Guides, tutorials, and tips for Project Zomboid server hosting.
The cheapest Project Zomboid plans on the market were sized for Build 41. Three hosts compared on price per GB — including why our own entry plan is the most expensive here.
The admin command list as it actually stands on Build 42.20 — becoming admin, the seven access levels, the console-vs-chat slash rule, daily-use commands by job, and the B42 changes (capabilities, new item IDs) older lists miss.
Not a recycled B41 list: every mod here was checked against the live Steam Workshop for the Build 42 tag — with the Workshop ID and Mod ID for each, a ready-to-paste starter config, and the two traps subscriber counts hide.
The server runs fine, but every player gets rejected — because a Workshop mod updated and the server hasn't caught up. Why B42 servers drift out of date, the clean-restart fix, and how to move the breakage to 4am.
Electricity, CGNAT, both UDP ports, and who owns the 2am restart — the real costs on each side, and a decision table that tells some readers to self-host.
The practical walkthrough of the ~20 keys admins actually change — identity, PvP, PauseEmpty, backups, mods — plus the SandboxVars world rules, the stop-edit-start rule, and which choices are world-permanent.
On a Build 42 server the Mods= line is the load order, dependencies go before the mods that need them, and the "required mod not found" warning names the wrong mod. How to read a mod's real dependencies and fix the order.
Lag" in Project Zomboid is three different problems, and each has its own fix. Tell your PC from the server from one player's connection, check whether your build already fixed it, then use the settings that actually matter.
Your B41 world can't come to Build 42 — but your settings mostly can, and your group definitely can. The honest carry-over table, the fresh-start path, the legacy-branch option, and the backup to take first.
Build 42 moved the floor: ~6GB before a single mod loads. The sizing table by group size and mod count, the JVM -Xmx 75% rule, and how to recognise GC stutter before you buy the wrong upgrade.
The most common Build 42 server problem: mods that won't load. B41-only mods, semicolon syntax, Workshop download stalls, load order and client mismatches — diagnosed in order of likelihood, with a working end-to-end example.
The complete, current guide to running a B42 dedicated server — SteamCMD install, servername and cachedir explained, first boot, servertest.ini, both UDP ports, admin and whitelist, and the habits that keep it alive.