Terraria Server Hosting: Free, VPS & Modded Guide (2026)

Use 2 GB RAM for a small vanilla world, 4 GB for tModLoader, or 6–8 GB for Calamity and larger mod lists. Prefer fast CPU cores, SSD storage, and a region near the players.

Create an Ubuntu or Debian VPS, update its packages, add a non-root terraria user, and keep the game files in a directory that user owns. This separates the service from system administration.

Get the current dedicated-server package from Terraria’s official site, extract the Linux files into the server directory, and give the included TerrariaServer launcher execute permission.

Set world= to the full .wld path, then define maxplayers, port=7777, password, and motd. A fixed configuration makes every restart load the same world without console prompts.

Allow inbound TCP 7777 through the VPS operating-system firewall and the provider firewall. Terraria uses TCP port 7777 by default, and players connect to the VPS public IP plus that port.

Launch TerrariaServer with -config serverconfig.txt through systemd, tmux, screen, or Docker. A service with automatic restart keeps the world independent from the administrator’s SSH session.

In Terraria, choose Multiplayer, Join via IP, enter the VPS public address and port 7777, then confirm players and the world load correctly. Stop the server cleanly and save a first known-good world backup.

Stop the server, copy the complete .wld file, set world= to its absolute path in serverconfig.txt, then start the process. Keep a pre-migration copy until every player and chest is confirmed.

Windows normally uses Documents\My Games\Terraria\Worlds. Linux normally uses ~/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds, while tModLoader keeps modded worlds below its ModLoader data directory.

Close the world cleanly before copying it, transfer the .wld file over SFTP, and avoid moving only a temporary backup. On tModLoader, keep the matching mod-world data beside the world.

Use tModLoader’s DedicatedServerUtils management script, SteamCMD route, or maintained Docker files rather than mixing a vanilla binary with client-only mods.

Export install.txt and enabled.json from the group’s tModLoader mod pack. The server and every player should run the same tModLoader branch, mod releases, and dependencies.

Start a Calamity server around 6 GB RAM when the list includes several content and quality-of-life mods, then watch peak memory and CPU during world generation and boss events.

Set the world, mod path, port, password, and max players in configuration, then run the process through systemd or Docker with an automatic restart policy.

Confirm the server finished loading the world, the client and server builds match, and the game process is listening on the configured port. For a VPS, allow TCP 7777 in both the operating-system and cloud firewalls.

Use the VPS public IPv4 address plus the configured port. Do not send a private 192.168.x.x address, and do not bind the Terraria process only to localhost.

Point world= to the full .wld filename, not only its directory. Check capitalization and service-user permissions, then restart after the path is saved.

Read the first fatal line in the server log. Match tModLoader, Terraria, every enabled mod, and all dependencies; remove client-only mods from the server set.

Inspect CPU and memory while the freeze happens, reduce unnecessary mod load, and move to faster cores or more RAM when the process remains saturated during world generation or busy events.

Choose a region closer to the group, keep the world on SSD storage, and avoid running backups or large updates during active play. Network distance and a busy CPU can feel similar in game.