stopped_at: type: - string - 'null' format: date-time description: >- ISO 8601 timestamp when the server was stopped. Null if the server is still active. auto_restart: type: boolean description: >- Whether the game process auto-restarts on crash (max 10 retries). custom_data: type: - object - 'null' additionalProperties: {} description: >- Arbitrary metadata attached to this server. Null if no custom data was provided. ttl: type: - number - 'null' description: >- Time-to-live in seconds. The server auto-stops after this duration from start. Null if no TTL was set (server runs until explicitly stopped). is_pool_server: type: boolean description: >- Whether this server was claimed from the pre-provisioned pool. Pool servers have faster startup times (~5s vs ~30s). pool_claimed_at: type: - string - 'null' format: date-time description: >- ISO 8601 timestamp when this pool server was claimed for use. Null for non-pool servers or unclaimed pool machines. match_id: type: - string - 'null' description: >- Match identifier for matchmaking integration. Auto-generated if not provided at start time. created_at: type: string format: date-time description: >- ISO 8601 timestamp when the server instance was created in the database. updated_at: type: string format: date-time description: >- ISO 8601 timestamp of the last update to this server record. required: - instance_id - name - status - network_ports - startup_args - service_type - compute_size - region - version_tag - version - started_at - stopped_at - auto_restart - custom_data - ttl - is_pool_server - pool_claimed_at - match_id - created_at - updated_at description: >- Complete details of a game server instance, including connection info, status, and configuration. '404': description: No server found with this instance_id in your project. content: application/json: schema: type: object properties: error: type: string description: Human-readable error message describing what went wrong. detail: type: string description: >- Additional error context. May contain the same text as error or more specific technical details. status: type: number description: HTTP status code (matches the response status code). required: - error - status description: >- Standard error response returned by all API endpoints on failure. components: securitySchemes: ApiKeyAuth: type: apiKey in: header name: api-key ````