How to Host a 7 Days to Die Server on LoafHosts

To host a 7 Days to Die dedicated server on LoafHosts, deploy a server, open the in-panel Config Editor to set your name, difficulty, and world rules in serverconfig.xml, then start it and connect. A dedicated server runs the 7 Days to Die server process on its own, so the world stays up around the clock instead of living and dying with one player’s game session. This guide walks the whole path from an empty plan to a running, joinable server, using only the tools the LoafHub panel actually gives you: a comment-preserving form editor for serverconfig.xml with one-click difficulty presets, and a Mods manager for installing modlets. Everything below describes exactly what the panel does, with the real settings, the locked fields you cannot edit in the file, and the restart rules that 7 Days to Die enforces.

What You Need Before You Start

Hosting a dedicated 7 Days to Die server is mostly point-and-click on a managed host, but a few decisions up front make it faster. You need a hosting plan, a sense of how punishing you want the game to be, and a plan for whether you will run pure vanilla or add modlets. You do not need to install the dedicated server tools yourself on LoafHosts; that is already handled when your plan deploys.

Tip: Decide whether you want vanilla, lightly tweaked, or a full overhaul before you start — it changes which sections you use

Tip: Pick a difficulty target (chill PvE, hardcore survival, or open PvP) so you can apply a matching preset in one click

Tip: If you plan to run mods, remember every player needs the matching client mods for overhauls

Note: On LoafHosts the 7 Days to Die server process is set up for you at deploy time, so you go straight to editing serverconfig.xml in the panel

Step 1: Deploy the Server

Deploying a 7 Days to Die server on LoafHosts is a checkout-and-wait process. Choose a plan family and region that fit your community, then let the panel provision the server.

1. Go to loafhosts.com and choose a plan
2. Pick the region closest to your players
3. Complete checkout
4. Open LoafHub at hub.loafhosts.com and select your new server
5. Wait for the panel to show the server deployed and ready

Tip: A plan with dedicated CPU threads is the safer pick for big hordes, high player counts, or overhaul modpacks

Tip: Put your server physically near most of your players to keep ping low

Step 2: Open the Config Editor

7 Days to Die reads its rules from a file called serverconfig.xml. LoafHub gives you a dedicated Config Editor for that file, so you can change settings in the browser without an FTP client. The editor only appears on 7 Days to Die servers.

1. In the panel, open your 7 Days to Die server
2. Open the Config Editor (the configuration section for serverconfig.xml)
3. You will see a form, grouped into sections, plus a universal search to jump to any property by name
4. There is also a raw XML mode if you prefer to edit the file text directly

Note: The editor is file-backed — it edits serverconfig.xml directly, and 7 Days to Die re-reads that file when the server boots, so your changes take effect on the next start or restart

Tip: Use the universal search to jump straight to any property by name instead of scrolling the groups

Step 3: Understand the Setting Groups

The form organizes the dozens of serverconfig.xml properties into clear groups so you are not staring at raw XML. Each field has a one-line tip and value validation, and the groups render in this order.

Tip: Server name is your first impression in the in-game browser — put your game mode and any wipe schedule right in it

Warning: The World group fields (game world, world seed, world size, game name) regenerate the map — changing them strands your existing save, so treat them as new-world settings, not live edits

Step 4: Use a One-Click Preset (Optional but Fast)

Instead of tuning fields by hand, the editor ships five curated presets. Picking one applies a whole set of values in a single save. None of the presets touch the world-regeneration fields, so every preset is safe to apply to a world that is already in progress.

1. In the Config Editor, choose a preset that matches the experience you want
2. Apply it — the whole set of values is written to serverconfig.xml in one save
3. Fine-tune any individual fields afterward if you want

Tip: Casual PvE is the friendliest starting point for a public community server; you can always tighten it later

Tip: Applying a preset is a single save, so it is easy to try one, then adjust the handful of fields you care about

Step 5: Know What You Cannot Edit Here (Locked Fields)

A handful of properties in serverconfig.xml are managed by the panel’s networking and secrets system, not by you in the file. The Config Editor shows them read-only and refuses to write them — both through the form and through the raw XML mode — because editing them in the file would either be ignored or silently overwritten. These locked fields are:

• ServerPort, ServerIP, and ServerVisibility
• TelnetEnabled, TelnetPort, and TelnetPassword
• WebDashboardPort
• AdminFileName

Note: Ports, the server IP, telnet, the web dashboard, and the admin file are allocation- and secret-managed, so they are surfaced read-only here

Tip: Anything in the locked list that you need to change is handled through the Server Settings (Startup) tab, not the config file editor

Step 6: Save, Start, and Verify

With your identity, difficulty, and world rules set, save the file and start the server. Because the editor is file-backed and 7 Days to Die only reads the config at boot, a fresh start (or a restart) is what makes your changes live.

1. Save your changes in the Config Editor
2. Go to your server’s console / power controls
3. Start the server
4. Watch the console as the server loads your world and reaches a running state
5. Confirm there are no obvious errors in the log

Tip: If you changed anything while the server was running, restart it — 7 Days to Die loads the config only at boot

Tip: A clean startup ends with the server idle and waiting for players

Step 7: Connect and Test

The last step is a real join. Use the IP and port shown in the panel.

1. Copy the server IP and port from the panel
2. In 7 Days to Die, find your server in the browser or connect directly with the IP and port
3. Join and confirm the world and rules match what you set
4. Share the connection details with your players

Tip: If your server does not show up in the browser right away, a direct connect with the IP and port always works

Installing Mods (Modlets)

LoafHosts includes a Mods manager for 7 Days to Die. It only appears on 7 Days to Die servers, and it is built around how the game actually loads mods. In 7 Days to Die, a mod (called a “modlet”) is a folder under the server’s Mods/ directory, each containing a ModInfo.xml. The manager works on those folders directly.

There is one honest limitation to know up front: 7 Days to Die has no CurseForge or Modrinth style live install catalogue, because there is no machine install API for the game. So the Mods manager is upload-driven plus a set of panel-curated presets — not a live search-and-install browser. The flow is straightforward.

1. Open your 7 Days to Die server and open the Mods section
2. To add a mod, upload its .zip archive
3. The panel extracts the archive, unwraps any wrapper folder, validates the ModInfo.xml, and places the modlet into Mods/
4. To turn a mod off without deleting it, disable it; to turn it back on, enable it
5. To delete a mod entirely, remove it
6. Restart the server to apply any change

Warning: 7 Days to Die has no hot-reload — mods load only at boot, so every install, enable, disable, and remove needs a server restart to take effect

Note: A modlet you placed on disk outside the panel still shows up in the list, marked as “External”

Tip: Disable is the safe way to test whether a mod is causing a problem — it keeps the files but takes the mod out of the load

EAC and Modded Mode

Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) and mods interact in a way the panel surfaces directly. The Mods manager can write the EACEnabled and ServerAllowCrossplay flags in serverconfig.xml for you, but you should understand what each change means.

• Script, DLL, or Harmony mods require EAC to be turned off. The manager will prompt you to confirm that change rather than flipping it silently.
• Pure XML modlets can run with EAC on, but any modlet at all breaks console crossplay.
• Any non-empty Mods/ folder disables console crossplay for that server, and crossplay hard-caps the server at 8 slots.

Warning: Turning EAC off removes anti-cheat protection — only do it when a mod genuinely requires it, and tell your players

Note: Curated overhaul presets that need EAC off ask for an explicit confirmation before they change your EAC and crossplay settings

Curated Modpack Catalogue

Alongside manual uploads, the Mods manager shows a small curated catalogue. It comes in two tiers, and the panel is honest about the difference.

• Server-side, install-and-go: tools and tweaks that need no client download — for example Alloc’s Server Fixes, CPM (Community Patch Mod), and a quality-of-life XML pack. These would install on the server alone.
• Full overhauls (client required): big conversions like Darkness Falls, Undead Legacy, Ravenhearst, and War3zuk AIO. When available, the preset installs the server side and flips the server into modded mode (EAC off), but the panel cannot push the matching client pack to players — every player must download the matching client mods themselves, and the client and server mod sets must match exactly.

There is an important readiness caveat. The catalogue is a curated list of cards, but the actual mod archives are not bundled with the panel — there is no machine install API for 7 Days to Die, so an admin has to mirror each pack’s archive to the panel before it can install. Until that is done, every curated card shows as “not available” (“mirror not configured”) and trying to install it returns an error instead of running. In other words, out of the box the curated presets are a list, not a one-click install — manual .zip upload is the path that always works.

Note: A curated card that has not been mirrored by an admin is surfaced as unavailable, and an install attempt is rejected with a “no mirrored archive configured” message rather than partly installing

Note: Overhaul cards show a client-download link because the player side is always a manual download — even once a pack is mirrored, the panel handles only the server side and players handle their own client

Tip: If a curated pack you want shows as unavailable, ask an admin to mirror its archive; otherwise upload the modlet .zip yourself

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a 7 Days to Die dedicated server?

A dedicated server runs the 7 Days to Die server process on its own, independent of any player’s game client. It stays online around the clock, has a fixed IP and port, and gives you control over serverconfig.xml — your name, difficulty, world rules, and mods — without one player having to host from their PC.

Do I need to install the server software myself?

Not on LoafHosts. The 7 Days to Die server is set up when your plan deploys, so you go straight to editing serverconfig.xml in the panel’s Config Editor and pressing Start.

How do I change the difficulty or loot on my server?

Open the Config Editor and either edit the fields in the Gameplay / Difficulty and Multipliers / Loot / Party groups directly, or apply one of the five presets (Vanilla, Casual PvE, Hardcore Survival, PvP — Raid Focused, or Builder / Creative-lean) to set a whole tuned bundle in one save.

Why are some settings greyed out in the config editor?

Ports, the server IP, visibility, telnet, the web dashboard port, and the admin file name are managed by the panel’s networking and secrets system. The editor shows them read-only and will not write them, because changing them in the file would be ignored or overwritten. Use the Server Settings (Startup) tab for those.

Why do my config or mod changes not take effect right away?

7 Days to Die only reads its configuration and loads mods at boot. The editor writes the file immediately, but you have to restart the server for the changes to apply. There is no hot-reload for mods.

How do I install a mod?

Open the Mods section, upload the mod’s .zip, and the panel extracts it, validates the ModInfo.xml, and installs it into your Mods/ folder. Then restart the server. There is no live mod catalogue for 7 Days to Die because the game has no machine install API, so the reliable path is the manual .zip upload. The panel also shows a curated catalogue, but those cards only install once an admin has mirrored the pack’s archive — otherwise they show as unavailable.

Will mods affect crossplay or my player slots?

Yes. Any non-empty Mods/ folder disables console crossplay for that server, and crossplay caps the server at 8 slots. Script, DLL, or Harmony mods also require EAC to be turned off. Pure XML modlets can keep EAC on but still break console crossplay.

Can I run a full overhaul like Darkness Falls?

The Mods manager lists curated overhaul cards (Darkness Falls, Undead Legacy, Ravenhearst, War3zuk AIO). Two caveats: first, a curated pack only installs once an admin has mirrored its archive to the panel — until then the card shows as unavailable and an install attempt is rejected, so out of the box the overhaul presets are a list rather than a one-click install. Second, even when a pack is mirrored, the panel installs only the server side and flips the server into modded mode (EAC off) — it cannot push the matching client pack to players, so every player must download and install the matching client mods themselves, and their mod set must match the server exactly. You can also install an overhaul yourself by uploading its modlet .zip.

Can I change the world or seed after the server is running?

Changing the game world, world seed, world size, or game name regenerates the map and strands your existing save, so treat those as new-world settings. The Config Editor flags them as world fields for that reason. Always take a backup before touching them on an active community server.