DayZ serverDZ.cfg explainedThe most important parameters of the server configuration

Published on August 4, 2026 · last updated on November 8, 2026

Where is serverDZ.cfg located?

serverDZ.cfg is in your server's root directory and is loaded through the startup parameter -config=serverDZ.cfg. You edit it in the config editor in the web interface or via WebFTP/SFTP. Loot and spawns are kept separately in the mission's Central Economy files.

The most important basic settings

hostname = "My DayZ Server";     // name in the server list
password = "";                    // join password (empty = open)
passwordAdmin = "SecretPW";       // for #login (admin commands)
maxPlayers = 60;                  // maximum number of players
verifySignatures = 2;             // BattlEye signature check (required for mods)
disableVoN = 0;                   // voice over network
forceSameBuild = 1;              // only the same client build may join

Important for modded servers: verifySignatures = 2 has to be set so that the .bikey keys take effect. How passwordAdmin is used in-game is covered in set up admin & RCON.

Set the map (mission template)

Which map is played is controlled in the Missions block through the template entry - it refers to the mission folder:

class Missions
{
    class DayZ
    {
        template = "dayzOffline.chernarusplus";  // Chernarus
        // template = "dayzOffline.enoch";        // Livonia
        // template = "dayzOffline.sakhal";       // Sakhal (Frostline DLC)
        // template = "dayzOffline.nasdara";      // Nasdara (Badlands DLC)
    };
};

For custom maps, you enter the matching mission here - details in the guide change the map. The new desert map from Badlands is covered in DayZ Badlands server.

Day/night cycle & restarts

With serverTimeAcceleration and serverNightTimeAcceleration, you speed up day and night. Many servers also schedule regular restarts (for example every 4 hours) to keep performance and the Central Economy fresh - you set that up with RCON tools, see admin & RCON.

The two acceleration values work together and are often misunderstood. serverTimeAcceleration applies to the whole day, while serverNightTimeAcceleration is an additional multiplier that comes on top only at night. If you want to keep the night short, you therefore adjust the second number, not the first - otherwise the day races by too. How to build a rhythm from this is covered in detail in set the day and night cycle.

Persistence and restarts

Two values decide whether your bases survive a restart - and they are not in the same file. In serverDZ.cfg, instanceId controls which save state the server is assigned to. If this value changes, the world effectively starts from zero, even though all files are still there. So only touch it if you deliberately want to start over.

instanceId = 1;              // assignment to the save state
storeHouseStateDisabled = false;   // bases are kept
storageAutoFix = 1;          // repair damaged storage

The second value is storeHouseStateDisabled: if it is set to true, built objects disappear on restart. For a server where people are supposed to build, it has to be set to false. storageAutoFix = 1 lets DayZ repair damaged storage files itself instead of aborting the start - on a server that restarts regularly, that is the more sensible setting.

Even so: backups are always self-service with us. Before every change to the configuration or the mission, download the server folder via WebFTP or SFTP, see create backups.

Syntax: what it almost always comes down to

serverDZ.cfg is more sensitive than a normal INI file, because it has a real class structure. Three rules save you most of the troubleshooting:

• Every line ends with a semicolon. Including the last one in a block. A missing ; is the most common reason why the server does not start without any recognizable message.
• Text goes in quotation marks, numbers do not. hostname = "My Server"; but maxPlayers = 60;. A number in quotation marks is not read as a number.
• Comments use //. The hash sign is not a comment character here and makes the start abort.

If the server no longer starts after a change, undo the last change and work your way forward in small steps. The log files in the server directory usually name the line where reading was aborted - more on that in server will not start.

Frequently asked questions