DayZ Server Setup

DayZ Server Setup

This guide walks you through creating and configuring your DayZ server at RespawnHost. You’ll be online in under 90 seconds.

Step 1: Choose a Package

Go to Rent a DayZ Server and pick a package. RespawnHost offers six tiers:

Package	Recommended Players	Best For
Survivor Starter	1-10	Vanilla, small groups
Chernarus Explorer	10-20	Modded servers
Squad Leader	20-30	Mid-size communities
Base Builder	30-40	Heavy mods, Expansion
DayZ Veteran	40-60	Large community servers
Apocalypse Elite	60+	Maximum performance

For RAM sizing details see How Much RAM Does a DayZ Server Need?.

Step 2: Choose a Location

Pick the location closest to most of your players:

• Frankfurt (Germany) — best for European players
• Salt Lake City (USA) — best for North American players

Step 3: Create the Server

After purchase, your server is provisioned automatically. The RespawnHost panel gives you:

• Start/Stop — control server power
• Restart — clean restart
• Console — live server output
• File Manager — browse and edit files
• Configuration — edit serverDZ.cfg in the panel
• Steam Workshop — one-click mod installs

On first launch, the system downloads the DayZ server files (Steam App ID 223350). This takes 3-10 minutes depending on the location.

Step 4: Base Configuration

Before the first launch, edit serverDZ.cfg in the server root via the file manager or the configuration panel.

Minimal configuration:

hostname = "My DayZ Server";
password = "";
passwordAdmin = "your-secret-admin-password";
maxPlayers = 40;
verifySignatures = 2;
forceSameBuild = 1;
disable3rdPerson = 0;
disableVoN = 0;
serverTime = "SystemTime";
serverTimeAcceleration = 12;
serverNightTimeAcceleration = 1;
respawnTime = 5;
class Missions {
    class DayZ {
        template = "dayzOffline.chernarusplus";
    };
};

Full reference under Server Configuration.

Step 5: Default Ports

DayZ uses these default ports:

Port	Protocol	Purpose
2302	UDP	Game port (player connections)
2303	UDP	Steam Query port (server browser)
2304	UDP	Steam authentication
2310	UDP	BattlEye

RespawnHost opens these automatically — no firewall configuration needed.

Step 6: Start the Server

Start the server from the panel. The console will show the boot process. The server is ready when you see:

DayZ Server initialized

First boot can take a few minutes while files download. Mission loading adds 30-90 seconds depending on the map.

Step 7: Connect Players

Two ways to join your server:

Through the DayZ Launcher:

1. Open the DayZ Launcher (not the game directly)
2. Click “Servers”
3. Find your server in the browser, or use Direct Connect
4. Enter IP and port (e.g. xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:2302)

Via Steam Favorites (more reliable):

1. Open Steam → “Games” → “View Servers”
2. Tab “Favorites” → “Add Server”
3. Enter IP and Steam Query port (e.g. xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:2303)
4. Server appears in the DayZ Launcher under Favorites

Note: The Steam server browser uses the query port (2303), not the game port (2302).

Step 8: Becoming Admin

DayZ has no built-in in-game admin console for general commands. You have two options:

RCon (Remote Console) via BattlEye:

Tools like BEC (BattlEye Extended Controls) or DaRT use the passwordAdmin from your serverDZ.cfg to connect remotely. From there you can kick, ban, broadcast messages, and run scheduled tasks.

Admin Mods (recommended):

The easiest path is installing an admin mod like VPP-Admin Tools or ZomBerry Admin Tools. These give you an in-game menu with teleport, item spawning, weather control, and more. See Admin Tools.

Free respawnserver.com Subdomain

Every DayZ server gets a free subdomain like yourname.respawnserver.com. Instead of sharing a raw IP, you give players myclan.respawnserver.com:2302 — memorable, free, instantly active.

1. Open the server dashboard in the RespawnHost Panel
2. Go to Overview → Subdomain section
3. Enter the desired name (only available names turn green)
4. Save — live immediately, no DNS wait

The DNS record automatically points to the current server IP.

Resources and Fair Use

Every DayZ server at RespawnHost gets:

• Guaranteed RAM based on package (dedicated, not shared)
• Dedicated NVMe SSD storage — fair use, plenty for mods and persistence
• Fair-use CPU on AMD Ryzen 9 9950X / 7950X — DayZ is single-thread heavy, so the high boost clock translates directly into server FPS
• Unlimited slots — only limited by hardware

Next Steps

After the basic setup you can:

• Install mods — add Steam Workshop content
• Switch maps — enable Livonia or Sakhal
• Tune loot — edit types.xml and events.xml
• Optimize performance — scale up for more players

FAQ

Question: How long does the server take to start?

First boot can take 3-10 minutes while files download. Subsequent vanilla starts take 30-90 seconds; modded servers take longer depending on mod size.

Question: My server doesn’t show up in the browser. What now?

Make sure the server fully booted (console should say “DayZ Server initialized”). It can take up to 5 minutes to appear in the Steam browser. The Steam Query port (2303) must be reachable — with RespawnHost it always is.

Question: Can I rename the server?

Yes, change hostname in serverDZ.cfg and restart. The new name shows up in the browser within minutes.

Question: How do I find my server IP?

The IP and game port are shown in the RespawnHost panel on the server detail page.

Question: Can I password-protect the server?

Yes, set password = "your-password"; in serverDZ.cfg. All players need this password to join.

Question: Which port is the “right” one?

• Game port 2302 — for Direct Connect in the DayZ Launcher
• Query port 2303 — for the Steam server browser (“View Servers”)

When sharing your IP with players, use the game port (2302).

Question: Can I change the location later?

No, the location is bound to the server instance. You can create a new server at the desired location and migrate your persistence and configuration.