How to make a Terraria server: ports, tModLoader, admins
Updated 2 November 2026 · 6 minute read · Terraria and tModLoader (PC), your own PC or a rented server · By Exclsv Support
Terraria’s dedicated server is a free download from the bottom of terraria.org, for Windows, macOS and Linux. It uses TCP port 7777, loads or makes a world when it starts, and can read its answers from serverconfig.txt. For mods, run the tModLoader server instead.
What you need
- A computer that stays on while people play.
- Memory: 2 GB is plenty for vanilla with 8 players; big tModLoader packs want 4 to 6 GB.
- PC players on the same version as the server. Mobile and console Terraria can’t join a PC server.
Install and start it
- Download the PC dedicated server from terraria.org and unpack it.
- Run TerrariaServer.exe (Windows) or ./TerrariaServer (Linux and Mac) from the folder for your system.
- Answer its questions: pick or create a world (size and difficulty), the player limit, the port, and a password.
- Join from Terraria: Multiplayer, Join via IP, then the address and the port.
Ports to open
| Port | Protocol | What it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| 7777 | TCP | The game port, for vanilla and tModLoader alike. Forward it. |
The server can offer to forward the port itself (UPnP). Many routers have that off, so check by hand if friends can’t join.
Settings: serverconfig.txt
To start without answering questions every time, write the answers in serverconfig.txt and start with -config serverconfig.txt:
- world=: the world file to load, or worldname= with autocreate= (1 small, 2 medium, 3 large) to make one.
- difficulty=: 0 Classic, 1 Expert, 2 Master, 3 Journey (for a new world).
- maxplayers=, port=, password= and motd=.
Mods: the tModLoader server
tModLoader is free on Steam and includes its own server. Start it with start-tModLoaderServer.bat (Windows) or start-tModLoaderServer.sh (Linux and Mac) from the tModLoader folder. Put .tmod files in the server’s Mods folder and switch them on in enabled.json. Every player needs the same mods as the server.
Kicks, bans and admins
Vanilla Terraria has no admin roles. Type commands in the server console: kick Name, ban Name, playing, save and exit. Bans are kept in banlist.txt; take a name out of that file to lift a ban. A password is the usual way to keep a server private.
The easy way: on Exclsv
On an Exclsv server you choose Vanilla or tModLoader, set the world up in a form and pick the version in HQ. Add .tmod files on the Mods tab, from your computer or a link, and switch each one on or off there; HQ checks each file and takes a backup first. The world stays up when your PC is off.
| Size | Memory | Players | Suits | Price a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friends | 2 GB | 8 | Up to 8 players | £4.99 |
| Community | 4 GB | 16 | tModLoader packs want this or larger | £8.99 |
| Public | 6 GB | 32 | Up to 32 players | £13.99 |
Terraria plans and what each includes
If it doesn’t work
Friends can’t join with the IP
In Join via IP, put the address first and the port on the next screen. Check TCP 7777 is forwarded to the right computer and your firewall lets the server through.
“You are not using the same version as this server”
Update the server and every player to the same Terraria version. For tModLoader, the tModLoader versions must match too.
Players are kicked for missing mods
Every player needs the same mods, in the same versions, as the tModLoader server.
Friends on your own home network can’t join with the public address
Some home routers don’t let devices inside the house reach the house’s own public address. People at home join with the server PC’s local network address instead; everyone else uses the public one.
Run this on Exclsv: Terraria server hosting, from £4.99 a month