What this is
This note is about a PowerShell script I built to make game server firewall management easier on my home server.
The original problem was simple: opening and closing the right ports for different dedicated game servers becomes annoying when everything is handled manually.
Why I built it
Before the Discord bot idea became clear, I was looking for a cleaner way to manage firewall rules for different games.
I wanted a script where I could choose a game, open the required ports, and later remove all temporary game-related firewall rules when they were no longer needed.
How it works
The script runs as administrator and manages Windows Firewall rules with PowerShell.
It can:
- open predefined TCP or UDP ports for different games
- remove existing rules before creating new ones
- close all rules matching
Game - * - keep the firewall rules named consistently
The menu includes several games, such as 7 Days to Die, Valheim, Palworld, Minecraft, Conan Exiles, ARK, Enshrouded, V Rising and Soulmask.
What this led to
This script became the first step toward a bigger idea.
Once the firewall part existed, it made sense to think about the next layer:
- starting servers
- stopping servers
- checking status
- running backups
- controlling everything through Discord
That thinking eventually led into the Discord server control bot.
What I learned
This was a good reminder that small scripts can become building blocks.
The firewall script was not just a standalone helper. It became part of a larger server management workflow.
It also made the next project easier to reason about, because one problem was already isolated and solved.
What I want to remember
Start with the annoying manual task.
Solve that first.
Then build the larger system around it.