7 Days to Die Server on Linux

7 Days to Die is a survival game combining scavenging, crafting, and tower-defense elements. This guide covers complete server installation using SteamCMD, configuration through serverconfig.xml, world generation and seed management, port configuration, admin functions, performance optimization, and systemd management. 7 Days servers are moderately resource-intensive and require careful tuning for optimal multiplayer performance.

System Requirements
Installing SteamCMD and 7 Days Server
Server Configuration
Serverconfig.xml Setup
World Generation
Admin and Moderation
Port Configuration
Running with Systemd
Performance Optimization
Backup and Recovery
Monitoring
Conclusion

System Requirements

7 Days to Die servers require adequate resources:

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or CentOS 7+
8GB RAM minimum (16GB recommended for 50+ players)
60GB+ disk space (SSD recommended)
4+ CPU cores
Stable internet connection
Root or sudo access

Server performance heavily depends on world size and player count.

Installing SteamCMD and 7 Days Server

Install system dependencies:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y curl wget file bzip2 gzip unzip python3 util-linux ca-certificates binutils lib32gcc1 lib32stdc++6

Create dedicated steam user:

sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash steam
sudo -u steam mkdir -p /home/steam/steamcmd

Install SteamCMD:

cd /home/steam/steamcmd
sudo -u steam curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | sudo -u steam tar zxvf -

Verify SteamCMD:

sudo -u steam /home/steam/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh +quit

Create 7 Days directory:

sudo -u steam mkdir -p /home/steam/7dtd

Install 7 Days to Die server (app ID 294420). This takes 15+ minutes:

sudo -u steam /home/steam/steamcmd/steamcmd.sh \
    +force_install_dir /home/steam/7dtd \
    +login anonymous \
    +app_update 294420 \
    +quit

Verify installation:

ls -la /home/steam/7dtd/
file /home/steam/7dtd/7DaysToDieServer.x86_64

Create data directories:

sudo -u steam mkdir -p /home/steam/7dtd-data/{Saves,Logs}

Server Configuration

Create startup script:

sudo tee /home/steam/7dtd/start_server.sh > /dev/null <<'EOF'
#!/bin/bash

GAME_DIR="/home/steam/7dtd"
DATA_DIR="/home/steam/7dtd-data"
WORLD_NAME="${WORLD_NAME:-Navezgane}"
MAX_PLAYERS="${MAX_PLAYERS:-8}"
SERVER_PORT="${SERVER_PORT:-26900}"
QUERY_PORT="${QUERY_PORT:-26900}"

cd "$GAME_DIR"

mkdir -p "$DATA_DIR/Saves"
mkdir -p "$DATA_DIR/Logs"

exec "$GAME_DIR/7DaysToDieServer.x86_64" \
    -configfile="$DATA_DIR/serverconfig.xml" \
    -savedir "$DATA_DIR/Saves" \
    -serverport "$SERVER_PORT" \
    -queryport "$QUERY_PORT" \
    2>&1 | tee "$DATA_DIR/Logs/7dtd_$(date +%Y%m%d).log"
EOF

sudo chmod +x /home/steam/7dtd/start_server.sh
sudo chown steam:steam /home/steam/7dtd/start_server.sh

Serverconfig.xml Setup

Create comprehensive server configuration:

sudo tee /home/steam/7dtd-data/serverconfig.xml > /dev/null <<'EOF'
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ServerSettings>
    <property name="ServerName" value="My 7 Days Server" />
    <property name="ServerDescription" value="Cooperative survival server" />
    <property name="ServerPassword" value="" />
    <property name="ServerAdminPassword" value="adminpass123" />
    <property name="ServerPort" value="26900" />
    <property name="QueryPort" value="26901" />
    <property name="ServerIsPublic" value="true" />
    <property name="GameWorld" value="Navezgane" />
    <property name="GameName" value="My Game" />
    <property name="GameDifficulty" value="2" />
    <property name="MaxPlayers" value="8" />
    <property name="PersistentPlayerProfiles" value="true" />
    <property name="PlayerKillingMode" value="3" />
    <property name="ControlPanelEnabled" value="false" />
    <property name="ControlPanelPort" value="8080" />
    <property name="TelnetEnabled" value="true" />
    <property name="TelnetPort" value="8081" />
    <property name="TelnetPassword" value="telnetpass" />
    <property name="TerminalWindowEnabled" value="true" />
    
    <!-- Gameplay Settings -->
    <property name="DayNightLength" value="60" />
    <property name="DayLightLength" value="18" />
    <property name="DropOnDeath" value="1" />
    <property name="DropOnQuit" value="1" />
    <property name="BedrollDeadZoneSize" value="10" />
    <property name="AllowCheats" value="false" />
    <property name="LandClaimSize" value="41" />
    <property name="LandClaimDeadZone" value="30" />
    <property name="LandClaimExpiryTime" value="3" />
    <property name="SafeZoneLevel" value="5" />
    
    <!-- Performance Settings -->
    <property name="MaxSpawnedZombies" value="64" />
    <property name="MaxSpawnedAnimals" value="50" />
    <property name="ResetHWAccel" value="true" />
    <property name="EAC" value="true" />
    <property name="SaveGameFolder" value="" />
    
    <!-- Voice Communication -->
    <property name="VoiceEnabled" value="true" />
    
    <!-- Admin & Moderation -->
    <property name="BanAdmins" value="true" />
    <property name="AdminFileName" value="admin.xml" />
    <property name="UserDataFolder" value="" />
</ServerSettings>
EOF

sudo chown steam:steam /home/steam/7dtd-data/serverconfig.xml

Configuration options explained:

GameWorld: Map to use (Navezgane, random seed number, or custom)
GameDifficulty: 0=Scavenger, 1=Nomad, 2=Survivor, 3=Hardcore, 4=Nightmare
MaxPlayers: Maximum concurrent players (8, 16, 32, 64)
PlayerKillingMode: 0=No PvP, 1=Kill Allowed, 2=Kill Friendly, 3=Kill All
LandClaimSize: Land protection area (smaller = less CPU intensive)
MaxSpawnedZombies: Maximum zombies in world (higher = more challenging but resource-heavy)
TelnetEnabled: Enable remote console access
EAC: Easy Anti-Cheat enabled

World Generation

Configure world generation options:

sudo tee /home/steam/7dtd-data/world-gen-settings.xml > /dev/null <<'EOF'
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<WorldGenSettings>
    <!-- Map Settings -->
    <WorldName value="CustomWorld" />
    <Seed value="0" />
    <WorldSize value="512" />
    
    <!-- Terrain Generation -->
    <TerrainRadius value="256" />
    <HeightScale value="60" />
    <TerrainScale value="32" />
    
    <!-- POI (Points of Interest) -->
    <POIMaxDistance value="1000" />
    <POIMinDistance value="100" />
    <POIDensity value="5" />
    
    <!-- Biome Settings -->
    <BiomesScale value="128" />
    <BiomesBlend value="32" />
    
    <!-- Water Settings -->
    <WaterLevel value="32" />
</WorldGenSettings>
EOF

sudo chown steam:steam /home/steam/7dtd-data/world-gen-settings.xml

Create new world with custom seed:

# Stop server
sudo systemctl stop 7dtd.service

# Delete old world
rm -rf /home/steam/7dtd-data/Saves/Navezgane

# Server will generate new world on next start with provided seed
# Modify serverconfig.xml GameWorld value to: RandomSeed123456

sudo systemctl start 7dtd.service

Admin and Moderation

Create admin configuration file:

sudo tee /home/steam/7dtd-data/admin.xml > /dev/null <<'EOF'
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<AdminTools>
    <permission name="kick">
        <require_permission name="admin" />
    </permission>
    <permission name="ban">
        <require_permission name="admin" />
    </permission>
    <permission name="unban">
        <require_permission name="admin" />
    </permission>
    <permission name="say">
        <require_permission name="moderator" />
    </permission>
    <permission name="teleport">
        <require_permission name="admin" />
    </permission>
    <permission name="give">
        <require_permission name="admin" />
    </permission>
    <permission name="god">
        <require_permission name="admin" />
    </permission>
    <permission name="heal">
        <require_permission name="admin" />
    </permission>
    
    <!-- Define admin users -->
    <user steamid="76561198000000000" name="AdminName" permission_level="0" />
    <user steamid="76561198000000001" name="ModeratorName" permission_level="1" />
</AdminTools>
EOF

sudo chown steam:steam /home/steam/7dtd-data/admin.xml

Common admin commands (via Telnet console):

# Player management
kick playername reason
ban playername
unban playername
banlist
adminadd playername

# Server control
say "Message to all players"
pm playername "Private message"
teleport playername x y z

# Game control
kick-inactive 5           # Kick players inactive 5+ days
reset-land-protections   # Reset all land claims
remove-land-claim x y    # Remove specific claim

# Info commands
players                  # List all players
list-players            # Show player IDs
listknown               # Show known players
getgameinfo             # Server info
stats                   # Show statistics

# Difficulty commands
setgamedifficulty 3     # Change difficulty (0-4)

Connect to Telnet console:

telnet localhost 8081
# Enter password when prompted
help  # Show all available commands
quit  # Disconnect

Port Configuration

7 Days to Die uses specific ports:

# Game port (UDP)
GAME_PORT=26900

# Query port (UDP)
QUERY_PORT=26901

# Telnet console (TCP)
TELNET_PORT=8081

# Control panel (TCP, if enabled)
CONTROL_PANEL_PORT=8080

# Configure firewall
sudo ufw allow 26900/udp
sudo ufw allow 26901/udp
sudo ufw allow 8081/tcp
sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp

# For iptables
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 26900 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 26901 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8081 -j ACCEPT

# Verify ports
sudo netstat -tulnp | grep -E "26900|26901|8081"

Running with Systemd

Create systemd service:

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/7dtd.service > /dev/null <<'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=7 Days to Die Server
After=network.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=steam
Group=steam
WorkingDirectory=/home/steam/7dtd
EnvironmentFile=/home/steam/7dtd/server.env

ExecStart=/home/steam/7dtd/start_server.sh

Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=15
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal

# Resource limits
LimitNOFILE=65536
LimitNPROC=16384
MemoryMax=20G

# Security
NoNewPrivileges=true
ProtectSystem=strict
ProtectHome=yes
ReadWritePaths=/home/steam/7dtd-data

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

Create environment file:

sudo tee /home/steam/7dtd/server.env > /dev/null <<'EOF'
WORLD_NAME=Navezgane
MAX_PLAYERS=8
SERVER_PORT=26900
QUERY_PORT=26901
EOF

sudo chown steam:steam /home/steam/7dtd/server.env
sudo chmod 600 /home/steam/7dtd/server.env

Enable and start:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable 7dtd.service
sudo systemctl start 7dtd.service
sudo systemctl status 7dtd.service

Monitor logs:

sudo journalctl -u 7dtd.service -f
tail -f /home/steam/7dtd-data/Logs/7dtd_$(date +%Y%m%d).log

Performance Optimization

Optimize system for 7 Days performance:

# Increase file limits
sudo sysctl -w fs.file-max=2097152
echo "fs.file-max=2097152" | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf

# Network optimization
sudo sysctl -w net.core.rmem_max=134217728
sudo sysctl -w net.core.wmem_max=134217728

# UDP optimization
sudo sysctl -w net.core.rmem_default=131072
sudo sysctl -w net.core.wmem_default=131072

# Apply changes
sudo sysctl -p

Monitor performance:

# CPU and memory usage
watch -n 1 'ps aux | grep 7DaysToDieServer | grep -v grep'
htop -p $(pgrep -f 7DaysToDieServer)

# Detailed process info
ps -o pid,vsz,rss,pcpu,pmem,comm $(pgrep -f 7DaysToDieServer)

# Disk I/O
iostat -x 1

# Network stats
iftop -i eth0

Reduce resource consumption:

# Lower MaxSpawnedZombies in serverconfig.xml
# Reduce LandClaimSize for faster performance
# Lower MaxPlayers if CPU becomes bottleneck

Backup and Recovery

Create automated backup script:

sudo tee /home/steam/backup_7dtd.sh > /dev/null <<'EOF'
#!/bin/bash

DATA_DIR="/home/steam/7dtd-data"
BACKUP_DIR="$DATA_DIR/backups"
RETENTION_DAYS=30
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

# Backup world saves
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/7dtd_backup_${TIMESTAMP}.tar.gz" \
    -C "$DATA_DIR" Saves/ \
    2>/dev/null

if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    SIZE=$(du -sh "$BACKUP_DIR/7dtd_backup_${TIMESTAMP}.tar.gz" | awk '{print $1}')
    echo "[$(date)] Backup created: $SIZE"
else
    echo "[$(date)] Backup failed!" >&2
    exit 1
fi

# Cleanup old backups
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "7dtd_backup_*.tar.gz" -mtime +${RETENTION_DAYS} -delete
EOF

sudo chmod +x /home/steam/backup_7dtd.sh
sudo chown steam:steam /home/steam/backup_7dtd.sh

Add to crontab:

sudo tee -a /var/spool/cron/crontabs/steam > /dev/null <<'EOF'
0 2 * * * /home/steam/backup_7dtd.sh >> /home/steam/7dtd-data/Logs/backup.log 2>&1
EOF

Restore backup:

sudo systemctl stop 7dtd.service
BACKUP="/home/steam/7dtd-data/backups/7dtd_backup_20240101_020000.tar.gz"
sudo -u steam tar -xzf "$BACKUP" -C /home/steam/7dtd-data/
sudo systemctl start 7dtd.service

Monitoring

Create monitoring script:

sudo tee /home/steam/monitor_7dtd.sh > /dev/null <<'EOF'
#!/bin/bash

echo "=== 7 Days to Die Server Status ==="
echo ""

# Service status
if systemctl is-active --quiet 7dtd.service; then
    echo "✓ Service is running"
else
    echo "✗ Service is NOT running"
    exit 1
fi

# Process info
PID=$(pgrep -f 7DaysToDieServer)
if [ ! -z "$PID" ]; then
    MEM=$(ps -p $PID -o rss= | awk '{print $1/1024 " MB"}')
    CPU=$(ps -p $PID -o %cpu= | awk '{print $1 "%"}')
    echo "Memory: $MEM"
    echo "CPU: $CPU"
fi

# Port status
echo ""
if ss -ulnp | grep -q "26900"; then
    echo "✓ Game port 26900 listening"
else
    echo "✗ Game port not listening"
fi

# Disk usage
echo ""
USAGE=$(df -h /home/steam/7dtd-data | awk 'NR==2 {print $5}')
echo "Disk usage: $USAGE"

# Recent errors
echo ""
ERRORS=$(tail -20 /home/steam/7dtd-data/Logs/7dtd_*.log 2>/dev/null | grep -i "error\|fatal" | wc -l)
echo "Recent errors: $ERRORS"
EOF

sudo chmod +x /home/steam/monitor_7dtd.sh

Conclusion

Your 7 Days to Die server is now fully configured with admin controls, world generation support, and automated backups. 7 Days to Die provides intense survival experiences with horde mechanics and cooperative gameplay.

Key takeaways:

Configure difficulty and zombie spawning for your community
Use Telnet console for easy admin management
Implement regular backups before major updates
Monitor server performance, especially zombie count
Keep server updated with latest patches
Use land claims to protect player creations
Plan world resets periodically to refresh gameplay

A well-maintained 7 Days server can support engaging long-term survival experiences for your player community.

7 Days to Die server on Linux