Enshrouded Server Config: enshrouded_server.json Explained

Where enshrouded_server.json is and how to edit it

The dedicated server is a separate Steam tool from the game: SteamCMD app ID 2278520, not the client's 1203620. On first launch it writes enshrouded_server.json in its install folder, with the world in ./savegame and logs in ./logs by default.

Edit with the server stopped. If you run the server on a rented host, your host's editor, file manager or SFTP opens the same file. Change a value, save, restart.

Enshrouded server settings explained

{
  "name": "My Enshrouded Server",
  "saveDirectory": "./savegame",
  "logDirectory": "./logs",
  "ip": "0.0.0.0",
  "queryPort": 15637,
  "slotCount": 16,
  "voiceChatMode": "Proximity",
  "enableVoiceChat": false,
  "enableTextChat": false,
  "gameSettingsPreset": "Default",
  "userGroups": [
    {
      "name": "Admin",
      "password": "UseALongUniquePassword1",
      "canKickBan": true,
      "canAccessInventories": true,
      "canEditBase": true,
      "canExtendBase": true,
      "reservedSlots": 1
    }
  ]
}

Community config templates also show a top-level tags list, a bannedAccounts list and a canEditWorld permission inside groups. Keen's help article does not document them, so look in your own generated file before relying on them.

Enshrouded server ports: 15637 and the missing 15636

Keen's help center lists only one port, queryPort, set to 15637. Older tutorials tell you to open both 15636 and 15637 because earlier builds had a separate gamePort key. Current builds do not have it, and hosts that document the change describe 15637 over UDP as the single game and query port.

• If you self-host, forward or allow 15637 for UDP to the server machine and allow enshrouded_server.exe through the firewall. Keen does not name the protocol; UDP is what hosting documentation uses. The server is IPv4 only.
• If you run two servers on one machine, give each its own folder, save directory and queryPort.
• On a rented server the port is normally allocated for you. Use the address and port shown in your control panel rather than editing queryPort to something you picked.

How many players can an Enshrouded server hold?

slotCount accepts 1 to 16, and Steam lists online co-op for up to 16 players. Keen notes that fewer slots reduce server load, so there is no benefit to leaving 16 set on a group of four. Reserved slots in userGroups take from the same pool: if you reserve slots, the lobby appears full to other groups sooner, so keep your reserved numbers below slotCount.

Because Enshrouded is limited to 16, a larger community is better served by two servers or by deciding who plays when than by a bigger number in the file.

Passwords, user groups and the old password field

Since the Update 2 changes, the server no longer uses a single top-level password. If an old file still has one, the game creates a group called default with the same permissions as Friend. Passwords now belong to groups, and the password a player enters decides which group they join. A fresh file has randomized passwords, so open it and note them down.

Setting a password is strongly recommended. Without one, anyone who can see the server can join. The next guide in this series covers each group's permissions and how to set up your own roles.

What changed for servers in Enshrouded 1.0

• Keen's 1.0 notes say user groups and passwords on dedicated servers work as before.
• There is a new Automatic option for enemy amount that scales to the nearby party, and the enemy damage slider's underlying values were reworked, so a custom damage value from Early Access will not hit the same.
• Server-to-client communication uses less memory and performance warnings trigger later.
• Keen did not publish a list of changed config keys. To see what your 1.0 build writes, move your old file aside, start the server once, and compare the generated file with your backup before copying values across.

Client and server must run the same game version. Update the server with SteamCMD (app_update 2278520, optionally with validate) or through your host's update option, and ask players to let Steam update the game.

Hosting with ChicagoServers? The Enshrouded server hosting page lists what is included, such as free server backups and SFTP file access.

Frequently asked questions