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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsTerraria’s vanilla dedicated-server documentation does not document a native IP-whitelist setting. To allow only approved IP addresses, run the world with TShock, set EnableWhitelist to true in TShock’s config.json, and then add addresses to whitelist.txt or manage them with /whitelist.
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The setting is disabled by default. Stop the server before editing its files, restart it after saving, and give administrators the tshock.cfg.whitelist permission if they need to change entries in game or from the console.
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What Terraria’s whitelist actually requires
A whitelist is an allow-list: only clients whose IP addresses appear in the server’s approved list can connect. In the documented Terraria server controls, the vanilla server provides passwords, bans, banlist configuration, and Steam lobby privacy options, but no named whitelist switch. TShock supplies the documented IP-filtering implementation.
This distinction matters when you are following a guide written for a different server package. An EnableWhitelist line belongs to TShock’s configuration, not to the standard vanilla serverconfig.txt file. Adding it to a vanilla configuration will not create a whitelist.
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Before changing the server
Install TShock for the world you want to protect
Use the TShock server package to host the world. The package must be the process that is actually running your Terraria world; editing TShock files while a separate vanilla server is running will not affect that process.
Keep the world and TShock data together in the server installation you normally use. If you operate several worlds or server instances, identify the instance that players join before editing anything. Each instance can have its own configuration and whitelist data.
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Make a copy of TShock’s config.json before editing it. Also preserve the existing whitelist.txt if it already contains approved addresses. A backup gives you a way to restore the previous access policy if a syntax error or accidental deletion prevents expected players from joining.
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Stop the running server
Shut down the server cleanly before opening configuration files. Do not edit config.json while the server is still running: the process may rewrite its settings during shutdown and overwrite your changes. Wait until the console has stopped accepting commands and the server process has exited.
Enable the TShock whitelist
- Open the TShock server data directory for the instance hosting your world.
- Open
config.jsonin a plain-text editor. Keep the file’s JSON punctuation and existing structure intact. - Find the Boolean property named
EnableWhitelistand change its value totrue, so the entry reads"EnableWhitelist": true. - Save the file, then start the TShock server again.
- After startup, add the IP addresses that should be allowed. You can edit TShock’s
whitelist.txtor use the registered/whitelistcommand from the server console or in game. - Connect with an approved address and separately attempt a connection from an address that is not listed. This verifies both the allow path and the rejection path instead of assuming that a successful server restart enabled filtering.
TShock describes this Boolean as enabling or disabling a whitelist based on IP addresses in whitelist.txt. Its documented default is false, so a newly created configuration does not restrict connections until you turn the option on.
Add approved IP addresses
Using whitelist.txt
TShock reads the approved IP list from a file named whitelist.txt. Open that file in the same TShock server data area used by the running instance and add the addresses that should be permitted. Preserve any existing entries unless you intentionally want to remove those players.
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Use one address per entry and avoid adding explanatory text to the file. If you are unsure which file belongs to the active server, stop the server and check the TShock data directory associated with the process you launch; do not create a second file in an unrelated Terraria folder and expect it to be read.
Using /whitelist
TShock registers /whitelist as the command for managing the server whitelist. Run it in the server console or through an authenticated in-game administrator account. Use the command’s help output in your installed TShock version to see the available entry-management syntax rather than guessing a subcommand.
Command changes should be made against the live instance that players use. If you edit a file for one server copy while issuing commands to another, the two lists can appear inconsistent even though each server is behaving normally.
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Give administrators the required permission
An administrator account needs the tshock.cfg.whitelist permission to modify the whitelist. Without that permission, an account may be able to perform other administrative tasks but still be refused when it tries to change whitelist entries. Grant the permission through your existing TShock permission-management process, then reconnect or re-authenticate if your setup requires it before retrying /whitelist.
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Test an allowed address
- Confirm that the test client’s IP address is present in TShock’s whitelist data.
- Start the server with
EnableWhitelistset totrue. - Connect from that address using the same join method your players use.
- Record whether the connection reaches the world. If it fails, check that you edited the active instance’s files and that the address was entered exactly as the server observes it.
Test an unlisted address
- Use a connection whose IP address is not in
whitelist.txt. A deliberately unlisted connection is necessary; testing twice from the same network does not prove that filtering is active. - Attempt to join while the whitelist remains enabled.
- Confirm that the server rejects the connection. TShock’s documented default rejection text is
You are not on the whitelist.; the wording can be changed in TShock configuration.
Do not treat a server restart alone as proof. The meaningful result is an allowed address connecting and a separate, unlisted address being refused.
Troubleshoot “You are not on the whitelist.”
The intended player is rejected
- Check the address in the active list. Confirm that the player’s current IP appears in the
whitelist.txtused by the TShock instance that is running the world. - Check for an address change. An IP-based policy identifies the address presented by the connection. If that address changes, the old entry does not automatically become a match; update the list through the file or
/whitelist. - Check which server the player reached. If multiple Terraria servers or worlds are running, the player may be connecting to a different process with a different TShock data directory.
- Check the restart. If you changed
config.jsonwhile the server was running, stop it, confirm the saved Boolean istrue, and start it again. - Check the entry format. Remove accidental spaces, comments, or other text that make the line differ from the address TShock expects.
The /whitelist command is denied
Verify that the account issuing the command has tshock.cfg.whitelist. That permission specifically authorizes whitelist modification; having a general administrator role does not by itself demonstrate that this node is present. After granting it, authenticate again and retry the command on the correct server instance.
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The server starts but filtering does not occur
- Confirm that the setting is in TShock’s
config.json, not vanillaserverconfig.txt. - Confirm that the value is the JSON Boolean
true, not a quoted word such as"true". - Confirm that TShock, rather than the vanilla Terraria executable, is hosting the world.
- Confirm that the list file is named exactly
whitelist.txtand belongs to this server instance.
The rejection wording is different
TShock treats the rejection reason as configurable text. The documented default is You are not on the whitelist., so a customized message does not by itself indicate a failure. Focus on whether the correct address is allowed or denied and inspect the active TShock configuration if you need to restore the default wording.
Vanilla Terraria and TShock compared
| Capability | Vanilla dedicated server | TShock |
|---|---|---|
| Named whitelist setting | Not documented in the vanilla dedicated-server controls. | EnableWhitelist in config.json. |
| Filtering basis | No documented native IP-whitelist mechanism. | IP addresses listed in whitelist.txt. |
| Configuration storage | Vanilla documentation covers server configuration files, passwords, bans, banlists, and lobby options. | TShock configuration plus its whitelist.txt data file. |
| Managing entries | No documented vanilla whitelist command. | The registered /whitelist command or direct file editing. |
| Permission model | No documented vanilla whitelist permission. | tshock.cfg.whitelist authorizes modifications. |
| Connection controls documented for the package | -banlist, -pass/-password, and Steam lobby choices such as -lobby friends or -lobby private. |
Those server controls may still be relevant, with TShock adding the IP whitelist layer. |
A password and a whitelist solve different problems. A password asks connecting players to know a secret; a whitelist checks whether the connection’s IP is listed. A banlist identifies addresses to deny, while a whitelist identifies addresses to allow. Steam lobby privacy changes who can discover or join through the specified lobby mode, but it is not the same as TShock’s IP filter.
Operational guidance for a reliable whitelist
Keep the list maintainable
Record which household, player, or administrator each approved address represents in a separate administrative note rather than inserting comments into whitelist.txt. When access should end, remove the corresponding entry through your normal change process and keep a dated backup before making large edits.
Plan for address changes
Because the documented mechanism matches IP addresses, a player whose observed address changes can lose access until the new address is added. Tell players how to contact an administrator when that happens, and make changes with /whitelist or the file used by the active TShock instance.
Use a safe change sequence
- Note the current configuration and whitelist state.
- Stop the server before editing files.
- Back up
config.jsonandwhitelist.txt. - Make one focused change.
- Start TShock and watch for configuration errors.
- Run an allowed-address test and an unlisted-address test.
This sequence makes it possible to identify whether a failure came from the Boolean setting, the list contents, the server instance, or the test connection.
How to disable or roll back the whitelist
To stop IP filtering without deleting the approved list, stop the TShock server, change EnableWhitelist to false in config.json, save the file, and restart the server. Keeping whitelist.txt lets you re-enable the policy later without rebuilding the list. If an edit caused a problem, restore the backed-up configuration while the server is stopped, then restart and repeat the two connection tests.
Quick Recap
Quick checklist
- TShock is hosting the intended world.
- The server is stopped before file edits.
config.jsoncontains"EnableWhitelist": true.- Approved IP addresses are in the active
whitelist.txtor were added with/whitelist. - Administrators who manage entries have
tshock.cfg.whitelist. - An approved address connects successfully.
- A deliberately unlisted address is rejected.
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