Do friends need to own Terraria to join my server?

Yes. All players connecting to a Terraria server must own a legitimate copy of Terraria on Steam or GOG. You do not need to own it to host the server itself.

How much RAM does a Terraria server need?

A vanilla Terraria server runs comfortably on 1GB of RAM for up to 8 players. tModLoader with several large mods (Calamity, Thorium) needs 2–3GB. FreeGameHost's free tier provides 4GB — more than enough.

Can I use tModLoader on a dedicated server?

Yes. tModLoader has a dedicated server version. Install it exactly like vanilla but use the tModLoader server executable. Players must have the same mods installed client-side to connect.

How to Make a Terraria Server in 2026 (Vanilla & tModLoader)

By FreeGameHost Team • Updated May 2026 • 8 min read

Free to host 24/7 uptime tModLoader supported World upload supported

Terraria's built-in multiplayer lets you host a session directly from your own game — but the moment you quit, your friends get kicked and the world goes offline. A dedicated server changes that: it runs independently in the cloud so your group can play any time, even when you're not around.

This guide covers setting up a dedicated Terraria server in 2026 — including vanilla configuration, tModLoader for mods, transferring an existing world, and fixes for the most common problems.

Host your Terraria server free — 4GB RAM, 24/7 uptime, no credit card needed.

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Vanilla server vs. tModLoader — which should you use?

Feature	Vanilla	tModLoader
Mod support	None	Full Steam Workshop support
RAM usage	~512MB–1GB	2–4GB depending on mods
Setup complexity	Simple	Slightly more involved
Player requirements	Own Terraria	Own Terraria + tModLoader + same mods
Best for	Playing through vanilla	Calamity, Thorium, large modpacks

If you're playing vanilla Terraria, use the vanilla dedicated server. If you want mods like Calamity or Thorium, use tModLoader — it's a free, Valve-approved mod framework available on Steam as a separate app.

Step-by-step: Vanilla Terraria server

Create your server on FreeGameHost

Log in to panel.freegamehost.xyz and click Create Server. Select Terraria and choose Vanilla as the server type. The server files install automatically.

Edit serverconfig.txt

Open serverconfig.txt in the File Manager. The most important settings:

world=/root/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds/MyWorld.wld
autocreate=2
worldname=MyWorld
difficulty=0
maxplayers=8
port=7777
password=yourpassword
motd=Welcome to our Terraria server!
secure=1
language=en-US
npcstream=60
priority=1

autocreate — world size: 1 = small, 2 = medium, 3 = large
difficulty — 0 = Classic, 1 = Expert, 2 = Master, 3 = Journey
password — leave blank for a public server

Start the server

Click Start in the control panel. On first boot, Terraria will generate your world — this takes 30–90 seconds depending on world size. Once you see Server started in the console, the server is ready.

Connect from Terraria

Open Terraria, click Multiplayer → Join via IP, and enter your server IP (shown in your FreeGameHost panel) and port 7777. Select a character and you're in.

Share the IP and password with your friends so they can connect the same way.

Tip: You can find your Terraria server IP in the FreeGameHost control panel under the Network tab. It won't change unless you delete and recreate the server.

How to transfer an existing world to your dedicated server

If you've been playing a world locally and want to move it to the dedicated server:

On Windows, find your world file at:
C:\Users\YourName\Documents\My Games\Terraria\Worlds\
The file is named YourWorldName.wld (and a .wld.bak backup)
In FreeGameHost File Manager, navigate to /root/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds/
Upload your .wld file there
Update serverconfig.txt so the world= line points to your uploaded file path
Restart the server — your world loads exactly as you left it

Important: Do not run the server while uploading the world file. Always stop the server first, upload, then restart.

Setting up a tModLoader server

tModLoader is the standard modding platform for Terraria, available free on Steam (App ID 1281930). The server version runs headlessly just like the vanilla dedicated server.

Select tModLoader as your server type

When creating your server on FreeGameHost, choose tModLoader instead of Vanilla. This installs the correct server binary and folder structure automatically.

Install mods via the Mod Browser

tModLoader mods are installed on the client side first, then synced to the server. The recommended workflow:

Open tModLoader on your PC and subscribe to mods via the in-game Mod Browser or Steam Workshop
Enable the mods and let tModLoader download them
On your server, upload the mod .tmod files to /root/.local/share/Terraria/ModLoader/Mods/
Create or edit enabled.json in that same folder listing the mods to load

Tell players which mods they need

Every player connecting must have the exact same mods enabled client-side. The easiest way is to share a tModLoader Mod Pack — in tModLoader's Mod Manager, click Save Enabled as Mod Pack and share the file. Players import it in one click.

RAM note: Large mod combinations like Calamity + Thorium + Fargo's Mutant can use 3–4GB of RAM on the server. Start with a smaller mod list and increase RAM allocation if you see crashes or sluggish world loading.

Essential server commands

help                  — List all available commands
playing               — List connected players
kick <player>         — Kick a player by name
ban <player>          — Permanently ban a player
password <new>         — Change server password on the fly
save                  — Force a world save immediately
exit                  — Save and shut down the server gracefully
exit-nosave           — Shut down without saving (use carefully)
time                  — Show current in-game time
dawn / noon / dusk / midnight — Set time of day
settle                — Force all liquids to settle (fixes lag from water physics)

Best tModLoader mods for a server in 2026

See our dedicated Best Terraria Mods in 2026 article for the full ranked list. The short version for server play:

Calamity Mod — the definitive content expansion; 24 new bosses, biomes, and a full post-Moon Lord progression
Thorium Mod — adds three new classes (Healer, Bard, Thrower), 200+ enemies, and 2000+ items; pairs well with Calamity
Fargo's Mutant Mod — quality of life: summons any boss, any event, from a single NPC. Essential for server play
Magic Storage — shared storage network so your whole group accesses one item pool; invaluable for co-op
Recipe Browser — in-game recipe lookup so players don't need to alt-tab to the wiki constantly
Boss Checklist — tracks boss progress across the whole server in a neat GUI

Common Terraria server problems & fixes

World not found on startup

Check the world= path in serverconfig.txt. The full path must exactly match the .wld filename including capitalisation. On Linux servers (which most hosting uses), file paths are case-sensitive.

Players can't connect — connection refused

Verify the server is fully started (look for Server started in the console). Confirm your port is set to 7777 in both serverconfig.txt and in the FreeGameHost Network tab. FreeGameHost handles port forwarding automatically — you do not need to configure your router.

tModLoader crash on startup

This almost always means a mod version mismatch. tModLoader versions are tied to specific Terraria versions, and mods are compiled for a particular tModLoader version. Check that your server's tModLoader version matches what players have installed. Update everything to the latest stable release.

World corruption after crash

Terraria saves a .wld.bak backup alongside your main world file. If your world fails to load, rename .wld.bak to .wld and restart. Set saveinterval in your config to autosave more frequently — the default is 10 minutes; 5 is safer.

Frequently asked questions

Can I run a Terraria server on Journey mode?

Yes. Set difficulty=3 in serverconfig.txt. All players connecting must also use Journey mode characters. Note that Journey mode grants the host creative-style controls — any player with sufficient permissions can use the Journey menu, so consider who you give access to.

How many players can join a Terraria dedicated server?

The vanilla cap is 255 players, but in practice performance degrades significantly above 16. For a smooth experience, keep it under 8–10. Set maxplayers in your config to whatever fits your RAM and expected playstyle.

Does the server save automatically?

Yes. Terraria dedicated servers autosave every 10 minutes by default. You can change the interval by editing saveinterval=600 (value is in seconds) in your serverconfig.txt. Always use exit rather than killing the process to ensure a final save.

Can different players use different characters on the same server?

Yes. Each player brings their own character from their local saves. There's no requirement to use a specific character type — except in Journey mode, where all players must use Journey characters.

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