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For a self-hosted Sons of the Forest dedicated server, stop the server, open dedicatedserver.cfg, set "Password" to a non-empty shared secret, save the file, and restart the server. Connecting players must enter that password before they can proceed. If everyone is on the same local network, also set "LanOnly": true to keep the server out of the public listing. A managed host exposes the same password setting in its control panel.
For a managed option, Godlike.Host’s Sons of the Forest hosting provides a game panel with configuration controls, free DDoS protection, and up to three free backups a day with restore. Its Sons of the Forest plans list 4, 12 and 20 slots; the server’s MaxPlayers setting allows 1 to 8 players (Steam Community server guide, 11 Oct 2026).
What actually makes the server private?
The Password field is the access-control setting. The Steam Community Dedicated Server Configuration Guide, updated January 15, 2025, states that a password is requested before a connecting client can proceed. A blank password means the server has no password protection.
The password can be any string up to 40 characters. Use one shared only with the people you want to play with; do not publish it alongside the server address. Password protection does not change the server’s network ports or automatically configure your router and firewall.
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LanOnly controls visibility rather than replacing the password. Setting it to true keeps the server for local-network use and excludes it from the public listing. If players outside your home network need to connect, leave the server reachable through the configured ports and use the password as the access-control layer.
Set a password on a self-hosted dedicated server
1. Install or update the dedicated server
Install or update the Sons of the Forest Dedicated Server with SteamCMD app ID 2465200, or install the Dedicated Server tool through Steam. Launch the server with StartSOTFDedicated.bat.
2. Launch it once to create its files
Run the server one time before looking for the configuration file. The first launch creates the default user-data directory and configuration files. Stop the server cleanly before editing its configuration.
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3. Open the user-data directory
Unless you supplied a custom -userdatapath, open:
C:Users<user>AppDataLocalLowEndnightSonsOfTheForestDS
The <user> portion is your Windows account name. A custom -userdatapath moves the files, so check that launch setting if the default directory is empty.
4. Back up and edit dedicatedserver.cfg
Make a backup copy of dedicatedserver.cfg before changing it. The file uses JSON, so preserve quotation marks, commas, braces, and the exact field names. Add or change the password value to a non-empty string, for example:
"Password": "a-long-random-shared-secret"Do not leave the value as an empty pair of quotation marks, and do not remove the comma needed between adjacent JSON fields. An invalid comma or quotation mark can prevent the server from reading the file.
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5. Save, restart, and distribute the secret
Save the file, start the dedicated server again, and give the password only to intended players. A client should be prompted for it before being allowed to continue. If you changed the file while the server was running, the running process may still be using the old value; stop and restart rather than relying on a live reload.
Make the server LAN-only
For a group playing on the same local network, set the Boolean field as follows:
"LanOnly": trueThis removes the server from the public listing for LAN use. It is a visibility control, not a substitute for a password when you need to restrict access further. You can use both settings: LanOnly limits where the server is advertised, while Password requires a secret from anyone who connects.
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If friends are connecting over the Internet, do not assume that LanOnly will make remote access work. Internet players need the server’s configured UDP ports allowed through the router and the operating-system firewall.
Ports and firewall requirements for Internet players
The Steam Community configuration guide’s 2025 update documents these default UDP ports:
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| Setting | Default UDP port | Role |
|---|---|---|
GamePort |
8766 | Game traffic |
QueryPort |
27016 | Server query traffic |
BlobSyncPort |
9700 | Blob synchronization traffic |
If you changed any of these values in dedicatedserver.cfg, forward the changed ports instead of the defaults. Router port-forwarding and operating-system firewall rules must allow the configured UDP ports for players outside the local network. The server’s startup self-test can stop boot when a required UDP port is closed, so a password change alone cannot resolve a blocked-port failure.
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LAN versus Internet decision
- Everyone is on the same home or office network: set
LanOnlytotrue; router port-forwarding for Internet access is not part of the LAN-only setup. - Some players are remote: keep the server reachable on its configured UDP ports, forward those ports to the server computer, allow them through the operating-system firewall, and protect entry with a non-empty password.
- You want both limited listing and a secret: use
LanOnly: trueand a password, but understand that the LAN-only setting is intended to exclude public listing and may prevent remote players from finding or reaching the server.
Use a managed hosting control panel
On a hosted server, the file is normally edited through the provider’s web panel rather than Windows Explorer. A provider guide published November 16, 2025, describes the workflow as the only supported privacy control: set a server password.
- Open the server control panel.
- Go to Config, then Dedicated Server Settings.
- Enter a non-empty password in the password field.
- Save the configuration.
- Restart the server.
- Give the password to the players you want to admit.
After the restart, a connecting player should receive a password prompt. The panel may hide the underlying dedicatedserver.cfg, but it changes the same server setting. If the panel offers separate visibility or LAN controls, apply those only when your players are on the corresponding network.
Configuration fields that are easy to confuse with privacy
| Field | Allowed or documented values | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
Password |
Any string up to 40 characters | Prompts connecting clients before they proceed |
LanOnly |
true or false |
Whether the server is restricted to LAN visibility |
MaxPlayers |
Integer from 1 to 8 | Maximum player count, not authentication |
GamePort |
UDP port number; default 8766 | Game networking |
QueryPort |
UDP port number; default 27016 | Server queries |
BlobSyncPort |
UDP port number; default 9700 | Blob synchronization |
SaveMode |
new or continue |
Save initialization, not privacy |
Changing MaxPlayers, SaveMode, or a port does not password-protect the server. Privacy comes from the password; LAN visibility comes from LanOnly.
Troubleshoot a private server
The server still lets anyone in
- Stop the server and verify that
Passwordcontains a non-empty string. - Check that you edited the active file in the
SonsOfTheForestDSdirectory, not a backup or an unused installation. - If you use
-userdatapath, edit the configuration in that custom directory. - Save the JSON and restart the server so the process loads the new value.
Friends cannot connect after the password was added
- Confirm that they are using the exact current password, including capitalization and punctuation.
- For Internet players, verify forwarding and firewall rules for the configured UDP
GamePort,QueryPort, andBlobSyncPort. Use the actual values in the file if they differ from 8766, 27016, and 9700. - Read the server’s startup self-test. A required closed UDP port can stop boot before anyone can connect.
- For a LAN-only setup, confirm that every player is on the same local network and that
LanOnlywas intentionally enabled.
The configuration file is missing
Launch the dedicated server once, stop it, and check C:Users<user>AppDataLocalLowEndnightSonsOfTheForestDS. If the server was started with -userdatapath, inspect that custom location instead.
The server disappears from the listing
That is expected when LanOnly is true. LAN-only visibility is designed to exclude the public listing. For remote players, review the LAN setting and the external network configuration rather than removing the password.
The server will not start after editing
Restore the backup and compare the edited lines for missing quotation marks, commas, or an incorrectly typed Boolean. JSON requires true without quotation marks for LanOnly; writing "true" changes it to a text value instead of the documented Boolean setting. After correcting the syntax, save and restart.
Quick Recap
Final privacy checklist
Passwordis present and non-empty, with no more than 40 characters.- The file was edited after the first server launch and in the active user-data path.
- The server was stopped before the edit and restarted afterward.
LanOnly: trueis enabled when the server should be LAN-only.- Remote play has forwarding and firewall rules for the configured UDP ports.
- The password was shared only with intended players.
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