Running in Console Mode

If the TCAdmin Monitor or Web service isn't starting properly, you can run it in console mode to see exactly what's going wrong. Instead of running silently in the background as a service, console mode prints all log messages directly to your terminal so you can spot errors.

When to use this

Console mode is your first troubleshooting step when:

• The TCAdmin panel doesn't load in your browser
• Game servers aren't starting or being managed
• A service shows as "Stopped" and won't start
• You recently changed a configuration and something broke

Step 1: Stop the Service

Before running in console mode, stop the background service first (you can't run both at the same time):

Windows

Open PowerShell as Administrator:

# Stop the Monitor service
Stop-Service TCA3Monitor

# Stop the Web service
Stop-Service TCA3Web

Alternative: You can also stop services using the Windows GUI:

1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter
2. Find TCAdmin 3.0 Monitor or TCAdmin 3.0 Control Panel
3. Right-click and select Stop

Linux

# Stop the Monitor service
sudo systemctl stop tca3monitor

# Stop the Web service
sudo systemctl stop tca3web

Step 2: Run in Console Mode

Navigate to the component directory and run the executable directly. All log output will appear in your terminal.

Heads up (Windows)

Switching the Web service between service mode and console mode will log out all users currently using the panel. This is normal.

Windows

# Run the Monitor in console mode
cd "C:\Program Files\TCAdmin3\components\monitor"
.\TCAdmin.Monitor.exe

# OR run the Web in console mode
cd "C:\Program Files\TCAdmin3\components\web"
.\TCAdmin.Web.exe

Linux

# Run the Monitor in console mode
cd /opt/tcadmin3/components/monitor
./TCAdmin.Monitor

# OR run the Web in console mode
cd /opt/tcadmin3/components/web
./TCAdmin.Web

Step 3: Read the Output

The terminal will show log messages as the service starts up. Here's what to look for:

• Error or Fatal messages — these are the problems you need to fix
• Exception details with stack traces — technical details about what went wrong
• Configuration errors — something is wrong in your settings files
• Database connection issues — TCAdmin can't reach MySQL
• Network or port errors — another program is using the same port

Common Errors and Fixes

Error	What It Means	How to Fix It
Port already in use	Another program is already using the port TCAdmin needs	Find and stop the conflicting program, or change the port in the TCAdmin config file
Database connection failed	TCAdmin can't connect to MySQL — wrong credentials, or MySQL isn't running	Check that MySQL/MariaDB is running, and verify the username, password, host, and database name in config/appsettings.global.json
Certificate error	The SSL certificate is missing or invalid	Check the certificate path in config/web/appsettings.Overrides.json, or regenerate a certificate using the Web Certificate guide
Redis connection failed	TCAdmin can't connect to Redis	Verify Redis is running and check the Redis settings in the configuration. On a master server, the built-in Redis should start automatically.

Copy the error message

If you need to ask for help, copy the full error message from the terminal. The more detail you provide, the faster someone can help you diagnose the issue.

Step 4: Restart the Service

Once you've identified and fixed the issue, stop the console process by pressing Ctrl+C, then restart the normal background service:

Windows

# Start the Monitor service
Start-Service TCA3Monitor

# Start the Web service
Start-Service TCA3Web

Linux

# Start the Monitor service
sudo systemctl start tca3monitor

# Start the Web service
sudo systemctl start tca3web

After starting the service, verify it's running:

Windows

Get-Service TCA3Monitor, TCA3Web

Both should show a status of Running.

Linux

sudo systemctl status tca3monitor tca3web

Both should show active (running).