How to Host a Terraria Server: A Comprehensive Guide for Devs

Welcome, Devs! Terraria is a wildly popular sandbox game that allows players to explore, build, and fight bosses in a procedurally generated 2D world. Hosting a server can enhance the gameplay experience by allowing multiple players to join and collaborate on projects. In this article, we will walk you through the steps on how to host a Terraria server.

Getting Started

The first step in hosting a Terraria server is to download the server software from the official Terraria website. Make sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements to run the server software. Once downloaded, unzip the file and place it in a location where you will remember it. For this guide, we will assume that you are running the server on a Windows machine.

Requirements

Before we begin, let’s review the hardware requirements to host a Terraria server:

Minimum Requirements	Recommended Requirements
CPU: 1.6 GHz	CPU: 2.0 GHz
RAM: 512 MB	RAM: 1 GB
Hard Drive: 200 MB	Hard Drive: 500 MB

Port Forwarding

If you want players outside of your local network to be able to join your server, you must set up port forwarding on your router. Port forwarding allows incoming traffic on a specific port to be directed to a specific computer on your network. The port you need to forward is 7777, which is the default Terraria server port.

The process for setting up port forwarding varies depending on your router. Check your router documentation or search online for instructions specific to your router model.

Configuring the Server

Once you have downloaded and unzipped the server software, you can configure the server settings by editing the serverconfig.txt file. The serverconfig.txt file is located in the same directory as the server software.

Server Configurations

Let’s take a look at some of the important server configurations:

Configuration	Description
world	The name of the world file to load when the server starts
port	The port number to use for the server
maxplayers	The maximum number of players that can join the server at once
password	The password required to join the server

World Configuration

The world configuration settings determine the starting state of the world when the server starts. You can configure the following settings:

Configuration	Description
worldname	The name of the world
seedtext	The seed for the world generation
worldsize	The size of the world
difficulty	The game difficulty

Running the Server

Now that you have configured the server, you can run it by double-clicking on the terrariaserver.exe file. The server will start up and display some information about the current state of the server, such as the current players and the world name.

Joining the Server

To join the server, launch Terraria and select “Join via IP” from the main menu. Enter the IP address of the computer running the server and the port number (default is 7777).

FAQ

How do I backup my server?

You can backup your server by copying the world file and the serverconfig.txt file to a safe location on your computer. To restore a backup, simply replace the existing world file and serverconfig.txt file with the backup versions.

How do I update my server to a new version of Terraria?

To update your server to a new version of Terraria, download the new server software from the official Terraria website and replace the old server files with the new ones. Make sure to copy over the serverconfig.txt file to preserve your server settings.

How do I ban a player?

To ban a player, open the banlist.txt file located in the same directory as the server software. Add the player’s IP address to the file and save it. The player will no longer be able to join the server.

How do I set up a dedicated server?

To set up a dedicated server, simply follow the same steps as hosting a server on your local machine, but instead of running the server on your personal computer, use a separate computer that will be dedicated to hosting the server 24/7. Make sure the dedicated server computer meets the minimum system requirements to run the server software.

How do I configure server administration?

To configure server administration, you can download third-party software such as TShock or TerrariaServerAPI. These tools allow you to add plugins and configure server settings through a web interface.

Conclusion

Hosting a Terraria server can be a fun and rewarding experience. By following this guide, you should now be able to host your own server and invite your friends to join. We hope this article was helpful to you. Happy gaming!