Check if your Don't Starve Together server is online
A Don't Starve Together server is a cluster: several shards, a port each, and just one of them — the master — that answers queries.
The ports Don't Starve Together uses
A typical cluster has an overworld shard and a caves shard: two processes on two different UDP ports. Test the master shard's port. Querying the caves port times out even when the whole cluster is healthy, and that is what usually lies behind a puzzling result here.
Every port a default Don't Starve Together install uses
With the game port left at 10999. If you changed it with server_port in server.ini, the other ports move with it.
| Port | What it is for |
|---|---|
| 10999 UDP | Master shardRequired The overworld shard players connect to. |
| 10998 UDP | Caves shardRequired Each shard runs as its own server on its own port. A cluster with caves needs both forwarded. |
| 8768 UDP | Steam queryOptional master_server_port, for the public listing. |
| 8767 UDP | Steam authenticationOptional authentication_port. |
Still offline? Try this
Test the master shard's port specifically. If it answers and people still cannot get in, check that both shards actually started — when the caves shard fails to launch, the cluster accepts connections and then breaks the moment someone heads underground.
What a Don't Starve Together server needs to run well
- Memory, 6 players
- 3 GB
- CPU cores
- 2+
- Disk
- 5 GB+
Two shards means two processes — budget CPU for both, not one.