Adding Workshop addons to your Garry's Mod server lets you enhance gameplay with new content, maps, and features. This guide covers Workshop collections, manual installation, and FastDL for client downloads.
Using Workshop Collections
The easiest way to add multiple addons is through a Steam Workshop collection.
- 1Go to the Steam Workshop for Garry's Mod
- 2Create a new collection or use an existing one
- 3Add all the addons you want on your server
- 4Copy the collection ID from the URL (the number after ?id=)
- 5In server.cfg, add: host_workshop_collection "COLLECTION_ID"
- 6You'll also need a Steam Web API key
Tip
- Collections make it easy to manage multiple addons
- Players will auto-download collection content when joining
- Update the collection to add/remove addons for all players
Getting a Steam API Key
A Steam Web API key is required for Workshop downloads.
- 1Go to steamcommunity.com/dev/apikey
- 2Register for a key using your domain name
- 3Copy the API key provided
- 4Add to server.cfg: sv_setsteamaccount "YOUR_API_KEY"
- 5Or add to startup: +sv_setsteamaccount YOUR_API_KEY
Tip
- Keep your API key secret
- One key works for all your servers
- The key is different from GSLT tokens
Adding Individual Workshop Addons
Add specific Workshop items to your server.
resource.AddWorkshop("123456789")Force clients to download this addon
Example: Put in workshop.lua
- 1Find the addon on Steam Workshop
- 2Copy the addon ID from the URL
- 3Create or edit lua/autorun/server/workshop.lua
- 4Add: resource.AddWorkshop("ADDON_ID")
- 5Restart the server to apply changes
Tip
- One resource.AddWorkshop per line
- This method works alongside collections
- Clients must have matching content to see it
Manual Addon Installation
Install addons directly to the server without Workshop.
- 1Download the addon files (usually a folder)
- 2Upload to garrysmod/addons/
- 3Each addon should be in its own folder
- 4Restart the server
- 5Note: Manual addons require FastDL for clients to download content
Tip
- Folder structure: addons/addon-name/lua, materials, models, etc.
- Some addons aren't on Workshop and must be installed manually
- Check addon documentation for specific requirements
Setting Up FastDL
FastDL provides faster content downloads for players joining your server.
- 1Upload your custom content to a web server or CDN
- 2Maintain the same folder structure as your server
- 3Add to server.cfg: sv_downloadurl "http://yoursite.com/gmod/"
- 4Enable downloads: sv_allowdownload 1
- 5Use bzip2 compression for faster downloads
Tip
- FastDL is essential for servers with custom content
- Many hosting providers include FastDL
- Use a CDN for better download speeds worldwide
Troubleshooting Addon Issues
Common problems and solutions for addon installation.
Tip
- Missing textures (pink/black) = clients missing content, check FastDL
- Addon not loading = check for errors in console, verify folder structure
- Conflicts between addons = remove addons one by one to find the conflict
- Workshop not downloading = verify Steam API key is correct
- Players can't join = too much content, reduce addon count or use FastDL
Ready to Start Your Garry's Mod Server?
Get instant setup, powerful hardware, and 24/5 support with Loafhosts.
Get Garry's Mod Hosting