TeamSpeak 3 Server Setup + Permissions Guide

Installing TS3 on Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

1. Create a user

sudo adduser --disabled-login teamspeak
sudo su - teamspeak

2. Download and extract

wget https://files.teamspeak-services.com/releases/server/3.13.7/teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64-3.13.7.tar.bz2
tar xjf teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64-3.13.7.tar.bz2
cd teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64

3. Accept the license

touch .ts3server_license_accepted

4. First start

./ts3server_startscript.sh start

Important: On first start it will print the Server Admin Token and ServerQuery password. Save these immediately — you’ll need the admin token to claim admin on your server.

Auto-start with systemd

Create /etc/systemd/system/teamspeak.service:

[Unit]
Description=TeamSpeak 3 Server
After=network.target

[Service]
User=teamspeak
WorkingDirectory=/home/teamspeak/teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64
ExecStart=/home/teamspeak/teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64/ts3server_minimal_runscript.sh
ExecStop=/home/teamspeak/teamspeak3-server_linux_amd64/ts3server_startscript.sh stop
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

sudo systemctl enable teamspeak
sudo systemctl start teamspeak

Setting up permissions

Server Groups

The key server groups you should create:

Group	Power	Description
Owner	100	Full control
Admin	75	Manage users, channels, bans
Moderator	50	Kick, move, temp-ban
Member	25	Join all public channels
Guest	10	Limited access

Channel structure

A clean channel layout:

── Welcome / Info
── General
   ├── Lobby
   ├── Gaming
   └── Chill
── Competitive
   ├── Team 1
   ├── Team 2
   └── Practice
── Staff
   ├── Admin Room
   └── Mod Room
── AFK

Key permission nodes

• b_virtualserver_modify_* — Server settings (Owner/Admin only)
• b_channel_create_* — Channel creation
• i_channel_needed_join_power — Set on channels to restrict access
• b_client_kick_from_* — Kick permissions
• b_client_ban_* — Ban permissions
• i_client_talk_power — Who can talk in moderated channels

Tips

• Set i_group_needed_modify_power higher than the group’s own power to prevent self-promotion
• Use channel groups (not just server groups) for per-channel roles like tournament captains
• Enable anti-flood: set i_client_needed_serverquery_view_power to 75+ to hide ServerQuery from regular users

Security basics

1. Change the default ServerQuery password
2. Set a strong server password for private access
3. Use the firewall: only open ports 9987/UDP (voice), 30033/TCP (file transfer), 10011/TCP (query)
4. Keep the server updated
5. Regularly review the ban list and server logs