SparkBox / Guides / Terraria server setup

Host your own Terraria server (one click, no command line)

· Updated 18 September 2026 · SparkBox team

A shared Terraria world is the best version of Terraria — but only if the world is always there. A dedicated server on your own hardware keeps it up around the clock: friends dig, build and boss-fight on their own schedule, and the world file lives on your box, not on a rental server that vanishes when you stop paying. It's also the lightest game server this box runs — well under a gigabyte — so it fits happily next to everything else. One click; here's the rest.

In this guide:
  1. What you're actually installing
  2. Install it (one click)
  3. Joining your server
  4. Letting friends in from outside
  5. Worlds and the password
  6. When something goes wrong

1. What you're actually installing

The official Terraria dedicated server (vanilla — the standard game, no mods required on anyone's side). No web page, nothing to log into: it runs quietly on your box and everyone joins from inside Terraria.

SparkBox Apps page — one-click install cards for every module
SparkBox Apps page — one-click install cards for every module

The installer generates a join password automatically and keeps it in Settings → Service Passwords — that's what keeps strangers out of your world.

2. Install it (one click)

  1. Open your dashboard and go to Apps.
  2. Find Terraria Server and click Install.
  3. The first start generates a medium world named sparkbox by itself — give it a few minutes.

3. Joining your server

  1. Open Terraria, pick your character.
  2. Choose Multiplayer → Join via IP.
  3. Enter your box's address (at home, something like 192.168.1.50), then port 7777 when it asks.
  4. Type the password from Settings → Service Passwords.

4. Letting friends in from outside

  • On a NAS or home PC: forward TCP port 7777 on your router to your SparkBox's local address. Note it's TCP — the opposite of Factorio and Valheim, which are UDP. Every router words this differently (“Port Forwarding”, “Virtual Server”, “NAT”).
  • On a VPS: nothing to do — SparkBox opens its own firewall, and friends connect to the server's public address.
A note on the VPN. SparkBox's Media apps deliberately route through your VPN; your game server deliberately does not — players need a stable address. This is by design.

5. Worlds and the password

  • The world file lives on the box in /opt/sparkbox/modules/terraria/worlds (open it from a terminal on the box — the File Browser app only shows your data folder) — included in the dashboard backups automatically.
  • Bring an existing world: drop its .wld file into that folder, rename it sparkbox.wld (or restart after adjusting), and restart the app.
  • Fresh start: delete sparkbox.wld and restart — a new world generates.

6. When something goes wrong

“My friend can't connect.” In order of likelihood: the router forward is UDP instead of TCP; their Terraria version doesn't match the server's; or the password — it's case-sensitive.

SparkBox dashboard login screen
SparkBox dashboard login screen

“Lost connection” right after joining. Usually a version mismatch — make sure everyone's game is up to date on Steam.

“The world reset!” It didn't — a renamed or moved world file makes the server generate a fresh one. Check /opt/sparkbox/modules/terraria/worlds on the box; your old .wld will still be there.

Legend supporters can also ask Tom AI in the dashboard — it reads the server's actual logs and explains errors in plain English.

Questions, or did this not match your box?

Every guide here came from a real problem someone hit. If yours behaves differently, say so — that is how these get corrected, and how the fix gets prioritised.

Ask in the community →

We answer there rather than in a comment box, because that is where the people who have already solved it are.

About this guide: Written against a live SparkBox install. If something here doesn't match what you see, tell us in d/sparkbox.