To password-protect a dedicated Starbound server, stop it, run it once so it creates storage/starbound_server.config, add account credentials under serverUsers, set allowAnonymousConnections to false, save valid JSON, and restart. Friends then connect from Multiplayer with the server address, account name, and password. This account-based method is the preferred approach when the installed server supports that key.
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The file is generated by the server rather than supplied as a universal template, so use the configuration produced by your own installation. Older tutorials describe a different serverPasswords array in default_configuration.config; that layout may not work with a newer build.
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What a private Starbound server actually requires
A private server has two separate concerns: authentication and network reachability. Authentication determines whether a connecting player has an accepted account and password. Reachability determines whether the player can reach your machine at all through the Internet, router, and firewall. You need both. A correctly passworded server is still inaccessible if its game port is blocked, while an open port is not private if anonymous connections remain enabled.
Starbound’s account-bound system does not create separate character inventories or worlds for each login. The account names are credentials used to protect the server. A normal player account and an administrator account can coexist, but player data is not attached to those account names.
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| Setting or task | What it controls | Private-server goal |
|---|---|---|
serverUsers |
Account names, passwords, and administrator status | Add at least one non-admin account for friends; keep admin credentials separate |
allowAnonymousConnections |
Whether clients may connect without authenticating an account | Set to false |
| TCP port 21025 | The normal Starbound game connection port | Allow it through the host firewall and forward it to the server computer when hosting at home |
| Multiplayer join form | The client-side address and credentials | Enter the server address, account name, and matching password |
The documented Linux configuration lists allowAnonymousConnections with a default of true. That default permits unauthenticated connections, so changing it to false is the setting that makes the account password mandatory.
Before you edit the server
- Have access to the dedicated-server installation directory and permission to edit its files.
- Know whether the server is running on Linux or Windows; the file location is relative to the server’s own directory in either case.
- Have the server’s address ready. Players on the same computer can test with
127.0.0.1; people outside your home network need your reachable public address or DNS name. - Choose two different, strong passwords if you will use both a player and an administrator account. Do not give administrator credentials to ordinary players.
- Plan a short maintenance window. Stop the server before editing so it cannot overwrite your changes.
Step-by-step: password-protect the generated configuration
1. Start the dedicated server once, then stop it
If the installation has never been launched, run the dedicated server and allow it to finish initialization. The Steam Community setup guide notes that the first run generates the proper configuration. Stop the process cleanly after the file appears. Editing a file before that first run can leave you working on the wrong template or on a file the server will later replace.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallIn the server directory, look for a storage folder containing starbound_server.config. The file is JSON, so braces, quotation marks, commas, and Boolean values must follow JSON syntax exactly. Do not edit a similarly named client configuration in your game installation; the dedicated server’s own storage directory is the relevant location.
2. Make a backup before changing anything
Copy storage/starbound_server.config to a safe location, for example starbound_server.config.backup. Keep the original file until you have confirmed that the server starts and friends can authenticate. A backup gives you a quick recovery path if a comma is deleted, a quote is mismatched, or an unrelated setting is changed accidentally.
3. Add account-bound credentials under serverUsers
Open the generated file in a plain-text editor and find the existing serverUsers object. If the key is absent but the installed server’s documentation supports account-bound passwords, add the object at the top level, separated from neighboring settings by a comma. A documented pattern with one administrator and one ordinary player is:
{
"serverUsers" : {
"admin" : {
"admin" : true,
"password" : "MyAdminPassword"
},
"player" : {
"admin" : false,
"password" : "MyPlayerPassword"
}
}
}The names admin and player are examples, not required labels. Replace them with account names that you will recognize. Replace both example passwords with long, unique values. The admin Boolean grants administrator privileges; set it to false for accounts intended only to play.
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Do not put a trailing comma after the final property in an object. JSON accepts double quotation marks around keys and string values, but it does not accept comments, single quotes, or unquoted passwords. If your generated file already contains other settings, preserve them and insert the new object using the same top-level structure.
4. Disable anonymous connections
Set the top-level option to a JSON Boolean, not a quoted string:
"allowAnonymousConnections" : falseIf the file currently says true, change only the value. With this option disabled, clients must supply one of the configured account names and its matching password. Leaving the value at true defeats a password-only setup because an unauthenticated client may still be accepted.
5. Check the JSON before saving
Review the surrounding lines for these common errors:
- A missing comma between two top-level settings.
- A missing closing brace for
serverUsersor the entire configuration object. - Curly “smart” quotation marks inserted by a word processor.
trueorfalsewritten as"true"or"false".- A duplicate top-level key created by pasting a second
serverUsersobject.
Save as plain text with the exact filename starbound_server.config. Do not let an editor append .txt to the name.
6. Restart and verify the result
Start the dedicated server and watch its log or console for startup errors. If the server accepts the file, stop-and-start testing should preserve your account entries. If the JSON contains a syntax error, the Starbounder Wiki documents a protective behavior: the server renames the invalid file to starbound_server.config.old and creates a default configuration in its place. That can look like your password settings vanished.
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When this happens, stop the server, keep the generated default file as a reference, and compare it with your backup. Correct the syntax in the backup or reapply the changes carefully, then replace the active file and restart. Do not repeatedly edit the newly generated default without first preserving the known-good copy.
Make the server reachable without making it anonymous
Open the correct game port
The documented Starbound game port is TCP 21025. Permit that port in the operating system firewall on the computer running the dedicated server. If the server is behind a home router, create a port-forwarding rule for TCP 21025 to the server computer’s local IP address. Assign that computer a stable local address, such as a DHCP reservation, so the forwarding rule does not break after a reboot.
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Test locally before asking friends to connect
From the same computer, open Starbound’s Multiplayer screen and try 127.0.0.1 as the address with the non-admin account and password. A local success proves that the configuration and credentials are valid, but it does not prove that the router or firewall permits outside traffic.
For a test from another device on the same home network, use the server computer’s private LAN address. For an Internet player, use the public address or DNS name that resolves to the router. Your Internet service may change that public address periodically; if it changes, friends must use the new one unless you have a reliable DNS name.
How friends join the password-protected server
- Launch Starbound and open Multiplayer.
- Enter the server’s IP address or DNS name.
- Enter the account name you created under
serverUsers. - Enter that account’s password.
- Select Join Server.
The Starbounder Wiki describes the account and password fields as optional when a server has no authentication configured. With anonymous connections disabled, friends should use the supplied player account rather than leaving those fields blank. Give them the non-admin credentials only; keep the administrator account private.
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If several friends will play, they can all use the same non-admin account because these credentials protect access rather than hold separate character data. You can also create multiple non-admin entries when you want to revoke one person’s access without changing everyone else’s password.
Why older serverPasswords instructions may fail
Many search results reproduce a Windows hosted-server tutorial published by Chucklefish Forums on November 29, 2013. That older procedure edits default_configuration.config and uses a serverPasswords array. It also lists ports 21025, 21026, and 21027. A later server-manager guide documents account-bound passwords through serverUsers in the generated starbound_server.config instead.
| Approach | Configuration file | Authentication format | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generated account configuration | storage/starbound_server.config |
serverUsers objects with password and admin |
Use this when the installed server generates and recognizes the key |
| Legacy hosted tutorial | default_configuration.config |
serverPasswords array |
Relevant only to older builds or tooling that explicitly documents this layout |
Do not paste a legacy array into a current generated file and assume it will be read. First inspect the file produced by your installed server and follow the syntax supported by that build. If a guide refers to a file that your server never creates, it is describing a different release or a hosting wrapper.
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Separate player and administrator access
Use the privilege flag deliberately. A normal player entry should look like "admin" : false. Reserve "admin" : true for an account used by the server owner or trusted operator. Share the player password through a private channel and rotate it whenever someone who should no longer have access knows it.
Because the account system is not a character-ownership system, changing a player’s account name or password does not create a new isolated universe for that player. It changes who may pass the server’s authentication check. Back up the configuration before rotating credentials so you can restore the previous access list if needed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting by symptom
The configuration file does not exist
Run the dedicated server once, wait for initialization to finish, and stop it. Then look inside that server installation’s storage directory. If you are looking in a client installation or a different server instance, you may be checking the wrong directory.
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The server starts, but friends can still enter without a password
Open the active generated file and confirm that allowAnonymousConnections is the Boolean false, not a quoted value. Confirm that you restarted the server after saving. Also check that you edited the instance actually exposed through the router; multiple installations can have separate storage directories.
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Verify capitalization, spaces, and punctuation in both the account name and password. Have the friend enter the exact non-admin account you supplied. If the server reverted the file after a syntax error, restore the backup and check the startup log before testing credentials again.
The server resets the file after every edit
This is usually invalid JSON. Compare the edited file with the backup and inspect braces, commas, and quotation marks. The documented .old rename is a diagnostic clue: the server could not parse the active file and generated a default replacement.
Local testing works, but remote friends time out
Check the host firewall, router forwarding, and the server computer’s current LAN address. The forwarding rule must use TCP port 21025. Ask a friend to retry while the server is running; a closed port, wrong public address, carrier-grade NAT, or an ISP restriction can prevent outside connections even when local authentication is correct.
A friend can connect but lacks administrator commands
That is expected for an account with "admin" : false. Either continue using the safer player account or provide the separate administrator credentials only to the trusted operator who needs them. Do not make every friend an administrator merely to solve a connection problem.
Home hosting versus managed infrastructure
Home hosting gives you direct control over the generated file, credentials, backups, and update schedule, but you must maintain port forwarding, firewall rules, the machine’s uptime, and the public address. Managed Starbound server hosting can handle infrastructure and reachability for owners who cannot maintain those pieces, but the provider must support your Starbound version and expose the relevant authentication settings. Whichever environment you choose, the private-access logic remains the same: use the configuration supported by that server build, disable anonymous connections, and distribute only the intended account credentials.
Quick Recap
Final verification checklist
- The dedicated server has been run once and created
storage/starbound_server.config. - A backup of the configuration exists outside the active file.
serverUserscontains a non-admin player account and, if needed, a separate admin account.allowAnonymousConnectionsis set to the unquoted Booleanfalse.- The file saves as valid JSON with balanced braces and no trailing commas.
- The server restarts without replacing the file with a default configuration.
- TCP port
21025is allowed by the host firewall and forwarded by the router when remote access is required. - A local test succeeds with the player account, and a remote test uses the correct public address or DNS name.
- Friends receive the server address, player account, and player password, never the administrator credentials.
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