DayZ serverDZ.cfg Settings: Players, Time, Logs and Whitelist

Back up and edit safely

Stop gracefully, copy the configuration and profiles directory, then use a plain-text editor. End statements with semicolons and keep quotation marks around strings. Restart and inspect the RPT after each group of edits; otherwise a syntax error becomes difficult to isolate.

Never publish passwordAdmin or an RCON password in a repository. Use different secrets for players, in-game administration and RCON.

Identity, players and access control

Core fields include hostname, description, password, passwordAdmin and maxPlayers. enableWhitelist=1 enables the whitelist, after which its allowed-player list must be maintained. verifySignatures=2 is the supported PBO signature-checking value, and forceSameBuild=1 rejects clients with a different executable revision.

Voice and presentation options include disableVoN, vonCodecQuality, disable3rdPerson and disableCrosshair. Set them to match the server's stated rules, not just because an example contains them.

Time, persistence and mission

serverTime="SystemTime" uses system time; a documented date string fixes a starting date. serverTimeAcceleration speeds daytime, while serverNightTimeAcceleration multiplies the night cycle further. Test them together, because extreme combinations make nights almost instantaneous. serverTimePersistent=1 resumes stored time after restart.

Inside class Missions, template selects the mission and terrain, such as dayzOffline.chernarusplus. Do not change it without installing the target mission and backing up current persistence.

Logs, discovery and validation

Add -dologs -adminlog -netlog to the launch command for useful records. logFile writes the console, while adminLog... settings choose actions to record. Periodic memory, player and FPS settings require the corresponding log option.

steamQueryPort—2305 in the current example—supports discovery. It should be unique, allowed over UDP and coordinated with other instances. After an edit, test startup, mission, normal join, whitelist, admin access, time cycle, log writes, restart and persistence.

Use the DayZ installation guide for launch and ports. DayZ hosting plans differ in configuration and log access.

Quick questions

Does the file have to be named serverDZ.cfg? No. The -config= launch argument selects it; the conventional name simply makes administration easier.

Why did a valid edit appear to do nothing? Confirm the process reads the file you edited, then look for a later setting or panel-generated file overriding it.

Should configuration be edited while players are online? No. Stop gracefully, back up, edit, restart and verify the RPT so persistence and configuration remain in a known state.