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You can host a 7 Days to Die dedicated server behind CGNAT or a router that will not accept port-forwarding rules by running the server locally and exposing its game port through a Playit tunnel. Install the dedicated server on Windows or Linux, keep it bound to 127.0.0.1, create a Playit tunnel for UDP port 26900, and give your friends the hostname or IP address and port Playit assigns. Players join through Join a Game → Connect To IP…; they do not use your private LAN address.
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What you need before you start
The no-port-forwarding method has three working parts: a dedicated-server process, a tunnel agent, and a reachable endpoint for your friends. Port forwarding is not required because the tunnel agent makes the outbound connection from your machine and Playit supplies the public endpoint. Your router still needs to allow the computer to make outbound connections, and the local firewall must allow the server process to receive traffic on its own machine.
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- A stable local network connection and enough upload capacity for the players you intend to host. The available sources do not establish a player-count, bandwidth, RAM, latency, or uptime benchmark, so size the machine and connection conservatively and test with your actual group.
- A Playit account and the Playit agent running on the same computer as the dedicated server, or a machine that can reach the server locally.
- A game installation on each player’s computer that is compatible with the dedicated server’s version.
- Administrative access to the server files so you can edit
serverconfig.xml, apply updates, and back up saves.
This setup is useful when your internet provider uses carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT), when you share an apartment or campus network, or when the router is managed by someone else. It does not make a powered-off computer host a world: the dedicated server and tunnel agent must both remain running.
How the connection path works
A normal self-hosted server is often reached through a router rule that forwards an internet port to a private address. In this design, the server stays local and listens on UDP 26900. Playit’s 7 Days tunnel points at local IP 127.0.0.1 and local port 26900. Playit then gives you a hostname or IP address plus a port. Your friends enter that public endpoint in the game’s direct-connect screen, while the agent carries the traffic to the local server.
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Playit’s Windows documentation identifies the 7 Days tunnel as using UDP ports 26900–26903; the practical local target for the dedicated server is 127.0.0.1:26900. The extra ports are part of the tunnel type’s documented range, not a reason to create router forwarding rules for each port.
Keep the distinction between addresses clear:
- Local target:
127.0.0.1:26900, used in the Playit tunnel configuration. - Private LAN address: an address such as
192.168.x.xor10.x.x.x; it works only for devices on the same local network and is not the address to give remote friends. - Playit endpoint: the hostname or IP and port shown by Playit; this is what remote players enter in Connect To IP….
Choose where the dedicated server will run
| Deployment | What it means | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming PC | The server and your game run on the same computer. | Lowest additional cost when the computer already exists, but it must stay powered on and share its upload connection with your play session. |
| Second LAN machine | A separate computer on your home network runs the dedicated server and Playit agent. | Separates hosting work from your gaming session, while still requiring the machine to remain powered on. |
| Rented machine or managed game-server host | The server runs away from your home network. | Removes home-network and local-uptime duties, but adds a recurring charge and leaves you dependent on the provider’s controls and location. |
The dedicated server is a standalone process: the world can continue to exist when the person who created it is not playing. That persistence is the main reason to use a dedicated server rather than a session hosted from the game client. Compare options by monthly cost, expected uptime, geographic location, backup controls, mod support, player capacity, and how much administration you want to perform. The cited setup material does not provide defensible numbers for any of those performance measures, so do not treat an advertised player count or latency estimate as a universal result.
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Install the Dedicated Server
- Install 7 Days to Die Dedicated Server through Steam on the computer that will host the world.
- Open the installed server directory. Locate
startdedicated.bat. - Run
startdedicated.bat. The first launch creates or exposes the server files and starts the dedicated process according to its configuration. - Allow the process through the Windows firewall when Windows asks. A blocked local firewall rule can prevent the tunnel from reaching a server that is otherwise running.
Let the server finish starting before you create the tunnel. The important check is that the process is listening locally on UDP 26900. If the server window exits, reports a configuration error, or never begins listening, fix that problem first; a tunnel cannot repair a stopped or misconfigured server.
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Configure the world
Use the server’s serverconfig.xml for world, gameplay, and administrative settings. Change one group of settings at a time, stop the server cleanly, and keep a copy of the file before major edits. Back up the save directory before changing settings or installing mods. A backup gives you a recovery point if a configuration change or mod prevents the world from loading.
Install and start the server on Linux
Install SteamCMD and app 294420
Playit’s Linux instructions use SteamCMD to install the dedicated server. The Steam application ID is 294420. Download or update that app with SteamCMD, then keep the resulting server directory available to the account that will run the process.
If SteamCMD reports a missing configuration or refuses to install the Linux files, Playit documents adding +@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType linux to the SteamCMD command. This forces SteamCMD to select the Linux platform rather than trying to use another platform’s depot.
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Start the process
- Change to the dedicated-server directory.
- Run
./startserver.sh -configfile=serverconfig.xml. - Watch the terminal until the server has completed startup and is listening locally on UDP
26900. - Permit the process in the Linux host firewall if a local firewall is enabled. The exact command depends on the firewall software already installed on the distribution; the no-port-forwarding approach does not remove this local rule.
Keep the terminal session, service, or process supervisor that owns the server alive. If the shell closes and terminates the process, the Playit endpoint may still appear online while no game server is available behind it.
Create the Playit 7 Days tunnel
Perform these steps after the dedicated server is listening. The labels below follow the 7 Days tunnel workflow documented for Windows and Linux.
- Install and start the Playit agent on the host machine. Sign in or link the agent to your Playit account as prompted.
- Open the tunnel creation screen and choose the tunnel type 7 Days.
- Set the local IP to
127.0.0.1. - Set the local port to
26900. Use UDP; Playit’s guide describes the 7 Days service as UDP26900–26903. - Save or create the tunnel, then wait for Playit to show the assigned hostname or IP address and port.
- Leave the agent running. Closing it, signing out the agent, or stopping the host computer removes the path to the local server.
Do not substitute the server’s private LAN address in the tunnel unless you deliberately run the agent on another machine. With the agent on the same host, 127.0.0.1 is the least ambiguous target and avoids depending on a DHCP-assigned LAN address.
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Give friends the correct address
- Start the dedicated server and wait for it to finish loading.
- Confirm the Playit agent is online and display the current tunnel endpoint.
- In the game, open Join a Game → Connect To IP….
- Enter the Playit hostname or IP address and the port exactly as Playit displays them.
- Send that same endpoint to your friends. They should not enter the server’s private LAN address and should not reuse an endpoint copied from an older tunnel.
If you recreate a tunnel, Playit can assign a different endpoint. Treat the current value in the agent or dashboard as authoritative and update the message you give players.
Keep the server manageable after it works
Use a repeatable startup order
- Power on the host and verify its network connection.
- Start the dedicated-server process.
- Wait for it to listen on UDP
26900. - Start or verify the Playit agent and its 7 Days tunnel.
- Test the endpoint from a player account before announcing that the server is available.
Stopping in the reverse order is safer: stop accepting new players, shut down the dedicated server cleanly, then stop the tunnel agent. A clean server shutdown reduces the chance of a damaged save compared with killing the process while it is writing world data.
Back up before edits and mods
- Copy the world save before changing
serverconfig.xml. - Keep a dated copy of the configuration that was known to start successfully.
- Back up again before adding or updating mods.
- When troubleshooting, restore the last known-good configuration before changing several variables at once.
The available setup guidance does not establish which mods are compatible with a particular game build. Confirm that every player has the versions required by the server’s current configuration, and treat a version change as a separate troubleshooting event.
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Troubleshoot in the order the connection is built
The server is not reachable even on the host
- Check that
startdedicated.baton Windows or./startserver.sh -configfile=serverconfig.xmlon Linux is still running. - Confirm that the process is listening locally on UDP
26900. - Read the server console for a startup or configuration error and correct that before testing Playit.
- Verify that the local firewall allows the dedicated-server process and its UDP traffic.
The server works locally but friends cannot connect
- Open the Playit tunnel settings and confirm the type is 7 Days.
- Confirm the local target is exactly
127.0.0.1:26900and that the tunnel is configured for UDP. - Check that the Playit agent is online rather than merely installed.
- Send players the current Playit hostname or IP and port, not a private address such as
192.168.x.xand not an old endpoint. - Ask one player to retry after the server has fully loaded; attempting to connect while the world is still starting can look like a tunnel failure.
Linux installed the wrong files or reports missing configuration
Repeat the SteamCMD installation for app 294420 and include +@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType linux in the command documented by Playit. After the files are corrected, start the server with ./startserver.sh -configfile=serverconfig.xml and verify the local UDP listener again.
Players receive a version or mod error
Treat this separately from networking. A working tunnel only carries traffic; it does not align game builds or install mods for players. Check that the dedicated server and each client are on compatible versions and that required mods match. If the problem began after an update, restore the last known-good server files and configuration, then update components deliberately.
The endpoint works intermittently
- Watch the Playit agent for disconnects or a stopped tunnel.
- Make sure the host computer is not sleeping, rebooting, or losing its network connection.
- Check that the dedicated-server process has not crashed after a save, configuration change, or mod update.
- Test again with the endpoint currently shown by Playit; do not rely on a previously copied address.
When a different hosting choice is better
Use the home gaming PC when cost matters most
If the computer is already available, running the server there avoids a separate hosting bill. The cost is operational: the machine must stay powered on, your home upload connection serves every player, and game updates or reboots interrupt availability. This is a sensible choice for a small group that plays at predictable times and accepts manual administration.
Use a second LAN machine when you want to keep playing independently
A spare desktop or other LAN computer lets the dedicated process continue while your gaming PC restarts or runs a demanding game. The Playit agent can run on that same server machine and target its own 127.0.0.1:26900. You still need to maintain the operating system, game files, firewall, backups, and power schedule.
Rent the machine when home uptime is the problem
A rented machine or managed game-server host can remove the home router, power, and upload constraints. Evaluate the provider’s location, backup controls, mod support, administrative access, player-capacity policy, and recurring price before moving a world. The available evidence does not establish a universal provider, plan, price, or performance level, so choose from current terms rather than assuming that every host offers the same controls.
What this method does not solve
- It does not keep a server online when the host computer is powered off or the dedicated process is stopped.
- It does not bypass a local firewall rule that blocks the server.
- It does not fix a failed SteamCMD installation, a missing Linux configuration, or a crashed server process.
- It does not resolve game-version or mod mismatches between the dedicated server and clients.
- It does not provide a guaranteed latency, uptime, bandwidth, RAM, or player-count result; those values depend on the host, network path, and configuration, and no defensible benchmark is established in the cited setup material.
Quick verification checklist
- The dedicated server starts successfully on Windows or Linux.
- Windows uses
startdedicated.bat; Linux uses app294420and./startserver.sh -configfile=serverconfig.xml. - The server listens locally on UDP
26900. - The Playit tunnel type is 7 Days.
- The tunnel target is
127.0.0.1, port26900, using UDP. - The local firewall allows the dedicated-server process.
- The Playit agent remains online.
- Players use the current Playit hostname or IP and port in Join a Game → Connect To IP….
- The host machine stays powered on, and the server saves and configuration are backed up before changes.
With those checks satisfied, CGNAT or an inaccessible router does not prevent your friends from reaching the dedicated world: the server remains local, while Playit supplies the public connection point.
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