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Prerequisites

Everything you need installed and configured before working with MIP.

Package Manager (Chocolatey)

Chocolatey makes it easy to install and manage tools on Windows. Check if it is already installed:

choco --version

If not found, open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force
[System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072
iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

Restart PowerShell, then verify:

choco --version

Node.js & npm

The backend is a NestJS (TypeScript) application. Check if already installed:

node -v
npm -v

If not found:

choco install nodejs -y

Restart PowerShell, then verify:

node -v
npm -v
Tool Recommended Version
Node.js v24.13.1 or later
npm 11.8.0 or later

Unreal Engine (Source Build)

A source build is required for both client and server packaging. The Epic Games Launcher version cannot be used to produce builds that connect to a Linux dedicated server.

Launcher version limitation

The Launcher version of UE cannot package a Linux dedicated server, and clients packaged with it will not be compatible with a server built from source. You must use the source build for both.

  1. Get access to the Epic Games / UnrealEngine GitHub repository by linking your Epic account.
  2. Clone or download UE 5.7.4 source:
    • Download zip: 5.7.4-release.zip
    • Or clone the tag: 
      git clone --branch 5.7.4-release --single-branch https://github.com/EpicGames/UnrealEngine.git
  3. Run Setup.bat then GenerateProjectFiles.bat and build in Development Editor configuration.

Info

The source build unlocks the <ProjectName>Server target and the Linux cross-compilation pipeline. Without it, the Scripts → SERVER buttons in the MIP Control Panel will not work.

Linux Cross-Compilation Toolchain

To package a Linux dedicated server from Windows, you need the cross-compilation toolchain.

  1. Download the toolchain from the UE Cross-Compile docs.
  2. Set the environment variable LINUX_MULTIARCH_ROOT to the toolchain install path.
  3. In the UE Editor, verify under Project Settings > Platforms > Linux that the toolchain is detected.

Warning

This is required. Dedicated servers run as Linux containers in Minikube/Kubernetes, so you must be able to cross-compile Linux server binaries from Windows.

Docker

Docker is used to run Redis and MongoDB locally for the backend. Check if already installed:

docker --version
docker compose version

If not found, install Docker Desktop via Chocolatey:

choco install docker-desktop -y

Restart your PC, then verify:

docker --version
docker compose version

Warning

Make sure Docker Desktop is running before executing docker compose up -d. You can configure it to start on login in Docker Desktop settings.

Git Bash

Required to run the .sh scripts in MIPScripts (setup, kubeconfig merge, token generation, etc.). Comes bundled with Git for Windows. Check if already installed:

bash --version

If not found:

choco install git -y

Open a new terminal, then verify:

bash --version

Python 3

Required to run the MIP Control Panel (mip_control_panel.py). Check if already installed:

python --version

If that works, you are done. If not:

choco install python -y

Open a new terminal after install, then verify.

openssl

Required to generate RS256 JWT key pairs for the backend (via the Gen RS256 Keys button in the Control Panel).

openssl version

If not found:

choco install openssl -y

Open a new terminal after install, then verify.

MIP Control Panel Setup

With all tools installed, run the one-time setup script to configure the Control Panel with your machine-specific paths and GitLab registry URLs:

bash MIPScripts/setup.sh

Then launch the Control Panel to verify:

python MIPScripts/mip_control_panel.py

See MIP Control Panel for the full walkthrough of what setup.sh configures and how the Control Panel works.