How to Host a Vintage Story Dedicated Server

Download the server and install .NET

1. Download the server from your account at account.vintagestory.at — the Linux server is a separate archive; on Windows, the game folder already contains VintagestoryServer.exe.
2. Install the right .NET runtime. Vintage Story 1.22 needs .NET 10; 1.21 used .NET 8. The server refuses to start on the wrong one.
3. Start it once. On Linux, run ./server.sh start from the server folder; on Windows, run VintagestoryServer.exe. The first start creates the data folder and a new world.

Use the same version as your players: a 1.22 client cannot join a 1.21 server.

serverconfig.json: the settings that matter

The settings file is serverconfig.json in the data folder (%AppData%\VintagestoryData on Windows, ~/.config/VintagestoryData on Linux). Changes apply after a restart.

The full command list for running the server is in Vintage Story server commands.

Whitelist and public listing in 1.22

Since 1.22 a new server is invite-only out of the box: it is whitelisted and does not appear in the public server list. Two ways forward:

• A private server for friends: keep the whitelist and add each player with /player Name whitelist on. That works straight away, without a restart.
• A public server: run /serverconfig advertise on to list it and /serverconfig whitelistmode off to let anyone join — then set a password or keep an eye on who joins.

Ports and how players join

Forward port 42420 for both TCP and UDP on your router and firewall — UDP has been needed since 1.20. Players add the server in the game's multiplayer menu with your public IP (add :port if you changed it).

Hosting at home means your PC has to stay on whenever someone wants to play, and your home IP is visible to everyone who joins.

Adding mods

1. Find mods on the official database, mods.vintagestory.at, and check that each supports your game version.
2. Install them by putting the zip files in the Mods folder inside the data folder while the server is stopped — not in the server's own Mods folder, which is reserved for the base game. Or run /moddb install modid from the console.
3. Restart the server.

When players join, the game offers to download the server's mods. Only mods marked as server-side or universal are downloaded automatically; client-side mods have to be installed by each player.

How much RAM a Vintage Story server needs

The official guideline is 1 GB plus about 300 MB per player, with four CPU threads recommended. Mods and exploring far from spawn add to that:

Vintage Story server hosting on HytHost

1. Order and pick the version. On Vintage Story hosting, choose a plan and the game version — the latest, or any stable version back to 1.18.15. The right .NET runtime is set up for you.
2. Use the Startup tab. It holds the server name, slots, password, seed, play style and the whitelist switch. The panel writes these into serverconfig.json at every start, so change them there rather than with /serverconfig — those would be undone at the next restart. Adding players with /player Name whitelist on works as usual.
3. Add mods by uploading zips to data/Mods, or list ModDB mod IDs in the Startup tab; those are installed on the next reinstall.
4. Join with the address and port shown in your panel.

Your files live in the data folder. Moving an existing world over is covered in uploading your world to a game server.