How to Make a Terraria Server: Step-by-Step Guide
A dedicated Terraria server means your world stays online and persistent for your whole group, whether you're playing vanilla or running a heavy tModLoader pack. This guide covers every step from choosing your setup to having players connected.
Step 1: Start a Free Trial
Go to the Zeros Host free trial page and select Terraria. No credit card required for the 24-hour trial — the server is live within a minute and you land straight in the setup wizard.
Step 2: Choose Vanilla or tModLoader
The setup wizard's first real decision: Vanilla runs the base game as-is. tModLoader runs the community mod loader, giving you access to the mod browser and thousands of community mods including Calamity and Thorium. Pick based on whether your group wants mods — you can always start a second server later if you want to try the other.
If you already know you want Calamity, Thorium, or another specific big overhaul mod, pick tModLoader now — switching later means effectively starting the modded setup from here anyway.
Step 3: Set World Size and Difficulty
Choose your world size (Small, Medium, Large) and difficulty (Classic, Expert, Master, or Journey) before the world generates. This is set once at creation — changing world size afterward means generating a new world, not resizing the existing one.
Step 4: Set Max Players and a Password
Open the Server Config Editor in your panel to set serverconfig.txt fields directly — max players, a password if you want a private server, and message-of-the-day text players see on connect. No FTP or raw file editing.
Step 5: Install Mods (tModLoader only)
If you picked tModLoader, open the Mod Manager in your panel and browse the tModLoader mod browser directly — search, click install, and the panel handles the download and file placement. Enable, disable, or remove mods from the same screen.
See our tModLoader mods guide for specific recommendations if you're not sure where to start.
Step 6: Restart and Connect
Restart the server from the panel if you made config changes or installed mods after the initial setup. Your server IP and port are shown in the panel dashboard — enter that directly in Terraria's Join via IP screen.
Step 7: Invite Players and Set Up Backups
Share the IP and port with your group. World saves back up on a schedule automatically, so a corrupted save or a bad mod interaction is recoverable rather than a lost world you have to start over.
Get a Terraria server running in minutes
Vanilla or tModLoader, mods installed from the panel, automatic backups. Plans start at £2/mo, or try the full panel free for 24-hour.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to own Terraria to run a server?
No. Terraria's dedicated server software is free and separate from the game itself. You need to own Terraria on Steam only if you want to play on the server yourself.
Should I pick Vanilla or tModLoader when setting up?
Vanilla is the base game exactly as Re-Logic shipped it — pick this if you want the standard Terraria experience. tModLoader adds support for the community mod ecosystem (Calamity, Thorium, and thousands more). You choose between them in the setup wizard before the server installs, and it determines which binary the server runs.
Can I switch from Vanilla to tModLoader later?
Yes, though it effectively means moving to a modded server rather than a quick toggle — you would set up tModLoader mode and your existing world can generally still be loaded, but any items or blocks from mods obviously won't retroactively appear until the relevant mods are installed.
How big can my Terraria world be?
World size (Small, Medium, Large) is chosen at world creation and affects both disk space and RAM headroom needed to run it comfortably. Small worlds suit a couple of players; Large worlds are a meaningfully bigger commitment in both storage and memory, worth matching to your plan.
Do players need tModLoader installed to join a modded server?
Yes — a tModLoader server requires tModLoader-connecting players to have it installed on their client too, same as vanilla players need the vanilla client for a vanilla server. It's a straightforward install through Steam, not something separate from Terraria itself.