Enshrouded Server Configuration: enshrouded_server.json Explained

The enshrouded_server.json

Your Enshrouded server is configured through a single file: enshrouded_server.json in the server directory. It controls name, port, slots, chat, passwords (via userGroups) and the entire game balance (via gameSettingsPreset and gameSettings). At RespawnHost you edit it through the file manager in the panel or via SFTP — this guide is the complete reference for every field, based on the official Keen Games documentation (server version 0.9.0.0).

Top-level fields

Field	Default	Meaning
name	"Enshrouded Server"	Server name in the server list — visible to all players
saveDirectory	"./savegame"	Folder for the world save
logDirectory	"./logs"	Folder for logs; older logs are archived to ./logs/backup automatically
ip	"0.0.0.0"	Bind IP — only relevant for special network setups
queryPort	15637	The server’s only port (UDP) — adjust to match your firewall if needed
slotCount	16	Player slots, 1–16. Fewer slots ease CPU and RAM load
tags	[]	List of server tags
voiceChatMode	"Proximity"	Proximity or Global (server-wide)
enableVoiceChat	false	Voice chat on/off
enableTextChat	false	Text chat on/off
gameSettingsPreset	"Default"	Difficulty preset, see below
gameSettings	{ … }	Individual settings — only applied with the Custom preset
userGroups	[ … ]	Roles with passwords and permissions, see below
bans	[]	List of banned players

How do passwords and roles (userGroups) work?

There is no single server password anymore: the password a player enters when connecting determines their group — and therefore their permissions. Each group in userGroups has these fields:

Field	Type	Meaning
name	string	Group name
password	string	Password mapped to this group. A freshly created file generates randomized passwords
canKickBan	true/false	May kick and ban other players
canAccessInventories	true/false	May use chests, containers and stations
canEditWorld	true/false	May alter the game world outside bases (e.g. terraforming)
canEditBase	true/false	May build in bases: place/remove blocks and props, terraform
canExtendBase	true/false	May place, upgrade and remove Flame Altars
reservedSlots	number	Reserved slots for this group — the server shows as “full” earlier for everyone else

A freshly created enshrouded_server.json starts with four default groups:

Group	canKickBan	canAccessInventories	canEditWorld	canEditBase	canExtendBase
Admin	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Friend	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗
Guest	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗
Visitor	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗

Regardless of permissions, all groups can fight, loot, explore and complete quests. You can add your own groups — simply append another block with its own name, password and permission combination:

"userGroups": [
    {
        "name": "Admin",
        "password": "YourStrongAdminPassword",
        "canKickBan": true,
        "canAccessInventories": true,
        "canEditWorld": true,
        "canEditBase": true,
        "canExtendBase": true,
        "reservedSlots": 1
    }
]

Which difficulty presets are there?

Preset	Description
Default	All values at default — the balance as of version 0.7.3.0, recommended for first-time players
Relaxed	Fewer enemies, more resources and loot — for base builders and light-hearted adventuring
Hard	More and more aggressive enemies — for a tougher combat experience
Survival	Additional survival mechanics on top of more aggressive enemies
Custom	Only with this preset do the individual gameSettings values apply

All custom settings (gameSettings)

The following values only take effect when gameSettingsPreset is set to "Custom". In-game, factors are displayed as percentages.

Player

Field	Default	Range	Effect
playerHealthFactor	1	0.25–4	Maximum player health
playerManaFactor	1	0.25–4	Maximum mana
playerStaminaFactor	1	0.25–4	Maximum stamina
playerBodyHeatFactor	1	0.5 / 1 / 1.5 / 2	Body heat — higher = longer in cold areas before hypothermia
playerDivingTimeFactor	1	0.5–2	Oxygen supply while diving

Survival & world

Field	Default	Range/Options	Effect
enableDurability	true	true/false	With false, weapons no longer break
enableStarvingDebuff	false	true/false	Hunger & starvation: without food the player periodically loses health
foodBuffDurationFactor	1	0.5–2	Duration of food buffs
fromHungerToStarving	600000000000	5–20 min (in nanoseconds)	Length of the hungry state before starving sets in
shroudTimeFactor	1	0.5–2	How long players can remain within the Shroud
tombstoneMode	"AddBackpackMaterials"	AddBackpackMaterials / Everything / NoTombstone	What ends up in the tombstone on death: materials only, everything, or nothing
enableGliderTurbulences	true	true/false	Air turbulence while gliding
weatherFrequency	"Normal"	Disabled / Rare / Normal / Often	Frequency of weather phenomena
fishingDifficulty	"Normal"	VeryEasy / Easy / Normal / Hard / VeryHard	Strength of fish in the fishing minigame
curseModifier	"Normal"	Easy / Normal / Hard	Shroud curse: Easy turns it off, Hard doubles the chance
dayTimeDuration	1800000000000 (30 min)	2–60 min (in nanoseconds)	Length of daytime
nightTimeDuration	720000000000 (12 min)	2–60 min (in nanoseconds)	Length of nighttime

Enemies & bosses

Field	Default	Range/Options	Effect
randomSpawnerAmount	"Normal"	Few / Normal / Many / Extreme	Amount of enemies in the world
aggroPoolAmount	"Normal"	Few / Normal / Many / Extreme	How many enemies may attack simultaneously
enemyDamageFactor	1	0.25–5	Enemy damage (excluding bosses)
enemyHealthFactor	1	0.25–4	Enemy health (excluding bosses)
enemyStaminaFactor	1	0.5–2	Enemy stamina — higher = enemies are harder to stun
enemyPerceptionRangeFactor	1	0.5–2	How far enemies can see and hear (excluding bosses)
bossDamageFactor	1	0.2–5	Damage of boss attacks
bossHealthFactor	1	0.2–5	Boss health
threatBonus	1	0.25–4	Frequency of enemy attacks (excluding bosses)
pacifyAllEnemies	false	true/false	Enemies only attack once attacked (excluding bosses)
tamingStartleRepercussion	"LoseSomeProgress"	KeepProgress / LoseSomeProgress / LoseAllProgress	Consequences of startling wildlife during taming

Resources, XP & economy

Field	Default	Range	Effect
miningDamageFactor	1	0.5–2	Mining damage — more terraforming and yield per hit
plantGrowthSpeedFactor	1	0.25–2	Plant growth speed
resourceDropStackAmountFactor	1	0.25–2	Amount of materials per loot stack (chests, defeated enemies …)
factoryProductionSpeedFactor	1	0.25–2	Production times at workstations
perkUpgradeRecyclingFactor	0.5	0–1	Rune refund when salvaging upgraded weapons
perkCostFactor	1	0.25–2	Rune cost for weapon upgrades
experienceCombatFactor	1	0.25–2	XP from combat
experienceMiningFactor	1	0–2	XP from mining resources
experienceExplorationQuestsFactor	1	0.25–2	XP from exploration and quests

Frequently asked questions

How do I set a server password in Enshrouded? Via userGroups: each group’s password doubles as the join password. If a group has no password, anyone can join with that group’s permissions — so set passwords for all groups.

Why aren’t my gameSettings applying? The individual values only take effect when gameSettingsPreset is "Custom". With any other preset they are ignored.

Which port do I need to open? Only the queryPort (default 15637, UDP). The former separate game port was removed with Content Update #2. At RespawnHost the ports are already set up for you.

My enshrouded_server.json is broken — what now? Delete the file (back it up first) and start the server: it creates a fresh file with all default values. After faulty file updates, Keen recommends exactly this procedure.

Related guides

• Rent an Enshrouded Server — up to 16 slots, online in under 90 seconds
• Creating and setting up a server — From ordering to your first login
• How much RAM do I need? — Official hardware specs & packages
• Moving your singleplayer world — Bring your existing world to the server