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How to Get Your Vintage Story Server on the Public Server List

Set AdvertiseServer to true in the active serverconfig.json, restart your Vintage Story server, and allow a few minutes for it to appear in Browse public servers. This guide covers the console command, troubleshooting, version 1.20 defaults, and whitelist security.
Length8 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Set "AdvertiseServer": true in your server’s serverconfig.json, save the file, and relaunch the server. In Vintage Story 1.20 and later, advertising is disabled by default, so a new server will not appear under Browse public servers until you enable it. You can also run /serverconfig advertise on from the server console, then restart. Allow a few minutes after the restart for the listing to appear.

What controls whether your server is listed?

The public-list switch is the AdvertiseServer setting in serverconfig.json. It is not a setting named Public. When the value is true, Vintage Story publishes the server to the list players see when they choose Browse public servers. When the value is false, the server is not advertised there.

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Starting with version 1.20, the default is off. That default makes a newly created server private from the list until its administrator deliberately enables advertising. If your installation was created on an earlier release and later updated, inspect the actual configuration file instead of relying on what a fresh 1.20 installation would do.

Enable the listing in serverconfig.json

1. Stop or prepare the server for a configuration change

Use your host’s stop control or the normal server shutdown process before editing the file. Editing while the server is running can leave you unsure which value was loaded. The important point is that the server must be relaunched after the change; server-configuration edits do not take effect during the current session.

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2. Open the correct configuration file

Open the serverconfig.json belonging to the world or server instance you want to advertise. If you operate more than one Vintage Story server, confirm the instance and world before saving: changing a different copy will not affect the server you are testing.

3. Set AdvertiseServer to true

Find the existing AdvertiseServer entry and change its Boolean value to true (without quotation marks around the value):

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"AdvertiseServer": true

If the entry is already present with false, replace only that value. Keep the surrounding JSON punctuation and quotation marks intact. A valid JSON file is required for the server to read the setting normally, so do not add comments or remove commas from neighboring entries.

4. Save, relaunch, and wait for propagation

Save the file, start the server again, and leave it running. The official configuration behavior requires a relaunch before the new value is applied. A listing may take a few minutes to show after the restart, so check again rather than assuming an immediate failure.

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Enable advertising from the server console

A third-party Vintage Story administration guide documents this console equivalent:

/serverconfig advertise on

Run it through the server console, then restart the server. The command changes the same advertising setting; it does not remove the restart requirement. If you prefer direct file editing, use the JSON method above and verify that the resulting value is true.

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Confirm that the server is really public

Use this sequence to separate a configuration problem from normal listing delay:

  1. Stop the server cleanly.
  2. Open the active serverconfig.json and confirm the exact entry is "AdvertiseServer": true.
  3. Save the file without changing unrelated settings.
  4. Relaunch the same server instance.
  5. Wait several minutes.
  6. From a Vintage Story client, open the multiplayer browser and choose Browse public servers.
  7. Search for the server using the name shown by your installation and check again after another short interval if it is not immediately visible.

Testing from a client that is not already using a saved direct connection helps confirm that the entry is available through the public browser rather than merely reachable by a known address.

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Why a server can still be absent from Browse public servers

The value is false or the wrong key was edited

The key must be AdvertiseServer, with the Boolean value true. A key named Public, a text value such as "true", or a change in an unused configuration copy will not enable the intended switch. Re-open the file after saving and check the exact spelling and value.

The server was not relaunched

Serverconfig changes are read when the server starts. If you changed the file while the process remained online, stop and start the server before testing again. Closing and reopening the client alone does not reload the server’s configuration.

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The listing has not propagated yet

Allow a few minutes after a successful restart. The public browser is not guaranteed to update at the same instant that the server process comes online. Recheck after the waiting period before making additional edits.

You edited a different instance

Multiple worlds, test servers, or host panels can each have their own serverconfig.json. Confirm the file path or instance selected by the launch control, then repeat the edit on the configuration actually used by the running server.

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The JSON was damaged while editing

If the server fails to start or behaves as though the change was ignored, inspect the file for an accidental missing comma, unmatched brace, or quoted Boolean. Restore valid JSON, leave the setting as "AdvertiseServer": true, and relaunch. Keep a backup of the original file before making further edits so you can recover the previous configuration.

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Public listing is not the same as an open server

Advertising controls visibility in the public browser; it does not decide who is allowed to join. A listed server can still require access controls. Conversely, hiding a server from the list is a privacy measure, not a security measure: anyone who learns the connection details may still attempt to connect unless you enforce an access rule.

Keep the whitelist enabled for a closed community

The official guidance describes the whitelist as significantly more secure than relying on a password and warns that disabling it is risky. If you want friends to discover the server in the list but do not want unknown players entering, leave the whitelist protection enabled and add the intended player accounts. Check the effective whitelist setting in your own configuration rather than assuming a universal default; published references disagree about the default mode for dedicated servers.

Use a password when appropriate

A password can add a gate to a listed server, but it is not presented by the official guidance as a replacement for the whitelist’s stronger restriction. Share credentials only with the people you intend to admit, and change them if they spread beyond that group. A password does not make an advertised server invisible.

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Choose hidden mode for privacy

To remove the server from the public browser, set the same key to false and relaunch:

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"AdvertiseServer": false

The official wiki also documents the reverse console command:

/serverconfig advertise false

Use hidden mode when you do not want casual discovery, but retain a whitelist or another access control when the goal is to prevent unauthorized joins.

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Recommended configurations by goal

Goal AdvertiseServer Access approach What players should expect
Open community server true Choose access rules deliberately; do not assume listing alone provides protection. The server can appear in Browse public servers after restart and propagation.
Discoverable but limited to invited players true Keep the whitelist enabled and add approved accounts; a password can provide an additional gate. Players can find the entry, but joining remains restricted.
Private server shared by direct details false Use a whitelist or password as appropriate. The server is not advertised in the public browser; invited players connect through the details you provide.

A practical troubleshooting decision tree

If the server never appears

  • Check that the active file contains "AdvertiseServer": true.
  • Confirm that the server was stopped and relaunched after the edit.
  • Wait several minutes and refresh the public-server browser.
  • Verify that you edited the configuration for the running world or instance.
  • Validate the JSON structure if the server reported a startup or configuration error.

If the server appeared and then disappeared

  • Confirm that the server is still running; an advertised entry cannot be useful while the process is offline.
  • Re-open serverconfig.json after any host-panel changes and make sure the value has not returned to false.
  • Check whether you changed a template or generated configuration instead of the file loaded at launch.
  • Restart once more after correcting the value, then allow the listing time to update.

If you can find the entry but cannot join

  • Visibility is working, so focus on access controls rather than AdvertiseServer.
  • Check whether the whitelist excludes your account.
  • Confirm that you have the required password if one is configured.
  • Ask the administrator to review the server’s own access settings; advertising does not override them.

Version and configuration cautions

The 1.20 default, the console command names, and whitelist behavior are version-sensitive. The setting documented here is the current behavior captured for Vintage Story 1.20-era servers, but a future release can change defaults or command syntax. After upgrading, inspect the generated configuration and verify the result in the client browser instead of assuming an older setup carried forward unchanged.

Do not infer a whitelist default from another administrator’s file. References disagree about whether dedicated servers start with the whitelist enabled or use a default mode. Treat the value in your own serverconfig.json as authoritative and test with an account that should be allowed and one that should not.

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Safe change checklist

  • Back up serverconfig.json before editing.
  • Change only AdvertiseServer unless you have another reason to alter configuration.
  • Use the Boolean true, not the quoted string "true".
  • Save valid JSON and confirm the file belongs to the intended server instance.
  • Relaunch the server after the change.
  • Wait a few minutes before judging the listing status.
  • Keep the whitelist enabled, or set a password, if a listed server should remain restricted.
  • Remember that turning advertising off hides the listing but is not an access-control substitute.

Quick reference

Task File setting or command Required follow-up
Show the server in the public browser "AdvertiseServer": true or /serverconfig advertise on Relaunch the server and allow a few minutes for the entry to appear.
Hide the server from the public browser "AdvertiseServer": false or /serverconfig advertise false Relaunch the server.
Protect a listed server Keep the whitelist enabled; consider a password as an additional gate. Verify the effective access settings in your own configuration.

The shortest reliable procedure

For most administrators, the complete fix is four actions: open the active serverconfig.json, set "AdvertiseServer": true, save and relaunch the server, then wait a few minutes and look under Browse public servers. If the entry is still missing, work through the wrong-file, restart, propagation, and JSON checks above before changing unrelated settings. If the server should be discoverable but private, leave advertising on and enforce the whitelist rather than treating an unlisted server as secure.

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