There are two Terraria servers worth talking about: the official vanilla dedicated server from terraria.org, and tModLoader, the modding platform with its own server. People ask which to run as if it were a matter of taste, but in October 2026 the two are on different versions of the game, built on different runtimes, playable by different clients, and only one of them is in Re-Logic's crossplay plans. This is the comparison on the facts: what each is, who can join each, and how to decide.
Vanilla, in one paragraph
The official dedicated server is a free download from terraria.org, published as terraria-server-<version>.zip with Linux, macOS and Windows builds inside. It is on Terraria 1.4.5.8, the current PC release (23 August 2026). The Linux build bundles its own Mono runtime and needs only a 64-bit system with glibc. It is configured by serverconfig.txt, listens on TCP 7777, and any PC or mobile client on the same version can join it by IP and port. Setup is in the dedicated server guide.
tModLoader, in one paragraph
tModLoader is a separate, free PC product on Steam (app 1281930), and the standard way to run mods on Terraria. Its stable release is v2026.08.3.0, dated 1 October 2026, and it is built on Terraria 1.4.4 — the tModLoader team has said that moving to 1.4.5 "will take many months". It runs on .NET 8 (its launch utilities install a private runtime on first start), and its server is installed either from the GitHub release zip, with no login, or through SteamCMD with a real Steam account rather than an anonymous one. Mods on a server are declared in Mods/install.txt (Workshop ids, fetched with steamcmd +login anonymous +workshop_download_item 1281930 <id>, where anonymous is fine) and switched on in Mods/enabled.json; both files are exported from the game's Mod Pack menu.
The comparison
| Vanilla | tModLoader |
|---|
| Terraria version | 1.4.5.8 | 1.4.4 |
| Source | terraria.org zip | GitHub release zip or SteamCMD with a real login |
| Runtime | Bundled Mono; glibc only | .NET 8 |
| Config | serverconfig.txt | serverconfig.txt plus Mods/install.txt and Mods/enabled.json |
| World files | .wld | .wld plus a .twld beside it |
| Who can join | PC and mobile on 1.4.5.8 | PC players running tModLoader on the same tModLoader version |
| Console players today | No | No |
| Console players after Crossplay Phase One | Planned by Re-Logic for 1.4.6 (no date) | Nothing published suggests it |
| Mods | None | Steam Workshop |
Worlds do not cross over
Because the two are on different versions of Terraria, a world is one or the other. A vanilla 1.4.5 world does not load in tModLoader, which is still on 1.4.4. A tModLoader world carries a .twld with its mod data and was last saved by 1.4.4 code; it does not load on a vanilla 1.4.5 server. Switching server types means a new world, or waiting for tModLoader to reach 1.4.5 — and the team's own estimate for that is "many months". Moving a world covers what does transfer.
The crossplay question decides it for most groups
Re-Logic's crossplay plan rests on one condition, stated in its February 2026 State of the Game: "Assuming your PC, dedicated server and mobile are all on the same release version". Phase One, planned for 1.4.6 with no date, is console players typing an IP address and port into their client.
tModLoader is outside that condition twice over. It is a PC product that does not exist on consoles or mobile, and it is on 1.4.4 while every other client will be on 1.4.6. Nothing Re-Logic or the tModLoader team has published suggests a modded server will be joinable from a console. So:
- A group that is PC-only, wants mods, and does not care about consoles: tModLoader is the only option, and a good one.
- A group with any console players, now or when Phase One ships: vanilla is the only server they could ever join.
- A group with mobile players today: vanilla, on the same version.
That is also why a server advertised as "modded and crossplay-ready" should make you suspicious. Mods mean tModLoader; tModLoader means 1.4.4 and PC. The two halves of the claim cannot both be true today.
Two claims to ignore
"Vanilla needs a plugin for mobile players." It does not. Mobile clients on the same version join a vanilla server by IP and port with nothing added. The plugin servers that circulate are for admin features, not for mobile access.
"tModLoader works on 1.4.5." Not as of v2026.08.3.0; the team has said 1.4.5 will take many months. If a page claims otherwise, check its date.
Resource differences
The Pelican egg README recommends at least 768 MB for either server type. For tModLoader with a large mod pack no measured figure has been published; hosting vendors quote more, with no measurement behind the number, so treat any such figure as a sales tier rather than a specification. Vanilla's published figures — 500 MB for a small world from the Terraria wiki, 768 MB from the egg README — are covered in how much RAM a Terraria server needs.
What we run, and why
Connect's Terraria servers run the official vanilla server from terraria.org, and that is a deliberate choice rather than a gap. It is the server every PC and mobile client on the current version can join; it is the server Re-Logic's "same release version" condition points at; and it is the one that can update itself from terraria.org on every restart, so that the morning 1.4.6 ships, a restart puts the server on the same build as the players. We do not offer tModLoader on this server type today. If PC-only modded demand is what your group has, the tModLoader section above is accurate and the GitHub install is straightforward; if your group has, or might have, console players, vanilla is the only server that will ever let them in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is tModLoader on Terraria 1.4.5?
No. tModLoader v2026.08.3.0 (1 October 2026) is on Terraria 1.4.4, and the team has said moving to 1.4.5 "will take many months".
Can console players join a tModLoader server?
No, and nothing published suggests they will. tModLoader is a PC product; Re-Logic's crossplay plan assumes every client and the server are on the same release version of Terraria.
Can mobile players join a vanilla Terraria server?
Yes, on the same version, by IP and port. No plugin is needed.
Can I switch a server from vanilla to tModLoader and keep the world?
No. Vanilla is on 1.4.5 and tModLoader on 1.4.4; a world last saved by one does not load in the other.
Do I need a Steam login to run a tModLoader server?
Not if you install from the GitHub release zip. SteamCMD installs need a real Steam account, not an anonymous login. Downloading Workshop mods with SteamCMD does work anonymously.
Does Connect offer tModLoader?
Not on this server type today. Connect runs the official vanilla server, which updates itself from terraria.org on restart and is the server Re-Logic's crossplay plan is built around.