Vintage Story Server Hosting

How a Vintage Story Dedicated Server Works

Vintage Story ships a standalone server program next to the game client. It loads one world save, a .vcdbs file, and keeps it available to everyone on the whitelist whether or not the person who created it is online. Opening a single player world to LAN or friends works for an evening; a dedicated server is what turns that world into a place people drop into all week.

One detail surprises new owners. By default the server does not pass time while it is empty, so crops, animal breeding and the seasons wait until the first player logs in. That suits a small group that always plays together. A larger community usually turns PassTimeWhenEmpty on so the calendar keeps moving between visits.

The game is sold through Anego Studios' own store rather than Steam, and each player joins with their own Vintage Story game account. The server has no Steam dependency at all.

Choosing a World Type and Settings

The play style is fixed when the world is generated, so it is worth agreeing before the first start. serverconfig.json holds it under WorldConfig, together with the world name, seed, climate and height.

Other server-wide switches live in the same file and can mostly be changed later with /serverconfig in the console: AllowPvP (on by default), AllowFireSpread, AllowFallingBlocks, and MaxChunkRadius, the furthest view distance any player may use (12 chunks by default). A smaller view distance is the easiest way to save memory on a busy server.

Roles, Privileges and the Whitelist

Vintage Story manages permissions with roles rather than single admin flags. Each role has a privilege level, a default game mode and its own land claim allowance. New players get the role named in DefaultRoleCode, which is suplayer unless you change it.

1. Type /op followed by your name in the Web Console to become admin.
2. Add players with /player name whitelist on. No restart is needed.
3. Promote helpers with /player name role sumod.
4. Adjust claims per role with /role name landclaimallowance and a value.

Private Group or Public Server

Since version 1.20 a fresh dedicated server is both whitelisted and missing from the public server browser. That is the safest start for a friends' world: only the people you add can join, and nobody stumbles on it by accident.

To grow a community instead, two console commands do the job: /serverconfig advertise on lists the server, and /serverconfig whitelistmode off lets anyone in. Pair it with a password if you want a semi-private server people can find but not enter freely, and set a sensible MaxClients so the world is not overrun on day one.

Installing and Managing Mods

Mod support is a core part of Vintage Story, and the official ModDB is where nearly every mod lives. Mods are zip files the server loads from its Mods folder, and the game offers the server's list to joining players, so a group rarely has to swap files by hand.

• Install: /moddb install modid in the Web Console.
• Find an ID: /moddb search keyword lists matching mods with their IDs.
• Pin a version: /moddb install modid 1.0.12 installs that exact release.
• Client-only mods: each player adds them to their own game.
• Test gradually: add a few mods, restart, play for a while, then add more.

Worldgen mods change how new land is generated, so add them before the map is created. Content and code mods can be added later, but always take a /genbackup before a mod change on a world people care about.

Updating to a New Version

Players need the same game version as the server to connect, so updates are a moment to coordinate. Anego publishes release candidates before each major version, then a run of stable patches; 1.22 went through ten release candidates before 1.22.0 shipped on 21 April 2026.

1. Take a backup with /genbackup.
2. Check every code mod on the ModDB for a build that supports the new version.
3. Update the server and the mods together, then restart.
4. Ask players to update their game before they join.

From 1.22 the game needs the .NET 10 runtime, which matters to anyone self-hosting on Linux or macOS. Public servers in particular should keep up with patches: the July 2026 releases fixed several griefing exploits.

Saves, Backups and Moving Worlds

The world is a single .vcdbs database file in the Saves folder, and the path is set by SaveFileLocation in serverconfig.json. The server autosaves every 300 seconds by default, set in servermagicnumbers.json, and /autosavenow forces a save immediately.

/genbackup copies the current world into the backups folder, named by date and time unless you give a name. Make it a habit before updates, mod changes and big events, then download older copies with the File Manager. Our offsite backups cover the last 7 days on top of that.

Moving a world in either direction is a file copy: stop the server, upload or download the .vcdbs file, set SaveFileLocation to match, and start again.

What to Compare Before Renting a Vintage Story Server

Vintage Story is light on hardware but heavy on settings and mods. These are the points that separate a good host from a merely cheap one.

1. Console accessMost admin work happens through server commands. Make sure the host gives you a live console, not only a restart button.
2. Memory per playerCheck the RAM against the official 1GB plus 300MB per player estimate, with room for your mods.
3. Slot flexibilityVintage Story groups grow in odd numbers. A slider that lets you pick any count avoids paying for slots you will not use.
4. File accessYou will want to upload saves and edit serverconfig.json yourself, so look for SFTP and a file manager.
5. Location and latencyRun a ping test from where your players live; a nearby data centre matters more than raw CPU speed.
6. Billing termsCompare monthly and longer terms and look for setup fees or minimum contracts.

Vintage Story Server Glossary

serverconfig.json

The main settings file: name, port, password, whitelist, roles and world options.

.vcdbs

The file format of a Vintage Story world save.

ModDB

The official mod database at mods.vintagestory.at.

Role

A permission set such as suplayer, sumod or admin, assigned per player.

Whitelist

The list of players allowed to join. On by default for dedicated servers.

PlayStyle

The world preset chosen at generation, from standard survival to creative building.

PassTimeWhenEmpty

Setting that keeps the in-game calendar running with nobody online.

Land claim

An area a player protects from others, sized by their role's allowance.

Knapping

Shaping flint or stone into early tools, the first crafting step in a new world.

Release candidate

A near-final test build Anego publishes before each major version.

Vintage Story Server Help

Official documentation and our own guides.

• Dedicated server guide, official Vintage Story wikiPorts, whitelist and requirements.
• Server config reference, official wikiEvery serverconfig.json setting.
• Vintage Story ModDBThe official mod database.
• Installing mods on your Vintage Story serverOur step-by-step guide.
• Gaming Deluxe control panel
• Contact supportHelp with worlds, mods and settings.