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Overview 🔌 Ports Installation ⚙️ Configuration XML Modding 🔧 Troubleshooting Performance

7 Days to Die Dedicated Server Hosting Guide

Overview

7 Days to Die is a survival horror game combining first-person shooter, base building, crafting, and role-playing elements in a post-apocalyptic zombie-infested world. Players must survive by scavenging, building bases, and defending against zombie hordes that grow stronger every seven days.

Quick Info

Default Port: 26900 (UDP)
Web Control Panel: 8080-8090 (TCP, configurable)
Telnet Port: 8081 (TCP, optional)
Minimum RAM: 4GB (Recommended: 12-16GB)
Recommended CPU: 4+ cores @ 3.0GHz+
Storage: 15GB+ (growing with world size)
Max Players: Configurable (8-32 typical)
SteamCMD App ID: 294420
Config Files: serverconfig.xml

🔌 Ports Required

Port	Protocol	Purpose	Required
`26900`	UDP	Primary game port (player connections)	✓ Yes
`26901-26902`	UDP	Additional game ports (automatic +1, +2)	✓ Yes
`8080-8090`	TCP	Web control panel (configurable)	Optional
`8081`	TCP	Telnet remote console	Optional

Important: 7 Days to Die automatically uses three consecutive UDP ports starting from your configured game port. If you set port 26900, the server will also use 26901 and 26902. Always open a range of at least 3 consecutive ports.

Firewall Configuration Examples

UFW (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo ufw allow 26900:26902/udp comment '7DTD game ports'
sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp comment '7DTD web panel'
sudo ufw allow 8081/tcp comment '7DTD telnet'
sudo ufw reload

FirewallD (CentOS/RHEL/Fedora)

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=26900-26902/udp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=8080/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=8081/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Windows Firewall

# Run in PowerShell as Administrator
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "7 Days to Die Game" -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 26900-26902 -Action Allow
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "7 Days to Die Web Panel" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 8080,8081 -Action Allow

iptables (Legacy Linux)

sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 26900:26902 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8081 -j ACCEPT
sudo service iptables save

Installation & Setup

System Requirements

OS: Windows Server 2016+ or Linux 64-bit (Ubuntu/Debian recommended)
CPU: Minimum 4 cores @ 3.0GHz; Recommended 6-8 cores @ 3.5GHz+
RAM: 4GB minimum, 12-16GB recommended for 16+ players
Storage: 15GB+ for game files; world size grows over time (SSD recommended)
Network: 5Mbps minimum upload; 20Mbps+ for larger servers

Installing via SteamCMD (Linux)

# Install SteamCMD
sudo apt update
sudo apt install steamcmd

# Create server directory
mkdir -p ~/7dtd-server
cd ~/7dtd-server

# Download server files
steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir ~/7dtd-server +app_update 294420 validate +exit

Installing via Steam (Windows)

1. Open Steam and go to Library
2. Enable "Tools" in the dropdown menu
3. Find "7 Days to Die Dedicated Server"
4. Install to your preferred directory
5. Navigate to installation folder (typically: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\7 Days to Die Dedicated Server\)

Server Configuration

serverconfig.xml

The main configuration file is serverconfig.xml located in the server root directory. Key settings:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ServerSettings>
    <!-- Server Settings -->
    <property name="ServerName"                value="My 7DTD Server"/>
    <property name="ServerDescription"         value="Survival Server"/>
    <property name="ServerWebsiteURL"          value=""/>
    <property name="ServerPassword"            value=""/>
    <property name="ServerLoginConfirmationText" value=""/>
    
    <!-- Networking -->
    <property name="ServerPort"                value="26900"/>
    <property name="ServerVisibility"          value="2"/> <!-- 0=Not Listed, 1=Friends, 2=Public -->
    <property name="ServerDisabledNetworkProtocols" value="SteamNetworking"/>
    
    <!-- Slots -->
    <property name="ServerMaxPlayerCount"      value="8"/>
    <property name="ServerReservedSlots"       value="0"/>
    <property name="ServerReservedSlotsPermission" value="100"/>
    
    <!-- Admin -->
    <property name="ServerAdminSlots"          value="0"/>
    <property name="ServerAdminSlotsPermission" value="0"/>
    
    <!-- Web Dashboard -->
    <property name="ControlPanelEnabled"       value="true"/>
    <property name="ControlPanelPort"          value="8080"/>
    <property name="ControlPanelPassword"      value="CHANGEME"/>
    
    <!-- Telnet -->
    <property name="TelnetEnabled"             value="true"/>
    <property name="TelnetPort"                value="8081"/>
    <property name="TelnetPassword"            value="CHANGEME"/>
    
    <!-- World -->
    <property name="GameWorld"                 value="Navezgane"/> <!-- or "RWG" for random -->
    <property name="WorldGenSeed"              value="asdf"/>
    <property name="WorldGenSize"              value="4096"/>
    <property name="GameName"                  value="My Game"/>
    <property name="GameMode"                  value="GameModeSurvival"/>
    
    <!-- Difficulty -->
    <property name="GameDifficulty"            value="2"/> <!-- 0=Scavenger, 1=Adventurer, 2=Nomad, 3=Warrior, 4=Survivalist, 5=Insane -->
    <property name="ZombiesRun"                value="0"/> <!-- 0=Walk, 1=Jog, 2=Run -->
    <property name="BuildCreate"               value="false"/>
    <property name="DayNightLength"            value="60"/> <!-- Real-time minutes -->
    <property name="DayLightLength"            value="18"/>
    
    <!-- Loot & XP -->
    <property name="LootAbundance"             value="100"/>
    <property name="LootRespawnDays"           value="7"/>
    <property name="PlayerKillingMode"         value="3"/> <!-- 0=No Killing, 1=Kill Allies Only, 2=Kill Strangers Only, 3=Kill Everyone -->
</ServerSettings>

Starting the Server

Windows

# Navigate to server directory
cd "C:\7DaysToDie\"

# Run dedicated server
startdedicated.bat

# Or with custom config
7DaysToDieServer.exe -configfile=serverconfig.xml

Linux

# Make start script executable
chmod +x startserver.sh

# Run in screen session
screen -S 7dtd ./startserver.sh

# Detach: Ctrl+A, D
# Reattach: screen -r 7dtd

# Or direct command
./7DaysToDieServer.x86_64 -configfile=serverconfig.xml

XML Modding

Understanding XML Modding

7 Days to Die uses XML files for game configuration, making modding highly accessible without programming knowledge. All game items, blocks, recipes, and mechanics are defined in XML.

Config Files Location

Vanilla Configs: Data/Config/
Mod Overrides: Mods/ModName/Config/

Common XML Files

items.xml - Item definitions and properties
blocks.xml - Block types and behaviors
recipes.xml - Crafting recipes
loot.xml - Loot tables and containers
entityclasses.xml - Zombie and animal stats
progression.xml - Skill trees and perks

Example: Increase Stack Sizes

<configs>
    <set xpath="/items/item[@name='resourceWood']/@Stacknumber">10000</set>
    <set xpath="/items/item[@name='resourceIron']/@Stacknumber">10000</set>
    <set xpath="/items/item[@name='resourceConcreteMix']/@Stacknumber">10000</set>
</configs>

Example: Modify Zombie Health

<configs>
    <set xpath="/entity_classes/entity_class[@name='zombieSteve']/property[@name='Health']/@value">500</set>
    <set xpath="/entity_classes/entity_class[@name='zombieFeral']/property[@name='Health']/@value">1000</set>
</configs>

Installing Mods

Download mod from 7daystodiemods.com or NexusMods
Extract to Mods/ folder in server directory
Restart server - mods load automatically
Check output_log.txt for errors

🔧 Troubleshooting

Server Not Showing in Browser

# Check ServerVisibility in serverconfig.xml
<property name="ServerVisibility" value="2"/> <!-- Must be 2 for public -->

# Verify ports are open
netstat -an | grep 26900

# Check firewall rules
sudo ufw status

High RAM Usage

# Reduce world size
<property name="WorldGenSize" value="4096"/> <!-- Try 2048 or 3072 -->

# Reduce max zombies
<property name="MaxSpawnedZombies" value="60"/> <!-- Lower if needed -->

# Enable/check automatic restarts
# Restart every 24-48 hours to clear memory

Connection Timeout

Verify all three UDP ports (26900-26902) are open
Check router port forwarding if self-hosting
Disable Steam networking protocol if having issues
Try direct IP connection instead of server browser

XML Parsing Errors

# Check output_log.txt for errors
tail -f output_log.txt

# Validate XML syntax (all tags must close)
# Use XML validator tool online

# Remove recently added mods one-by-one
# Common issue: duplicate entries or syntax errors

Performance Optimization

Server Performance Settings

<!-- Reduce view distance -->
<property name="ServerMaxWorldTransferSpeedKiBs" value="512"/>

<!-- Lower max zombies -->
<property name="MaxSpawnedZombies" value="60"/>

<!-- Reduce AI updates -->
<property name="EnemySpawnMode" value="true"/>

<!-- Disable dynamic mesh -->
<property name="EACEnabled" value="true"/> <!-- Can impact perf if disabled -->

Hardware Recommendations by Player Count

Players	RAM	CPU Cores
1-4	4-6GB	2-4
5-8	8-12GB	4-6
9-16	12-16GB	6-8
17-32	16-24GB	8+

World Generation Tips

Navezgane: Fixed map, better performance, 16km²
Random Gen (RWG): Procedural, larger, higher RAM usage
Smaller world sizes (2048-4096) reduce RAM and CPU load
Pre-generate worlds offline before deploying to production server

Pro Tips

Backup regularly: World corruption can occur - automated backups every 6-12 hours
Restart schedule: Auto-restart every 24-48 hours clears memory leaks
Update carefully: Major updates can break worlds - test on backup first
Monitor logs: output_log.txt shows errors and performance issues
Web panel security: Change default passwords and restrict IP access

Popular server modifications compatible with 7 Days to Die:

Oxide / uMod - Comprehensive modding framework with C# plugin system, permissions, hooks, and extensive plugin library for server administration and gameplay enhancement