serverDZ.cfg Complete Reference

Summary: Every documented parameter in serverDZ.cfg with its purpose, valid values, and default behavior. This file controls server identity, network settings, gameplay rules, time acceleration, logging, persistence, and mission selection.

File Format
Server Identity
Network & Security
Gameplay Rules
Time & Weather
Performance & Login Queue
Logging & Debug
Persistence & Instance
Mission Selection
Complete Example File
Launch Parameters That Override Config

File Format

serverDZ.cfg uses Bohemia's config format (similar to C). Rules:

Every parameter assignment ends with a semicolon ;
Strings are enclosed in double quotes ""
Array parameters use brace syntax: motd[] = { "Line 1", "Line 2" };
Comments use // for single-line
The class Missions block uses braces {} and ends with };
The file must be UTF-8 or ANSI encoded -- no BOM

A missing semicolon will cause the server to fail silently or ignore subsequent parameters.

Server Identity

cpp

hostname = "My DayZ Server";         // Server name shown in browser
password = "";                       // Password to connect (empty = public)
passwordAdmin = "";                  // Password for admin login via in-game console
description = "";                    // Description shown in server browser details
motd[] = { "Welcome!", "Rules: no toxicity." };  // Message of the day lines
motdInterval = 5;                    // Seconds between MOTD lines

Parameter	Type	Default	Notes
`hostname`	string	`""`	Displayed in the server browser. Max ~100 characters.
`password`	string	`""`	Leave empty for a public server. Players must enter this to join.
`passwordAdmin`	string	`""`	Used with the `#login` command in-game. Set this on every server.
`description`	string	`""`	Multi-line descriptions are not supported. Keep it short.
`motd[]`	string array	`{}`	Message-of-the-day lines shown in chat after players join. Each array element is one line.
`motdInterval`	int	`1`	Seconds between successive MOTD lines. Raise it so lines do not scroll past too fast.

Network & Security

cpp

maxPlayers = 60;                     // Maximum player slots
verifySignatures = 2;                // PBO signature verification (only 2 is supported)
forceSameBuild = 1;                  // Require matching client/server exe version
enableWhitelist = 0;                 // Enable/disable whitelist
disableVoN = 0;                      // Disable voice over network
vonCodecQuality = 20;                // VoN audio quality (0-30)
guaranteedUpdates = 1;               // Network protocol (always use 1)
steamQueryPort = 2305;               // Steam query port for the server browser
disableBanlist = 0;                  // Ignore ban.txt when set to 1
BattlEye = 1;                        // Enable/disable BattlEye anti-cheat

Parameter	Type	Valid Values	Default	Notes
`maxPlayers`	int	1-60	60	Affects RAM usage. Each player adds ~50-100 MB.
`verifySignatures`	int	2	2	Only value 2 is supported. Verifies PBO files against `.bisign` keys.
`forceSameBuild`	int	0, 1	1	When 1, clients must match the server's exact executable version. Always keep at 1.
`enableWhitelist`	int	0, 1	0	When 1, only players whose 44-character player UID is listed in `whitelist.txt` can connect. See Access Control.
`disableVoN`	int	0, 1	0	Set to 1 to completely disable in-game voice chat.
`vonCodecQuality`	int	0-30	20	Higher values mean better voice quality but more bandwidth. 20 is a good balance.
`guaranteedUpdates`	int	1	1	Network protocol setting. Always use 1.
`steamQueryPort`	int	1-65535	derived from game port	The UDP port Steam uses to query the server for the browser. If you run several servers on one machine, give each a unique value so they all appear in the browser.
`disableBanlist`	int	0, 1	0	When 1, the server ignores `ban.txt`. Leave at 0 to enforce UID bans. See Access Control.
`BattlEye`	int	0, 1	1	Enables the BattlEye anti-cheat layer. Keep at 1 on public servers.

Gameplay Rules

cpp

disable3rdPerson = 0;                // Disable third-person camera
disableCrosshair = 0;                // Disable the crosshair
disablePersonalLight = 1;            // Disable the ambient player light
lightingConfig = 0;                  // Night brightness (0 = brighter, 1 = darker)
respawnTime = 5;                     // Seconds a dead player waits before respawn
disableBaseDamage = 0;               // Block damage to fences/watchtowers
disableContainerDamage = 0;          // Block damage to tents/barrels
enableCfgGameplayFile = 0;           // Load cfggameplay.json from the mission

Parameter	Type	Valid Values	Default	Notes
`disable3rdPerson`	int	0, 1	0	Set to 1 for first-person-only servers. This is the most common "hardcore" setting.
`disableCrosshair`	int	0, 1	0	Set to 1 to remove the crosshair. Often paired with `disable3rdPerson=1`.
`disablePersonalLight`	int	0, 1	1	The "personal light" is a subtle glow around the player at night. Most servers disable it (value 1) for realism.
`lightingConfig`	int	0, 1, 2	0	0 = brighter nights (moonlight visible). 1 = pitch-black nights (requires flashlight/NVG). 2 = Sakhal-specific lighting.
`respawnTime`	int	seconds	5	How long a dead player must wait before the respawn button becomes active.
`disableBaseDamage`	int	0, 1	0	When 1, player-built base structures (fences, watchtowers) cannot take damage.
`disableContainerDamage`	int	0, 1	0	When 1, deployable containers (tents, barrels, sea chests) cannot take damage.
`enableCfgGameplayFile`	int	0, 1	0	When 1, the server loads `cfggameplay.json` from the mission folder to override gameplay tuning (stamina, building, map, world).

Time & Weather

cpp

serverTime = "SystemTime";                 // Initial time
serverTimeAcceleration = 12;               // Time speed multiplier (0.1-64)
serverNightTimeAcceleration = 1;           // Night time speed multiplier (0.1-64)
serverTimePersistent = 0;                  // Save time between restarts

Parameter	Type	Valid Values	Default	Notes
`serverTime`	string	`"SystemTime"` or `"YYYY/MM/DD/HH/MM"`	`"SystemTime"`	`"SystemTime"` uses the machine's local clock. Set a fixed time like `"2024/9/15/12/0"` for a permanent daytime server.
`serverTimeAcceleration`	float	0.1-64	1	Multiplier for in-game time. At 12, a full 24-hour cycle takes 2 real hours. At 1, time is real-time. At 24, a full day passes in 1 hour. A value of `0` is accepted as a special case that freezes time -- combine it with a fixed `serverTime` for a permanent day (or night) server.
`serverNightTimeAcceleration`	float	0.1-64	1	Multiplied by `serverTimeAcceleration`. At value 4 with acceleration 12, night passes at 48x speed (very short nights).
`serverTimePersistent`	int	0, 1	0	When 1, the server saves its in-game clock to disk and resumes from it after restart. When 0, time resets to `serverTime` on every restart.

Common Time Configurations

Always daytime (frozen time):

cpp

serverTime = "2024/6/15/12/0";
serverTimeAcceleration = 0;        // 0 freezes the clock at the serverTime value
serverTimePersistent = 0;

Fast day/night cycle (2-hour days, short nights):

cpp

serverTime = "SystemTime";
serverTimeAcceleration = 12;
serverNightTimeAcceleration = 4;
serverTimePersistent = 1;

Real-time day/night:

cpp

serverTime = "SystemTime";
serverTimeAcceleration = 1;
serverNightTimeAcceleration = 1;
serverTimePersistent = 1;

cpp

loginQueueConcurrentPlayers = 5;     // Players processed at once during login
loginQueueMaxPlayers = 500;          // Max login queue size
multithreadedReplication = 1;        // Spread network replication across threads

Parameter	Type	Valid Values	Default	Notes
`loginQueueConcurrentPlayers`	int	1+	5	How many players can load in simultaneously. Lower values reduce server load spikes after a restart. Raise to 10-15 if your hardware is strong and players complain about queue times.
`loginQueueMaxPlayers`	int	1+	500	If this many players are already queuing, new connections are rejected. 500 is fine for most servers.
`multithreadedReplication`	int	0, 1	1	When 1, the server spreads network object replication across worker threads. Leave at 1 on modern multi-core hardware; combine with the `-cpuCount=` launch parameter.

Logging & Debug

cpp

timeStampFormat = "Short";           // Timestamp style in .RPT logs
logAverageFps = 1;                   // Write average FPS to the log
logMemory = 1;                       // Write memory usage to the log
logPlayers = 1;                      // Write connected-player count to the log
logFile = "server_console.log";      // Console log file name
adminLogPlayerHitsOnly = 0;          // Log only player-on-player hits
adminLogPlacement = 0;               // Log object placement
adminLogBuildActions = 0;            // Log base-building actions
adminLogPlayerList = 0;              // Periodically log the player list
enableDebugMonitor = 0;              // In-game debug overlay for players

Parameter	Type	Valid Values	Default	Notes
`timeStampFormat`	string	`"None"`, `"Short"`, `"Full"`	`"None"`	Prefix format for lines in the `.RPT` log. `"Short"` is the most readable for day-to-day work.
`logAverageFps`	int	0, 1	0	When 1, periodic average-FPS lines are written to the log. Useful for spotting performance dips.
`logMemory`	int	0, 1	0	When 1, periodic memory-usage lines are written to the log.
`logPlayers`	int	0, 1	0	When 1, the current connected-player count is written to the log periodically.
`logFile`	string	file name	`""`	Name of the console log file written to the profiles directory.
`adminLogPlayerHitsOnly`	int	0, 1	0	When 1, the admin log records only player-versus-player hits (not zombie/animal hits). Requires the `-adminlog` launch parameter.
`adminLogPlacement`	int	0, 1	0	When 1, object placement events are written to the admin log.
`adminLogBuildActions`	int	0, 1	0	When 1, base-building actions are written to the admin log.
`adminLogPlayerList`	int	0, 1	0	When 1, the full connected-player list is written to the admin log at intervals.
`enableDebugMonitor`	int	0, 1	0	When 1, players can open an in-game debug overlay (position, stats). Leave 0 on production servers.

The adminLog* parameters only take effect when the server is launched with -adminlog. See Launch Parameters.

Persistence & Instance

cpp

instanceId = 1;                      // Server instance identifier
storageAutoFix = 1;                  // Auto-repair corrupted persistence files
storeHouseStateDisabled = 0;         // Persist building states (0 = persist)
shardId = "123abc";                  // Six alphanumeric characters for private shards

Parameter	Type	Default	Notes
`instanceId`	int	1	Identifies the server instance. Persistence data is stored in `storage_<instanceId>/`. If you run multiple servers on the same machine, give each a different `instanceId`.
`storageAutoFix`	int	1	When 1, the server checks persistence files on startup and replaces corrupted ones with empty files. Always leave this at 1.
`storeHouseStateDisabled`	int	0	When 1, building interior states (opened doors, ruined walls) are not persisted between restarts. Leave 0 to persist them.
`shardId`	string	`""`	Used for private hive servers. Players on servers with the same `shardId` share character data. Leave empty for a public hive.

Mission Selection

cpp

class Missions
{
    class DayZ
    {
        template = "dayzOffline.chernarusplus";
    };
};

The template value must exactly match a folder name inside mpmissions/. Available vanilla missions:

Template	Map	DLC Required
`dayzOffline.chernarusplus`	Chernarus	No
`dayzOffline.enoch`	Livonia	Yes
`dayzOffline.sakhal`	Sakhal	Yes

Custom missions (e.g., from mods or community maps) use their own template name. The folder must exist in mpmissions/.

Complete Example File

This is a complete serverDZ.cfg covering the documented parameters:

cpp

hostname = "EXAMPLE NAME";              // Server name
password = "";                          // Password to connect to the server
passwordAdmin = "";                     // Password to become a server admin
description = "";                       // Server browser description

motd[] = { "Welcome to the server", "Have fun and be respectful" };
motdInterval = 5;                       // Seconds between MOTD lines

enableWhitelist = 0;                    // Enable/disable whitelist (value 0-1)
disableBanlist = 0;                     // Ignore ban.txt when set to 1
BattlEye = 1;                           // Enable/disable BattlEye (value 0-1)

maxPlayers = 60;                        // Maximum amount of players

verifySignatures = 2;                   // Verifies .pbos against .bisign files (only 2 is supported)
forceSameBuild = 1;                     // Require matching client/server version (value 0-1)

disableVoN = 0;                         // Enable/disable voice over network (value 0-1)
vonCodecQuality = 20;                   // Voice over network codec quality (values 0-30)

steamQueryPort = 2305;                  // Steam query port (unique per instance)

disable3rdPerson = 0;                   // Toggles the 3rd person view (value 0-1)
disableCrosshair = 0;                   // Toggles the cross-hair (value 0-1)

disablePersonalLight = 1;               // Disables personal light for all clients
lightingConfig = 0;                     // 0 for brighter, 1 for darker night

respawnTime = 5;                        // Seconds before a dead player can respawn
disableBaseDamage = 0;                  // Block damage to fences/watchtowers (value 0-1)
disableContainerDamage = 0;             // Block damage to tents/barrels (value 0-1)
enableCfgGameplayFile = 0;              // Load cfggameplay.json from the mission (value 0-1)

serverTime = "SystemTime";              // Initial in-game time ("SystemTime" or "YYYY/MM/DD/HH/MM")
serverTimeAcceleration = 12;            // Time speed multiplier (0.1-64; 0 freezes time)
serverNightTimeAcceleration = 1;        // Night time speed multiplier (0.1-64), also multiplied by serverTimeAcceleration
serverTimePersistent = 0;               // Save time between restarts (value 0-1)

guaranteedUpdates = 1;                  // Network protocol (always use 1)
multithreadedReplication = 1;           // Spread replication across threads (value 0-1)

loginQueueConcurrentPlayers = 5;        // Players processed simultaneously during login
loginQueueMaxPlayers = 500;             // Maximum login queue size

timeStampFormat = "Short";              // Log timestamp format ("None"/"Short"/"Full")
logAverageFps = 1;                      // Log average FPS
logMemory = 1;                          // Log memory usage
logPlayers = 1;                         // Log connected player count
logFile = "server_console.log";         // Console log file name

adminLogPlayerHitsOnly = 0;             // Log only PvP hits (requires -adminlog)
adminLogPlacement = 0;                  // Log object placement
adminLogBuildActions = 0;               // Log base-building actions
adminLogPlayerList = 0;                 // Periodically log the player list

enableDebugMonitor = 0;                 // In-game debug overlay (value 0-1)

instanceId = 1;                         // Server instance id (affects storage folder naming)
storageAutoFix = 1;                     // Auto-repair corrupted persistence (value 0-1)
storeHouseStateDisabled = 0;            // Persist building states (value 0-1)
shardId = "123abc";                     // Six alphanumeric characters for private shard

class Missions
{
    class DayZ
    {
        template = "dayzOffline.chernarusplus";
    };
};

Launch Parameters That Override Config

Some settings can be overridden via command-line parameters when launching DayZServer_x64.exe:

Parameter	Overrides	Example
`-config=`	Config file path	`-config=serverDZ.cfg`
`-port=`	Game port	`-port=2302`
`-profiles=`	Profiles output directory	`-profiles=profiles`
`-mod=`	Client-side mods (semicolon-separated)	`-mod=@CF;@VPPAdminTools`
`-servermod=`	Server-only mods	`-servermod=@MyServerMod`
`-BEpath=`	BattlEye path	`-BEpath=battleye`
`-dologs`	Enable logging	--
`-adminlog`	Enable admin logging (needed by `adminLog*`)	--
`-netlog`	Enable network logging	--
`-freezecheck`	Auto-restart on freeze	--
`-cpuCount=`	CPU cores to use	`-cpuCount=4`
`-noFilePatching`	Disable file patching	--

Full Launch Example

batch

start DayZServer_x64.exe ^
  -config=serverDZ.cfg ^
  -port=2302 ^
  -profiles=profiles ^
  -mod=@CF;@VPPAdminTools;@Lantern ^
  -servermod=@Lantern_AIServer ^
  -dologs -adminlog -netlog -freezecheck

Mods are loaded in the order specified in -mod=. Dependency order matters: if Mod B requires Mod A, list Mod A first. In this example the shared library @Lantern is listed before the content mods that depend on it.

serverDZ.cfg Complete Reference ​

Table of Contents ​

File Format ​

Server Identity ​

Network & Security ​

Gameplay Rules ​

Time & Weather ​

Common Time Configurations ​

Performance & Login Queue ​

Logging & Debug ​

Persistence & Instance ​

Mission Selection ​

Complete Example File ​

Launch Parameters That Override Config ​

Full Launch Example ​