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To add mods to a Terraria tModLoader 1.4 dedicated server, install the server on the same tModLoader branch as your players, create a modpack in the tModLoader client, copy its install.txt and enabled.json files to the server, install the listed Workshop content, and start the server with the resulting mod set. Every player must run the same tModLoader version and have the same mods enabled.

The safest method is to let tModLoader generate the Workshop metadata. Workshop mods are not reliably identified by their visible names, so manually recreating a list on the server can install the wrong item or omit a dependency.

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What you need before installing mods

A tModLoader server is a separate server installation; it is not the same process as launching a normal Terraria world from the game client. The server and all connecting clients must use the same tModLoader branch and version, and their enabled mod sets must match.

  • A computer or host that can run a dedicated tModLoader 1.4 server.
  • A tModLoader client with the mods you intend to use installed and enabled.
  • Permission to create files in the server installation or management-script directory.
  • A world file and server settings, or a plan to create them on first startup.
  • The same tModLoader branch for every player. Do not mix stable and preview installations.

There is no authoritative general RAM, player-capacity, or performance number that applies to every mod collection. Mod complexity, world size, operating system, CPU speed, and player count all affect resource use, so test your actual pack rather than relying on a universal hardware figure.

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Install the tModLoader dedicated server

The official Dedicated Server Utils provide a repeatable installation and update workflow. Choose one installation method and keep its branch consistent with the clients.

Stable management-script installation

Download the stable utilities and run the command that matches your distribution source:

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Source Command What it does
Steam-based installation ./manage-tModLoaderServer.sh install-tml --username your_steam_username Installs tModLoader through a Steam account associated with the supplied username.
GitHub release ./manage-tModLoaderServer.sh install-tml --github Installs the GitHub-distributed server files.

Run these commands from the directory containing the management script. The utilities create a server installation directory and, in the management-script layout, a Steam Workshop area used for downloaded content.

1.4-preview installation options

The 1.4-preview documentation also describes an --install flow. A GitHub-based installation normally goes under ~/tModLoader; a SteamCMD-based installation normally goes under ~/Steam/steamapps/common/tModLoader. Use the paths produced by your chosen installer rather than assuming that a server installed by another method has the same layout.

After installation, verify that the server and the client are on the intended branch before transferring mods. Updating one side first can make an otherwise correct modpack appear broken.

Create a modpack in the tModLoader client

Build the authoritative mod list on a client that already has the desired Workshop and local mods.

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  1. Open tModLoader.
  2. Choose Workshop, then Mod Packs.
  3. Select Save Enabled as New Mod Pack.
  4. Choose Open Mod Pack Folder.
  5. Locate the generated install.txt and enabled.json files.

The generated files are important because Steam Workshop uses its own metadata and identifiers instead of identifying content solely by the name displayed in the mod browser. Copying the metadata preserves the exact Workshop items selected in the client and avoids trying to reconstruct identifiers by hand.

Keep the modpack folder as a backup. It is also the easiest source for rebuilding a server after a reinstall or for giving every player a consistent list to reproduce.

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Understand the two files that control the server

File Purpose If it is missing
install.txt Lists Workshop content that the server should download or install. No Workshop mods are installed by the management workflow.
enabled.json Specifies which installed mods tModLoader should enable when the server starts. Installed content is not enabled; the server can start with no active mods.

Installation and activation are separate operations. A mod can be present on disk yet inactive if it is not listed in enabled.json. Conversely, listing an item in enabled.json does not download missing Workshop content. Keep both files together and update them whenever you change the pack.

enabled.json must include every mod that should be active, including local .tmod files. Do not assume that a locally copied mod is enabled automatically.

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Copy the modpack files to the server

For the management-script layout, copy both generated files into the documented directory used by the server utilities. Place local .tmod files in that same server or script location, following the directory structure created by the installer. The utilities then use the metadata to populate the server installation and its Workshop area.

  1. Stop the server if it is running.
  2. Copy install.txt from the client modpack folder to the management-script or server directory specified by your installation.
  3. Copy enabled.json to the same location.
  4. Copy any local .tmod files there as well.
  5. Check the file names and extensions. A file accidentally saved as enabled.json.txt will not be read as the required JSON file.

Do not replace the generated Workshop identifiers with display names. If you change the enabled set in the client, save a new modpack or regenerate the files, then copy the updated versions to the server.

Install and enable the mods

Stable utilities

From the directory containing the management script, run:

./manage-tModLoaderServer.sh install-mods

This command reads install.txt, installs the listed Workshop content, and prepares the server files. If install.txt is absent, the documented behavior is to install no Workshop mods. If enabled.json is absent, no mods are enabled.

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1.4-preview utilities

The 1.4-preview workflow documents a --mods-only option for performing the mod installation step without repeating the full server installation. Use the exact option supported by the preview utility version you installed, because command-line options can differ between utility branches.

After the command completes, inspect the output for download or dependency errors. A successful install only proves that files were retrieved; it does not prove that every intended mod is enabled or that clients have matching versions.

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Start the dedicated server

You can start the server through the management script or directly from the tModLoader installation directory.

Management-script startup

Use the script’s documented start command from the utility directory. This keeps startup consistent with the installation and update workflow.

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Direct startup

Change to the tModLoader installation directory and run:

./start-tModLoaderServer.sh

The first launch may ask for a world, port, or other server settings. For a manually supervised server, answer those prompts and confirm that the console reports the expected mods loading.

Unattended startup with serverconfig.txt

For a headless machine, service, container, or restart-after-failure setup, copy the supplied serverconfig.txt template and edit it with the world path, server name, port, and other settings required by your installation. Start the server with the documented server script while supplying that configuration. A configuration file prevents startup from pausing for interactive input that no one is present to answer.

Make every player match the server

Each player must install the same tModLoader branch and version, install the same mods, and enable the same set before joining. The practical sequence for a player is:

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  1. Install or select the server’s tModLoader branch and version.
  2. Obtain the server’s mod list or modpack files.
  3. Install the same Workshop items and any supplied local .tmod files.
  4. Enable every mod in the pack, in the same set represented by the server’s enabled.json.
  5. Restart tModLoader if it requests a reload, then connect to the server.

A client with an extra enabled mod, a missing dependency, a different mod build, or a different tModLoader version can fail to join even when the server itself starts normally. Treat a mod update as a coordinated change: update the server first or during a maintenance window, distribute the updated pack, and have players switch versions together.

Workshop mods versus local .tmod files

Workshop content

Workshop mods are represented in install.txt by Workshop metadata. The visible title in the browser is not a safe substitute for that metadata, because names can change and are not the identifier used by the Workshop system. Generate the files through Save Enabled as New Mod Pack instead of typing a list manually.

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Local mods

A local mod supplied as a .tmod file can be copied alongside the server files in the directory expected by the utilities. It still has to appear in enabled.json if it should load. Give players the same file and ensure that the local build is compatible with the server’s tModLoader version; local files are not downloaded automatically from Workshop.

Dependencies and load order

When a mod depends on another mod, include and enable the dependency as part of the same pack. Let tModLoader resolve the pack’s normal load behavior rather than maintaining separate, hand-edited server and client lists.

Deployment choices: self-hosting, containers, and managed servers

The mod-installation workflow is the same in principle, but file access and maintenance differ by deployment type.

Route Advantages Responsibilities
Self-hosted scripts Direct control of files, versions, mod metadata, worlds, and startup commands. Operating-system administration, backups, firewall and port configuration, updates, and troubleshooting.
Docker Repeatable deployment and isolation; documented tModLoader images can receive configuration and mod files as mounted data. Container networking, persistent volume permissions, image updates, and backup of mounted worlds and configuration.
Managed hosting The provider generally handles the machine and much of the network administration. Provider-specific file panels, version controls, backups, port rules, and recurring hosting charges; confirm that the service supports the tModLoader branch and custom mod files you need.

Docker file set

The documented Docker route expects the required Terraria directory, configuration and world files, enabled.json, install.txt, and any local .tmod files in the locations defined by the image. Mount these as persistent data so a container replacement does not remove the world or modpack. Keep the files in the same relationship as a script-based installation: install.txt identifies Workshop content, while enabled.json controls activation.

Cost and administration trade-offs

Self-hosting avoids a recurring provider bill but makes you responsible for the machine, operating system, network exposure, updates, backups, and recovery. Docker can make replacement and rollback more repeatable, but it does not remove those responsibilities; persistent volumes and container networking still need administration. Managed hosting adds a recurring hosting charge in exchange for provider-managed infrastructure and a control panel. Compare plans by file and version control, support for custom .tmod files, backup options, port configuration, and whether the provider supports the tModLoader branch your group uses. There is no single best route: the practical choice depends on how much server administration you want to perform.

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Network and backup checks

Whichever route you choose, document the server’s configured port and network rules alongside serverconfig.txt. A server can load every mod correctly and still be unreachable if its firewall, router, container network, or hosting-panel port rule is wrong. Back up the world and the complete modpack files before changing versions or replacing a container. Keeping install.txt, enabled.json, and local .tmod files together makes it possible to reproduce the exact installation after a failure.

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Pin versions and update safely

When a pack must remain on a specific or legacy GitHub release, the stable utilities support a tmlversion.txt file from a modpack or a TMLVERSION environment variable. Use one deliberate version-pinning method and document it for the players and host.

  1. Choose the target tModLoader version and confirm that it is available to both server and clients.
  2. Apply the version pin through tmlversion.txt or TMLVERSION where supported by your utility branch.
  3. Update the server installation and verify it starts with the existing world.
  4. Regenerate or verify the client modpack’s install.txt and enabled.json.
  5. Distribute the new version and modpack to players before reopening the server.

Do not update only the server and expect old clients to continue working. A tModLoader version change and a mod update are coordinated compatibility changes.

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Troubleshooting common failures

Symptom Likely cause Fix
No Workshop mods install install.txt is missing or in the wrong directory. Place the generated file in the directory read by the management script, then run install-mods again.
Mods are installed but none load enabled.json is absent, malformed, or does not list the intended mods. Copy a freshly generated enabled.json; verify that every intended Workshop and local mod is listed.
A local mod is present but inactive The .tmod file was copied but not enabled. Add the local mod to the client pack, regenerate enabled.json, and copy it to the server.
Players cannot join Branch, tModLoader version, enabled mod set, or mod build differs between server and client. Compare versions and enabled lists exactly; have players install the same pack and restart the client.
Workshop contents differ from the expected list Mods were selected by display name or the pack files are stale. Regenerate the modpack in the client and copy the new metadata instead of editing names manually.
Headless startup waits for input No server configuration was supplied. Create and edit serverconfig.txt, then launch using the server script with that configuration.
Server update breaks the pack Server and clients were changed at different times, or a pinned version was lost. Restore the documented tModLoader version, verify tmlversion.txt or TMLVERSION, and coordinate the client update.
Server starts but nobody can connect Network, firewall, router, container, or hosting-panel port configuration is incorrect. Compare the configured port with the host’s firewall and network rules, then confirm the same settings in any Docker or provider panel.
World or mods disappear after a container replacement World and mod files were not mounted as persistent data. Mount the documented Terraria and configuration locations, restore the backed-up modpack, and recreate the container.

A repeatable maintenance routine

Use this sequence whenever you add, remove, or update a mod:

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  1. Change the enabled set in one tModLoader client.
  2. Save a new modpack and open its folder.
  3. Back up the current server world, install.txt, enabled.json, and any local .tmod files.
  4. Stop the server.
  5. Copy the new metadata and local files to the server’s expected directory.
  6. Run ./manage-tModLoaderServer.sh install-mods, or the preview utility’s --mods-only flow.
  7. Start the server and check the console for loading errors.
  8. Give players the updated pack and tModLoader version before they connect.

This process keeps the Workshop identifiers, enabled state, server installation, and player setup synchronized instead of allowing each machine to drift independently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do players need the same mods as the tModLoader server?

Yes. Every player should use the same tModLoader branch and version, install the same Workshop and local mods, and enable the same set before joining.

Why are both install.txt and enabled.json required?

install.txt tells the utilities which Workshop content to install. enabled.json tells tModLoader which installed and local mods to activate. Missing either file leaves the corresponding step incomplete.

Can I type Workshop mod names into install.txt?

Do not rely on display names. Create a modpack with Workshop → Mod Packs → Save Enabled as New Mod Pack and copy the generated metadata, because Workshop uses its own identifiers.

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Where do local .tmod files go?

Copy local .tmod files into the server or management-script location expected by your installation, then ensure each one is included in enabled.json and distributed to players.

What command installs the mods on a stable server?

Run ./manage-tModLoaderServer.sh install-mods from the directory containing the management script. The 1.4-preview utilities document a separate –mods-only flow.

How do I run the server without interactive prompts?

Copy and edit serverconfig.txt with the world, server, port, and other required settings, then launch through the documented server script with that configuration.

Can I use Docker for a tModLoader 1.4 server?

Yes. The documented Docker route uses persistent Terraria and configuration data together with enabled.json, install.txt, and any local .tmod files. Mount the data so replacing a container does not remove the world or pack.

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How do I keep a specific tModLoader version?

The stable utilities support tmlversion.txt from a modpack or the TMLVERSION environment variable for a specific or legacy GitHub version. Update server and clients together and verify the pin after changes.

The Bottom Line

Create the modpack in the tModLoader client, copy its generated install.txt and enabled.json to the server, install with the matching utility command, and keep every player’s branch, version, and enabled list identical. Back up the world and modpack before updates, and use serverconfig.txt or persistent Docker data for unattended hosting.

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