Generate a 7 Days to Die serverconfig.xml

7 Days to Die is configured in XML, so it is the one game here that will reject the whole file over a single stray character — very often one in your server name.

Start from a preset

Visual Settings

xml Format

Identity

ServerName

Name in the server browser. An ampersand here must be escaped — an unescaped one breaks the whole XML file and the server falls back to defaults.

ServerDescription

Short description in the browser.

ServerWebsiteURL

Website link shown with the server.

ServerPort

Base port. The game uses TCP here and UDP on this port plus the two above it.

Gameplay

SandboxCode

Every gameplay rule since V3.0 - difficulty, XP, day length, drop on death, Blood Moon frequency and size, loot - in one code. Set them in the game’s Sandbox Options menu, copy the code it generates and paste it here. Codes made on V3.0 may need regenerating after V3.1.

World

GameWorld

Navezgane for the hand-built map, or RWG for a random world generated from the seed below.

WorldGenSeed

Seed for random world generation. Only used when GameWorld is RWG.

WorldGenSize

Random world size. Larger maps take much longer to generate and use considerably more memory.

GameName

Save name. Changing it starts a fresh save rather than renaming the existing one.

LandClaimCount

Land claim blocks per player.

LandClaimSize

Size in blocks of the protected area around a claim.

Players & Access

ServerPassword

Join password.

ServerMaxPlayerCount

Slot limit.

ServerReservedSlots

Slots held back for players with the required permission level.

Performance

MaxSpawnedZombies

Server-wide zombie cap. One of the strongest performance levers here.

MaxSpawnedAnimals

Server-wide animal cap.

ServerMaxAllowedViewDistance

Caps how far clients may render, which limits how much the server must stream.

Network

ServerVisibility

2 is public, 1 friends only, 0 hidden and joinable by address.

RCON & Query

TelnetEnabled

Telnet console. Also what external tools use to read the player list, since the standard query does not provide names.

TelnetPort

Telnet port. Never expose it publicly without a password.

TelnetPassword

Telnet password. An empty password with telnet enabled is an open console.

WebDashboardEnabled

Built-in web dashboard.

WebDashboardPort

Web dashboard port.

serverconfig.xml

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ServerSettings>
  <property name="ServerName" value="My 7DTD"/>
  <property name="ServerDescription" value="Survive the horde"/>
  <property name="ServerWebsiteURL" value=""/>
  <property name="ServerPort" value="26900"/>
  <property name="ServerVisibility" value="2"/>
  <property name="ServerPassword" value=""/>
  <property name="ServerMaxPlayerCount" value="8"/>
  <property name="ServerReservedSlots" value="0"/>
  <property name="GameWorld" value="Navezgane"/>
  <property name="WorldGenSeed" value=""/>
  <property name="WorldGenSize" value="6144"/>
  <property name="GameName" value="MyWorld"/>
  <property name="SandboxCode" value="AAAJABJACJADJARFBNC"/>
  <property name="MaxSpawnedZombies" value="64"/>
  <property name="MaxSpawnedAnimals" value="50"/>
  <property name="ServerMaxAllowedViewDistance" value="12"/>
  <property name="LandClaimCount" value="3"/>
  <property name="LandClaimSize" value="41"/>
  <property name="TelnetEnabled" value="false"/>
  <property name="TelnetPort" value="8081"/>
  <property name="TelnetPassword" value=""/>
  <property name="WebDashboardEnabled" value="false"/>
  <property name="WebDashboardPort" value="8080"/>
</ServerSettings>

The serverconfig.xml format

Each setting is a property element carrying a name attribute and a value attribute. Since this is genuine XML, characters that mean something to XML cannot appear as-is in a value: an ampersand in the server name must be written as its escape sequence, as must angle brackets and quotes inside a quoted value. This generator handles the escaping for you.

The mistake that wastes an evening

A bare ampersand does not give you a useful error. The XML parse fails, the server drops back to its built-in defaults, and you end up with a running server that has none of your settings and no clue as to why. If nothing you set has taken effect, check the punctuation in your server name before anything else.

Gameplay settings moved into SandboxCode

Since V3.0, which went stable at the end of June 2026, difficulty, XP rate, day length, drop on death, loot and every Blood Moon setting are no longer separate lines in serverconfig.xml. They are all encoded in one value, SandboxCode. The old lines are not rejected; the server simply ignores them, so a config copied from an older guide runs on default rules without any error.

To change gameplay, set the rules in the game's Sandbox Options menu, copy the code it generates, and paste it into SandboxCode. The shipped default is AAAJABJACJADJARFBNC. V3.1 changed some sandbox options again, so a code made on V3.0 may need regenerating. This generator writes SandboxCode and leaves the retired lines out.

Keep your own copy of the file

The server reads whichever file it is started with through -configfile= on its launch line, serverconfig.xml in the stock start scripts. That stock file sits in the install folder, where a SteamCMD update or validate can replace it with the default. Copy it to a name of your own, point -configfile at the copy, and updates can no longer undo your settings.

Settings that start a new world

GameWorld picks the map, GameName names the save, and for random worlds WorldGenSeed and WorldGenSize define the terrain. Change any of them and the server does not alter your existing world; it starts or generates a different one, and your old save stays on disk untouched. Decide them before the first start.

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