DayZ server will not startMod load order, keys and errors in serverDZ.cfg

Published on August 9, 2026 · last updated on November 8, 2026

Test without mods

The fastest way to narrow things down: start the server once without any mods, meaning without the -mod= parameter and with the vanilla mission.

• It starts: the problem lies with the mods or the mission - continue with the next sections.
• It does not start: then the cause is serverDZ.cfg or the game state - see below.

In our experience, this one minute saves most of the searching. If the server starts without mods, add them back one by one - or in small groups if the list is long. The mod after which the start fails again is your suspect. The server log usually names the folder that triggered the error, so it is worth reading the log before guessing.

Load order and missing dependencies

DayZ loads the mods in exactly the order listed in the -mod= parameter. That order is not arbitrary:

• Frameworks first - above all the Community Framework (CF), which many mods build on.
• Then the modules that rely on them - for example the components of DayZ Expansion.
• Map mods belong to the matching mission - if one is missing, the start aborts while the world is being built.

If a dependency is missing entirely, the log usually names the expected mod. The installation is described in detail in install mods.

A mod update no longer fits

If the server ran yesterday and does not today, even though you changed nothing, a mod was usually updated in the Workshop. After a DayZ update, the same applies the other way around: the mods then need an update of their own. Update 1.30 hits mods around animations and community maps particularly hard - more on that in DayZ Badlands server.

The typical result is messages about script modules that cannot be compiled. The solution is to bring all mods up to date - on both server and client, otherwise players will not get in afterwards. A mod that has no update yet is best taken out of the load list temporarily instead of starting on the off chance.

Errors in serverDZ.cfg

If the server does not start even without mods, serverDZ.cfg is the next candidate. The file is sensitive to syntax errors:

• A missing semicolon at the end of a line.
• Unclosed quotation marks in hostname or password.
• A template entry that points to a mission that does not exist - the classic after a map change.

When in doubt, comment out the line you changed last and restart.

Damaged game state

After a hard crash, the persistent game state can be damaged. The server then does not start or hangs while loading.

The game state is in the mission's storage folder. Removing it resets the world - bases and placed objects are gone, but the server runs again. Back up the folder first so that the decision is not final.

Keep in mind: backups are self-service with us. If you back up regularly via SFTP, you have a choice at this point instead of just one option. What a complete backup includes is covered in create backups.

It starts, but nobody gets in

A separate case with its own cause: missing .bikey files. BattlEye checks the signatures of all loaded mods; if the matching key is missing from the keys folder, every connection is rejected - while the server itself runs flawlessly.

Every mod folder comes with its key. After every mod update, the keys have to be copied again as well. Details in install mods, connecting itself in join a server. If an RCON tool cannot connect, that is usually a consequence of the same problem: RCON only answers while the server process is running, see set up admin & RCON.

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