DayZ Server Configuration

DayZ Server Configuration

The central configuration of your DayZ server lives in serverDZ.cfg in the server root. This article covers the most important settings.

serverDZ.cfg Structure

serverDZ.cfg is a plain-text config file. Values use the format parameter = value; — every line ends with a semicolon. Strings are double-quoted.

Edit the file via the panel file manager or directly in the configuration form. Every change requires a server restart.

Basic Settings

Field	Type	Description
hostname	string	Server name in browser
password	string	Player password (empty = public)
passwordAdmin	string	Password for RCon access
maxPlayers	int	Maximum player count
motd[]	array	Message of the Day (multi-line)
motdInterval	int	Seconds between MOTD repeats

hostname = "[EN] My DayZ Server";
password = "";
passwordAdmin = "very-secure-password";
maxPlayers = 60;
motd[] = {
    "Welcome to my server",
    "Discord: discord.gg/example"
};
motdInterval = 300;

Network Settings

On RespawnHost, ports are pre-configured. You usually don’t need to change them.

// Default DayZ ports
// port = 2302;            // game port
// steamQueryPort = 2303;  // Steam query

The game port is set by a server start parameter, not in serverDZ.cfg. RespawnHost handles that automatically.

Mission and Map

The active map is set by the template parameter inside the Missions block:

class Missions {
    class DayZ {
        template = "dayzOffline.chernarusplus";
    };
};

Available official missions:

Map	template
Chernarus	dayzOffline.chernarusplus
Livonia	dayzOffline.enoch
Sakhal (Frostline DLC)	dayzOffline.sakhal

Custom maps like Namalsk or Deer Isle use their own mission folder. Details under Maps.

Security Settings

verifySignatures = 2;
forceSameBuild = 1;
BattlEye = 1;
disableBanlist = 0;

Field	Values	Description
verifySignatures	0, 1, 2	Validates .pbo files against .bisign signatures. 2 is the standard and recommended.
forceSameBuild	0, 1	Requires identical client/server game build. 1 strongly recommended.
BattlEye	0, 1	Enables BattlEye anti-cheat. 1 for public servers.
disableBanlist	0, 1	Disables global ban list. Default: 0.

Gameplay Rules

disable3rdPerson = 0;
disableCrosshair = 0;
disableVoN = 0;
respawnTime = 5;
guaranteedSlots = 10;
loginQueueConcurrentPlayers = 5;
loginQueueMaxPlayers = 500;

Field	Description
disable3rdPerson	0 = third-person allowed, 1 = first-person only (Hardcore)
disableCrosshair	0 = crosshair on, 1 = off
disableVoN	Voice-over-Network. 0 = voice chat enabled.
respawnTime	Seconds before the respawn button appears
guaranteedSlots	Reserved slots (e.g. for whitelisted admins)
loginQueueConcurrentPlayers	Concurrent logins from queue
loginQueueMaxPlayers	Maximum queue size

Time Acceleration (Day/Night Cycle)

serverTime, serverTimeAcceleration and serverNightTimeAcceleration control how fast time progresses on the server.

serverTime = "SystemTime";
serverTimeAcceleration = 12;
serverNightTimeAcceleration = 1;
serverTimePersistent = 0;

Field	Description
serverTime	"SystemTime" (real time) or e.g. "2024/06/15/13/00"
serverTimeAcceleration	Day-time multiplier, 0-24. 1 = real time, 12 = 2-hour day, 24 = 1-hour day
serverNightTimeAcceleration	Multiplied with serverTimeAcceleration during night. 0.1-64. 4 with day-factor 2 = night runs 8x faster
serverTimePersistent	1 = time survives restarts, 0 = server always boots with serverTime

Example “75% day, 25% night”:

serverTimeAcceleration = 8;
serverNightTimeAcceleration = 4;

A full cycle now takes about 3 hours: ~2:15h day, ~0:45h night.

Performance Settings

simulatedPlayersBatch = 20;
multithreadedReplication = 1;
networkRangeClose = 20;
networkRangeNear = 150;
networkRangeFar = 1000;
networkRangeDistantEffect = 4000;

Field	Description
simulatedPlayersBatch	Players per simulation tick. Higher = more CPU.
multithreadedReplication	Multi-thread network replication. 1 for modern CPUs.
networkRangeClose	Close-range replication, meters
networkRangeNear	Mid-range replication, meters
networkRangeFar	Far replication, meters
networkRangeDistantEffect	Effects (gunshots, explosions), meters

More tuning under Performance Optimization.

Persistence

persistentPlayers = 1;
storeHouseStateDisabled = false;
storageAutoFix = 1;

Field	Description
persistentPlayers	1 = player inventory persists (default)
storeHouseStateDisabled	false = built structures persist across restarts
storageAutoFix	1 = server auto-repairs corrupted persistence files

BattlEye RCon

If you use external admin tools like BEC or DaRT, create a BEServer_x64.cfg in the server’s battleye folder:

RConPassword your-rcon-password
RestrictRCon 0
RConPort 2310

The RCon password can differ from passwordAdmin. Connect from BEC or DaRT to Server-IP:2310 with this password.

Full Configuration Example

hostname = "[EN] My DayZ Server";
password = "";
passwordAdmin = "secret123";
maxPlayers = 60;

motd[] = { "Welcome!", "Discord: discord.gg/example" };
motdInterval = 300;

verifySignatures = 2;
forceSameBuild = 1;
BattlEye = 1;

disable3rdPerson = 0;
disableCrosshair = 0;
disableVoN = 0;
respawnTime = 5;

serverTime = "SystemTime";
serverTimeAcceleration = 12;
serverNightTimeAcceleration = 1;
serverTimePersistent = 0;

guaranteedSlots = 10;
loginQueueConcurrentPlayers = 5;
loginQueueMaxPlayers = 500;

simulatedPlayersBatch = 20;
multithreadedReplication = 1;
networkRangeClose = 20;
networkRangeNear = 150;
networkRangeFar = 1000;
networkRangeDistantEffect = 4000;

persistentPlayers = 1;
storeHouseStateDisabled = false;
storageAutoFix = 1;

class Missions {
    class DayZ {
        template = "dayzOffline.chernarusplus";
    };
};

FAQ

Question: Where is serverDZ.cfg?

In the server root via the RespawnHost file manager, or through the panel configuration form.

Question: Do I need to restart after every change?

Yes — serverDZ.cfg is only read at boot. serverTime is also only applied when serverTimePersistent = 0.

Question: What happens with a syntax error?

The server fails to boot or ignores the broken line. Check the console for “Bad config file” or “expected ’;’”. Common mistakes: missing semicolons, missing quotes, wrong braces.

Question: What does verifySignatures = 2 do?

Strict mode — all .pbo files (mods and game content) must be signed with a valid .bisign whose key sits in the keys folder. Protects against tampered mods. Mandatory for public servers.

Question: How do I run Hardcore (First-Person-Only)?

Set disable3rdPerson = 1; and optionally disableCrosshair = 1;. Both require a restart.

Question: How do I set a MOTD?

Through the motd[] array — each line is its own string. motdInterval defines how often it repeats in chat (in seconds).

Question: How high should I set simulatedPlayersBatch?

Default is 20. With 60+ players and a strong CPU, you can push to 30. If server FPS drops, lower it again.

Question: Where are server logs?

In the profiles folder of your server (crash.log, script.log, server_console.log). Logs are essential for diagnosing crashes and mod errors.