Questions
OOTP hosting, answered
The questions commissioners and general managers ask most often about running an OOTP online league over FTP.
Protocols and connection
- Does OOTP support SFTP?
- No. Out of the Park Baseball does not support SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol, port 22). OOTP connects over plain FTP or FTPS — shown in the game as "Secure FTP (SSL/TLS)" — on port 21. SimHosts serves both plain FTP and FTPS on port 21, so either setting works.
- What port does OOTP use for FTP?
- Port 21. If a host only offers port 22, that is SFTP and OOTP cannot connect to it.
- Should I use Active or Passive FTP mode?
- Always Passive. In Active mode the server opens a connection back to your computer, which almost every home router blocks. Passive mode makes both connections outbound from your machine, which routers allow.
- Why do my managers get "Error -201: Connect error"?
- Almost always because FTP Mode is set to Active or Default instead of Passive. Switch the manager’s FTP Mode to Passive and retry the export. If it still fails, confirm the commissioner used "Passive; Standard FTP" rather than a TLS mode, since managers inherit that setting through the quick-start file.
- What do the OOTP error codes -101, -103, and -202 mean?
- They are different failure points. -101 means OOTP could not reach the server at all. -103 means the folder path does not exist — remember OOTP paths are relative to your FTP account root, not the server filesystem root. -202 means OOTP connected and logged in but could not write the file, which is a permissions problem on the export directory.
- Can managers download the league file over HTTP instead of FTP?
- Yes. Leave "Use FTP to download league file" unchecked and supply a League File URL instead. The OOTP manual calls HTTP the most secure option and the one requiring the least configuration, and it means managers never need download credentials. Team exports still go over FTP.
- Can my general managers use Secure FTP (TLS)?
- No. The OOTP manager-side FTP dialog offers only Active and Passive mode with no TLS option. Because managers inherit the commissioner’s FTP Mode, commissioners should use "Passive; Standard FTP" on League File Download and Team File Transfer. Report Upload can stay on TLS since only the commissioner touches it.
Setup and onboarding
- How long does it take to set up a league?
- Provisioning takes about two minutes. After that you copy your host, port, username, and password into OOTP’s Online League Settings and run a connection test. Most commissioners are ready to sim the same day.
- Do my managers need their own FTP credentials?
- No. In OOTP, Game Settings is commissioner-only. Managers join with a quick-start code you generate in OOTP, which carries the connection details for them. They never enter a host, username, or password.
- Which OOTP versions are supported?
- OOTP 23 through 26. The FTP mechanics have not changed meaningfully across these versions, so older and newer releases generally work too.
- Can I move an existing league to SimHosts?
- Yes. Create the league here, then upload your existing league file to /leaguefile and point OOTP at the new host. Your managers need a fresh quick-start code because the connection details changed.
Plans and billing
- Is there a free plan or free trial?
- No. Plans start at $5 per month for one league with 5 GB of storage. Billing is monthly through Stripe and you can cancel at any time from your account settings.
- What happens if I go over my storage limit?
- We notify you and ask you to reduce usage or upgrade. If usage stays over the limit, we may pause uploads on the affected league. We do not delete league data without telling you first.
- Can I cancel at any time?
- Yes. Cancel from your account settings and it takes effect at the end of the current billing period. Your leagues stay active until then.
- What does "unlimited leagues" mean on League+?
- The League+ plan allows up to 999 leagues, which is effectively unlimited for any real use. The 50 GB storage allowance is shared across all of them.
Hosting and reliability
- Do you back up my league?
- Yes, nightly to off-site storage. We still recommend keeping your own local copies — OOTP stores a full copy of the league on the commissioner’s computer, which is your best safeguard.
- What is the public league page?
- Every league gets a page at simhosts.com/l/your-league that parses the HTML reports you upload from OOTP into readable News, Standings, Power Rankings, Batting, Pitching, Transactions, and Injuries tabs. You share one link and your league can follow along without installing anything.
- Do I get my own domain or subdomain?
- Each league gets a subdomain at your-league.simhosts.com, created automatically. Your league file is served from /leaguefile/ and your reports from /reports/html/ — the URLs OOTP asks for.
- Is my league private?
- League files and credentials are isolated per league, and each league gets its own FTP account. The public league page is publicly readable by design so your members can view standings without an account, so do not upload anything to your reports directory you would not want visible.
Still stuck?
We answer email
Longer walkthroughs live in the guides. For anything else, email support@simhosts.com with your league name and what you are seeing.