So you've just grabbed a 7 Days To Die server from us, and you want to get stuck in. This guide walks you through the bits that actually matter: logging into the panel, booting the server, connecting with your mates, and locking things down so random passers-by can't wander in and loot your base.
If you get stuck at any point, open a ticket and we'll sort it out.
1. Log in to the control panel
Head over to the LOW.MS Control Panel and sign in with the details from your order email. You'll land on your service page for the 7 Days To Die server we provisioned for you.
The left-hand sidebar is where you'll spend most of your time. The ones you'll care about today are Service Settings, Configuration Files, File Manager, Web Console and Log Viewer. We'll touch most of those as we go.
2. Start the server (and expect a long first boot)
Hit the Start button from the service page. The first boot is almost always slow, and that is completely normal — 7DTD generates the world on first run, and procedurally generated maps in particular take a while to chew through.
Pop open Web Console or Log Viewer and you'll see it working. Once the startup completes and the console stops scrolling, you're good to go. Do not panic if it sits on world gen for several minutes on a fresh RWG map. We've seen plenty of maps that look frozen and were just working their way through POI placement.
3. Grab your connection details
From your service page you'll see the IP address for your server up near the top alongside the other service info. The default 7 Days To Die game port is 26900, which is the one you and your friends will actually type in.
Under the hood, 7DTD also uses UDP 26901, 26902 and 26903 for its networking. You do not need to worry about those — we handle port allocation automatically, so there's nothing to forward or open on your end. Players just need your IP and :26900.
4. Connect from the game
There are two ways we'd recommend, and one of them is much less painful than the other.
Connect by IP (easiest). Launch 7 Days To Die, click Join a Game, and use the Connect to IP button on the server browser screen. Punch in yourip:26900, hit connect, and you're in. This is the method we point most people at when they're troubleshooting — it skips the Steam master server entirely.
Via the server browser. If your server is set to show in the public list, you can also search for it by name under Join a Game. Worth knowing that 7DTD splits servers across multiple lists (Standard, Modded, Friends, and so on), and tweaking certain settings can bump you into a different tab. If you can't find yours, have a read of Server not showing in server list — it covers the common causes.
One thing we want to clear up because it trips people up: the in-game F1 console does not have a connect command. Some older guides floating around suggest one exists, it doesn't. Use the Connect to IP button from the main menu.
5. Set your passwords before anyone else logs in
Do not skip this step. An unprotected server with a public IP gets found very quickly.
Head into Configuration Files and open the serverconfig editor. The three passwords worth knowing about are:
ServerPassword— the password players type in to join. Leave it blank if you want a public server, fill it in if you don't.ControlPanelPassword— only used if you also enableControlPanelEnabled, which turns on 7DTD's built-in web panel on the port set byControlPanelPort(default 8080). Honestly, most of our customers leave this off and just use our panel instead, which has more features anyway.TelnetPassword— protects the telnet interface. Set it, even if you don't plan on using telnet.
Save the file from the top of the editor and restart the server for the changes to take effect.
While you're in there, it's also worth adding yourself as an admin in serveradmin.xml so you can run commands in-game. Your Steam ID goes in with permission level 0.
6. Getting files in and out
You've got a few options, pick whichever you prefer:
- File Manager in the sidebar — the quickest route for small edits and uploads through your browser.
- SFTP on port 8822 — what we'd recommend for anything bigger, or if you're uploading a save from your own PC.
- FTP on port 8821 — still there if that's what your client speaks.
If you're migrating an existing singleplayer or co-op world onto the server, we wrote a dedicated walkthrough for that: How to upload your local save. Follow it step by step — the GeneratedWorlds folder catches a lot of people out.
7. Mods, EAC, and where people go wrong
7 Days To Die ships with Easy Anti-Cheat on by default. If you want to run server-side mods (most of the good ones), you'll need to turn EAC off in serverconfig.xml by setting EACEnabled to false. Players connecting to an EAC-disabled server also have to launch the game without EAC, so make sure everyone knows. This is the single most common cause of "I can't join" tickets we see.
If you just want easy one-click mods, have a poke around Mod Manager in the sidebar. We maintain a curated 7DTD catalogue in there with a bunch of the popular stuff, so you can install and go without touching a single file. For heavier overhauls like Darkness Falls, there's a dedicated guide: Installing Darkness Falls on your server.
8. Backups and a couple of quality-of-life bits
Before you let anyone loose on the world, have a look at Cloud Backup in the sidebar. We run automatic cloud backups on all 7DTD services, and Cloud Restore will roll you back if something goes catastrophically wrong (say, a day seven horde that goes very well for the zombies). You can also trigger a manual backup from there before any big change.
A few other sidebar items worth knowing about:
- Scheduled Tasks — handy for nightly restarts. We usually recommend a daily restart for long-running worlds, it keeps memory usage sensible.
- Steam Update — for pushing 7DTD updates when they drop. Players on newer versions can't connect to older servers, so you'll want to run this fairly quickly after a patch.
- Current Activity & Stats — quick glance at who is online and what the server is doing.
- Commandline Manager — only touch this if you know what you're changing.
9. First-session tips
Not strictly server admin, but worth mentioning for anyone brand new. Get a stone axe crafted on day one, loot every POI you walk past, drop a bedroll the moment you pick a spot, and have something resembling a base up before day seven. The first Blood Moon sneaks up on people and it is not forgiving.
That's the lot. If anything in here didn't go to plan, open a support ticket from the panel and we'll jump on it. For current pricing and plans (including Linux and Windows options across our regions), have a look at our 7 Days To Die server hosting page.