# Servers

In this game, a server refers to a computer that can be connected to, accessed, and manipulated through the [Terminal](terminal.md).
All servers in the game are connected to each other to form a large, global network.
To learn about how to navigate this network and connect to other servers, see the [terminal](terminal.md) page.

## Server Statistics

Each server has its own statistics, such as [RAM](ram.md), required hacking level, and number of ports required to successfully `NUKE` it.

Perhaps the most important property of a server to make note of is its [RAM](ram.md), which refers to how much memory is available on that machine. [RAM](ram.md) is important because it is required to run [Scripts](scripts.md).
More [RAM](ram.md) allows the user to run more powerful and complicated [scripts](scripts.md), as well as executing scripts with more threads.

The `free`, `scan-analyze`, and `analyze` [Terminal](terminal.md) commands can be used to check how much [RAM](ram.md) a server has.

Some servers have some randomized statistics, such as [RAM](ram.md), max Money, or required hacking level.
These statistics are randomly generated from a range of values.

## Identifying Servers

A server is identified by its hostname.
A hostname is a label assigned to a server.
A hostname will usually give you a general idea of what the server is.
For example, the company Nova Medical might have a server with the hostname `nova-med`.

Hostnames are unique.
This means that if one server has the the hostname `some-server`, then no other server in the game can have that that hostname.

There are many `functions` and [terminal](terminal.md) commands in the game that will require you to target a specific server by hostname.

## Cloud Servers

The player starts with a single server: their home computer.
This server will have the hostname `home`.
The player's home computer is special for a variety of reasons:

- The home computer's [RAM](ram.md) can be upgraded.
  This can be done by visiting certain locations in the [World](world.md).
- The home computer persists through [Augmentation](augmentations.md) installations.
  This means that you will not lose any [RAM](ram.md) upgrades or [Scripts](scripts.md) on your home computer when you install [Augmentations](augmentations.md)
  (you will, however, lose programs and messages on your home computer).

The player can also purchase access to additional cloud servers for their use. These are virtual machines hosted remotely that the player has access to.
This can be done by visiting certain locations in the [World](world.md), or it can be done automatically through a script using the `purchaseServer` function in the [Cloud API](../../../../../markdown/bitburner.cloud.md).
The advantage of cloud servers is that, in terms of [RAM](ram.md), they are cheaper than upgrading your home computer.
The disadvantage is that access to your cloud servers is lost when you install [Augmentations](augmentations.md), and you will need to purchase access again.

## Hackable Servers

Most servers that are not owned by the player can be [hacked](hacking.md) for money and exp.

Different servers have different levels of security, but also offer different rewards when being hacked.

## Server Connections

The servers are in a randomly organized tree-structure.
The distance from the home computer to each server is fixed, but the exact route to them is randomized when you install [augmentations](augmentations.md).
In general, the further away from home computer a server is the higher its statistics are.