Sons of the ForestSons of the Forest Server Configuration Generator
Use this config generator to set your Sons of the Forest server settings online and configure your Dedicated Server without writing JSON by hand. Choose the game mode, Custom difficulty, player count, and saves using a form or AI Easy Mode, then preview, copy, or download dedicatedserver.cfg. Free and no account required, including Easy Mode.
Built by Florian Galz
Example result
Example: the generated dedicatedserver.cfg
You set the options using a form or AI Easy Mode, and the generator creates the finished dedicatedserver.cfg for Sons of the Forest live. Below are the first lines of the default configuration; your file contains your values and all other settings.
Example · Default configuration
Output
{ "ServerName": "Sons Of The Forest Server", "MaxPlayers": 8, "Password": "", "LanOnly": false, "GameMode": "Normal", "GameSettings": { "Gameplay.TreeRegrowth": true, "Structure.Damage": true }, "CustomGameModeSettings": { "GameSetting.Vail.EnemySpawn": true, "GameSetting.Vail.EnemyHealth": "Normal", "GameSetting.Vail.EnemyDamage": "Normal", "GameSetting.Vail.EnemyArmour": "Normal",- +32 rowsYou can copy or download the complete file in the generator; the sample lines here only show the beginning.
Game modes
The game modes for your Sons of the Forest server
GameMode sets your server's base difficulty. You can choose from these six values in the generator.
Normal
The standard survival experience.
Hard
Tougher enemies and scarcer resources.
HardSurvival
Hard Survival with permadeath: when you die, your character's progress is deleted.
Peaceful
No enemies, relaxed survival.
Creative
Focus on building without survival threats.
Custom
Unlocks detailed settings for enemies, environment, survival, and multiplayer.
Important: the game mode and Custom settings are used only when creating a new save. An existing save retains its mode. To create a new world, set SaveMode to “New”.
Settings
These Sons of the Forest server settings are yours to configure
Despite its .cfg extension, your Sons of the Forest Dedicated Server's dedicatedserver.cfg is a JSON file. The generator writes it for you with these keys and values.
| Key | Values | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ServerName | Values: Text, up to 100 characters | Your server's name in the server browser. |
| Password | Values: Text, up to 40 characters | The password required to join. Leave it blank to make the server public. |
| MaxPlayers | Values: 1–8 | Maximum player count. 8 is the hard limit. |
| LanOnly | Values: true, false | The server appears only on the LAN, not in the public server list. |
| GameMode | Values: Normal, Hard, HardSurvival, Peaceful, Creative, Custom | The game mode. It is used only when creating a new save. |
| Gameplay.TreeRegrowth | Values: true, false | Felled trees regrow over time. Applies in every game mode. |
| Structure.Damage | Values: true, false | Enemies can damage built structures. Applies in every game mode. |
| GameSetting.Vail.* | Values: Low, Normal, High, true, false | Custom only: enemy health, damage, armor, and aggression, plus animal and search party frequency. EnemySpawn turns enemies on or off entirely. |
| GameSetting.Environment.* | Values: Spring–Winter, Short–Realistic, Low–High | Custom only: starting season, season and day-night cycle lengths, and rain and snow frequency. |
| GameSetting.Survival.* | Values: Off, Normal, Hard, Low, High, true, false | Custom only: hunger and thirst damage, spoiled food damage, cold penalties, building durability, less food in containers, single-use containers, Creative options, invincible players, and felling trees in one hit. |
| GameSetting.Multiplayer.Cheats | Values: true, false | Custom only: enables console commands for admins. |
| GameSetting.Multiplayer.PvpDamage | Values: Normal | Custom only: PvP damage scaling. Only the default value “Normal” is documented, so this is a free-text field. |
| SaveSlot | Values: 1–20 | The save slot. Each slot is a separate world. |
| SaveMode | Values: Continue, New | “Continue” loads the existing save, while “New” creates a new world and switches back to “Continue” after the first launch. |
| SaveInterval | Values: 30–3600 | Seconds between automatic saves. Default: 600. |
| IdleDayCycleSpeed | Values: 0–10 | Day-night cycle speed when nobody is online: 0 pauses it, 1 is normal speed. |
| IdleTargetFramerate | Values: 1–60 | FPS limit when no players are connected, saving CPU resources while idle. Default: 5. |
| ActiveTargetFramerate | Values: 10–144 | FPS limit while players are online. Default: 60. |
| LogFilesEnabled | Values: true, false | Writes server log files for troubleshooting. |
What the Generator Intentionally Does Not Cover
- IpAddress, GamePort, QueryPort, BlobSyncPort, and SkipNetworkAccessibilityTest: the generator does not provide fields for these network values. Without an import, it copies them unchanged from the template (GamePort 8766, QueryPort 27016, BlobSyncPort 9700); with an import, from your file.
- ownerswhitelist.txt: add admins to this separate file, one SteamID64 per line. The generator does not create it.
Guide
How to configure your Sons of the Forest Dedicated Server
From the default configuration to the restart: how to apply your Sons of the Forest server settings.
- 1
Step 1
Open generator
The generator starts with the default dedicatedserver.cfg. If you already have a file, paste its contents into the import field or upload it as a .json or .txt file up to 2 MB.
- 2
Step 2
Set server identity
Enter the server name, an optional join password of up to 40 characters, and a maximum player count from 1 to 8. Also choose whether the server should appear only on the LAN.
- 3
Step 3
Choose a game mode
Choose Normal, Hard, Hard Survival, Peaceful, Creative, or Custom. Only Custom unlocks the detailed settings.
- 4
Step 4
Adjust Custom settings or use Easy Mode
Configure enemies, environment, survival, and multiplayer. Or describe your server in your own words in Easy Mode and apply only the AI suggestions you approve.
- 5
Step 5
Configure saves and performance
Set the save slot (1–20), SaveMode (Continue or New), autosave interval, and FPS limits for idle and active gameplay.
- 6
Step 6
Check preview and export
Check dedicatedserver.cfg in the live preview. Then copy it, download it, or share a link that does not include your password.
- 7
Step 7
Upload and restart server
Upload the file to your server's root directory, for example using the File Manager, and restart the server. Sons of the Forest reads dedicatedserver.cfg only at startup.
Setup
File location & usage
Two ways to get the config onto a server: upload it yourself or apply it directly in our panel.
The manual method
Upload yourself
- 1
Download file
Download the generated dedicatedserver.cfg using the button above.
- 2
Upload via file manager or FTP/SFTP
On a self-hosted Windows server, place it in
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Endnight\SonsOfTheForestDS\dedicatedserver.cfg; at ZAP-Hosting, indedicatedserver.cfg. - 3
Apply changes
Sons of the Forest only reads dedicatedserver.cfg at startup — restart your server for the changes to take effect.
The ZAP-Hosting way
Apply in the panel, no FTP needed
Rent a Sons of the Forest server from us: download the file, place it in the file manager, and restart. The server overwrites some values with the startup parameters on every start; you set those directly in the panel.
- File Manager directly in your browser
- No FTP client required
- Online in 60 seconds
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Generate strong, random passwords directly in your browser — nothing is stored or transmitted.
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Steam ID Finder
Find a Steam ID from a profile link, custom URL, friend code, or s.team invite link — with all ID formats, profile, ban status (where available from Steam), ready-to-use admin commands for each game, and bulk lookup with CSV.
Built by Florian Galz
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Sons of the Forest server settings
File location, Custom mode, player count, restart, admin console, and security—briefly explained.
dedicatedserver.cfg is located directly in your server's root directory. You can view and edit it in the File Manager in the ZapX Customer Panel—despite its .cfg extension, it is a JSON file.
The detailed settings for enemies, environment, survival, and multiplayer take effect only when the game mode is set to “Custom” and a new save is created. An existing save retains its mode. To create a new world, set SaveMode to “New”.
Maximum 8. The generator allows MaxPlayers values from 1 to 8; higher values are not supported. On a ZAP-Hosting server, the value is set to your purchased Slots before every start.
No — the download gives you a ready-to-upload dedicatedserver.cfg for the File Manager. The server only reads this file on startup, so you need to restart it for your changes to take effect.
Set the game mode to Custom and enable admin cheats and the console under Multiplayer (GameSetting.Multiplayer.Cheats). Define who is an admin separately in ownerswhitelist.txt, one SteamID64 per line. The generator does not create this file.
Describe the server you want in your own words (e.g., "challenging Custom mode with permanent cold penalties and single-use containers"). AI will suggest suitable settings, explain each change individually, and apply nothing until you confirm.
The join password is not saved in share links and is masked in the form. A share link contains only the non-secret values you deliberately changed.
Yes. The form, Easy Mode, import, copy, download, and share link all work without an account. Easy Mode has a short rate limit to prevent excessive requests, and the share link never includes your join password.
Any more questions?
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