Can't Connect to Dedicated Server

[Fortigan]

I'm hosting a dedicated server (not using a paid service) and not only is it not showing up in the server list, but my friends can't add it via Steam>View>Game Servers>Favorites>+

I've hosted many other dedicated servers in the past and I'm hosting some now, so I'm not new at this. I've done all the port forwarding and adjusted the .jsn file accordingly. If I put my actual IP in the .jsn file the server wont even launch. It auto closes after 1 second. If I leave it as 0.0.0.0 then it will launch like normal.

My own server doesn't show up for me unless I favorite in steam as well, using my local IP and port 15636. However, it does not show up for anyone else and their attempts to add it to steam game server favorites fails. (Yes they were putting in my actual external IP, and tried it with both ports).

Upon launching the server it does show my proper External IP. I'm using an Asus router and its port forwarding is very simple and straight forward. The Valheim and Palworld servers I'm currently hosting can be joined without issues.

Does anyone have any idea why this is not working?

[AlphaLunaris]

Same issue however it runs on a pterodactyl server has anyone found a fix for this?
I have found a few websites saying you have to use the game port 15636 and query port 15637 I have tried with and without using the designated ports.

I have tried changing the IP in the config file to the server IP and the URL that works for all my other hosting also tested 127.0.0.1 and saw someone make that work but that would likely make it only available on the local machine or host and it did not work for me.

I tried a Test-NetConnection 144.xxx.xxx.xxx -p 15636 through power shell connection failed. Ping tested the IP and URL they are Working. Tested other game ports that are open all functioning fine. My firewall is set up to automatically port forward any ports that I allocate in Pterodactyl and is working on all other servers I run.

Btw to answer your question I have narrowed it down to a network issue inside the LAN not allowing it to connect to the WAN.

[Fortigan]

While I can't speak to solutions for anyone using a paid service, for those running it on their own machine, my issue was purely router setting related. I'm playing and running off the same machine, but I am logging on to my server from my public IP, not my local one. I do this so that if there is an interruption to connectivity that would affect my players, it affects me to, so I'm more aware.

0.0.0.0 for the IP in the .jsn file is correct. You can leave everything in the .jsn file at default except for server name and password.

The issue I ran into was having the ports forwarded as a range. I had 15636, 15637 external ports forwarded along with 15636 internal forwarded. Mixing 2 external with 1 internal in the same rule is what was causing the issue for me. So, I broke them up so that I had 15636 external and internal forwarded as a single rule and 15637 external and internal forwarded as a 2nd rule.

Players did still have to add my server to their steam favorites for them to see it in game. Steam>View>Game Servers>Favorites>+ ip:port

According to those helping me, I didn't actually have to have any internals forwarded at all, but that may differ depending on your router.

My router setup ended up looking like this:
https://imgur.com/kHBrtwh