Terraria Server-Side Characters (SSC): Complete TShock Setup and Administration Guide

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Server-Side Characters (SSC) is a TShock feature that makes players use a character stored by the server instead of bringing an existing Terraria character from single-player or another server. Enable it in tshock/sscconfig.json, set "Enabled": true, restart or reload TShock as required by your deployment, and verify the result with a non-privileged test account.

SSC keeps each server’s character state separate from the player’s ordinary local character. The main exception is the tshock.ignore.ssc permission: anyone with it can bypass SSC, which is why administrator groups need deliberate permission design.

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What Server-Side Characters do

SSC is enforced by TShock, the server-side modification for Terraria. It is not the configuration model exposed by the vanilla Terraria dedicated server. When SSC is enabled, a player joining the server is given a character managed by that server. Items, health, mana and other character progress are saved in the server’s character database rather than being imported from the player’s local files.

This solves a specific multiplayer problem: a player cannot join with end-game equipment, a large stockpile or progress earned elsewhere simply by selecting a local character. The local character remains available for single-player and other servers; SSC does not overwrite that ordinary character.

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SSC is a server policy, not an anti-cheat system for every possible action. Operators who grant the bypass permission, use privileged commands or directly alter the database can still change a character’s state. Treat permissions, commands and backups as part of the SSC design.

What you need before enabling SSC

• A running TShock server rather than only a vanilla Terraria server.
• Access to the server files or to a hosting panel that exposes the TShock configuration workflow.
• Permission to stop and start the server, or a provider-supported safe reload process.
• A way to back up sscconfig.json and the TShock character database before changing production settings.
• A separate test account that does not have tshock.ignore.ssc.

Hosting panels differ. Some let you edit JSON directly; others provide a file manager or require a support request. Confirm that the host supports the Terraria version your players use, the TShock build you intend to run, configuration-file access, database backup and restore, log inspection, and a reliable restart or reload workflow. Panel labels and procedures can change, so verify the current interface with the provider.

Enable SSC in TShock

1. Start TShock once to create its files

Install or launch the TShock server and allow it to complete its first start. TShock generates a tshock directory and its configuration files during this process. If the directory does not exist, check that you launched TShock (not a separate vanilla server executable) and that the process has permission to write to its server folder.

2. Open the SSC configuration file

Stop the server before editing unless your hosting provider documents a safe live-configuration workflow. Open:

tshock/sscconfig.json

Change the Enabled property to the Boolean value true (without quotation marks):

{
  "Enabled": true
}

Keep the file valid JSON. A missing comma, an extra comma or a quoted Boolean can prevent TShock from reading the setting correctly.

3. Review the other SSC fields

The documented configuration includes the following controls. The numeric values shown are documentation examples, not a promise that every TShock release uses the same defaults.

Do not assume that a threshold value means seconds, minutes or another unit merely from its name. Check the documentation for the exact TShock build installed on the server, then record the chosen value in your change notes.

4. Save, restart and reconnect

Save the file, start the server and watch the console or log for configuration errors. If your deployment does not hot-reload SSC settings, a full restart is required. Have a test player disconnect and reconnect after the server is available. A player should receive the server-side character rather than the inventory and progress of the local character selected in the Terraria client.

5. Back up before production use

Keep a copy of the working sscconfig.json and the TShock character database. Include both in the routine backup schedule, and test that the backup can actually be restored. The configuration file alone is not enough to recover player progress; the database contains the server-side character state.

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Set the new-character experience

Starting health and mana

StartingHealth and StartingMana determine the initial values for a newly created server-side character. TShock’s documentation uses 100 health and 20 mana as examples. Keep the values appropriate for your server’s progression rules and verify them with a fresh test account after every change.

Starting inventory

StartingInventory is an item manifest. Each entry identifies an item with its Terraria numeric netID, a prefix, and a stack count. The documented example supplies copper tools. You can change the manifest to another allowed starting kit by using the correct Terraria item IDs, prefixes and stack sizes for your installed game and TShock versions.

Use conservative quantities. A mistaken ID or stack value can give the wrong item or an unintended amount, and a malformed JSON array can stop the configuration from loading. Change one item at a time on a test server, connect with a clean account, and confirm the resulting inventory before applying the file to a live world.

Automatic saving

ServerSideCharacterSave controls the automatic save interval; the TShock documentation example is five minutes. A shorter interval can reduce the amount of progress lost after an unexpected shutdown, while a longer interval reduces save frequency. The setting does not replace scheduled backups of the character database.

Login discard behavior

LogonDiscardThreshold governs the post-login period described by TShock’s configuration documentation. Because the unit and interpretation can vary by build, verify them against the documentation that matches your server before tuning this field. Test the behavior with a disposable account rather than experimenting with a player’s only character.

Understand permissions and administrator behavior

The tshock.ignore.ssc permission bypasses SSC. TShock documentation states that SuperAdmin has this permission by default. The TShock API behavior reflects the distinction: a player with the bypass permission skips SSC saving, while a normal player’s character data is copied and inserted into the character database.

This explains why an administrator may appear able to bring items into an SSC server. The account is not using SSC in the same way as an ordinary player; its permission explicitly exempts it.

Give administrators broad access without bypassing SSC

If an administrator needs broad command access but must still use a server-side character, create a dedicated group and grant all permissions except the SSC bypass. The documented pattern is:

/group addperm <group name> * !tshock.ignore.ssc

Replace <group name> with the actual group name. Check the group’s effective permissions afterward, including inherited permissions, because another group assignment can reintroduce the bypass. Keep at least one tightly controlled emergency operator account separate from everyday moderation accounts.

TShock’s wiki advises against playing as superadmin. Following that principle reduces the chance that normal play accidentally occurs outside SSC and limits the damage from a compromised administrator account.

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Import, reset and recover a server-side character

/uploadssc

The TShock wiki documents /uploadssc for uploading a player’s data from when the player joined. Because it deliberately changes server-side character data, restrict it to trusted operators and use it only after confirming the target account and the intended source state.

/overridessc

/overridessc saves the player’s current state to the server-side character database. It is useful when an operator has verified that the current state is the correct one to preserve, but it can also overwrite a recoverable state. Treat it as a controlled administrative action, not a routine player command.

Safe recovery sequence

1. Identify the exact account and server on which the player made the progress.
2. Confirm that the player is joining the same server instance and database, not a second installation with a similar name.
3. Check that Enabled is still true in tshock/sscconfig.json.
4. Inspect the account’s effective permissions and remove any unexpected tshock.ignore.ssc assignment.
5. Review server logs for login, save or database errors.
6. Compare the current database with the most recent known-good backup before changing anything.
7. Only after documenting the intended result, use /uploadssc or /overridessc with a trusted operator account.

Do not ask a player to keep reconnecting while troubleshooting. Repeated joins, overrides or conflicting server instances can make it harder to identify which character state is authoritative.

Validate an SSC deployment before inviting players

Use a test account that does not have tshock.ignore.ssc. Run these checks after enabling SSC and again after major TShock, Terraria or hosting changes:

1. Join with a new account and confirm the configured starting health, mana and inventory.
2. Place items in the server-side inventory, disconnect normally and reconnect. Confirm that the items persist.
3. Attempt to join while the local Terraria character contains unrelated items. Confirm that the server presents the SSC character rather than importing those items.
4. Test an account with the bypass permission separately so operators understand the difference in behavior and logs.
5. Verify that the configured save interval is active and that the character database is included in the backup routine.
6. Restore a copy of the configuration and database in a test environment, where practical, to verify that recovery is possible.

These are operational checks to perform on your server; they are not a guarantee that every TShock build behaves identically. Record the TShock version, Terraria version, configuration values and test results so a later upgrade can be compared against a known baseline.

Troubleshoot common SSC symptoms

Players still bring in local items

• Confirm that the running server is TShock, not a vanilla Terraria server.
• Reopen tshock/sscconfig.json and verify the exact Boolean value true.
• Restart the server if the deployment does not hot-reload configuration.
• Check whether the account has tshock.ignore.ssc, directly or through group inheritance.
• Review logs for a configuration parse error that caused TShock to ignore the edited file.

A player’s progress disappears after reconnecting

• Confirm the player used the same server instance and database.
• Check the save interval and whether the player disconnected before a save completed.
• Inspect logs and compare the database with backups before using an override command.
• Ensure an operator did not intentionally replace the state with /uploadssc or /overridessc.

Starting items, health or mana are wrong

• Check the spelling, capitalization and JSON type of the relevant field.
• Verify that the player is actually a new SSC character; existing server-side characters do not necessarily receive a new starting kit.
• Confirm that the item manifest uses valid netID, prefix and stack values for the installed versions.
• Test with a clean account after restarting the server.

The server will not load the configuration

Restore the last known-good JSON, then reapply one change at a time. Validate punctuation and data types, keep a backup of the original file, and read the startup log for the exact parsing error. A configuration edit should never be the only copy of a working setup.

Choose hosting or operations around SSC requirements

Whether you self-host or use managed Terraria hosting, evaluate the deployment against these concrete requirements:

• TShock compatibility: the host must support the TShock build and Terraria version your players use.
• Configuration access: you need a supported way to edit tshock/sscconfig.json and preserve valid JSON.
• Permission control: group editing must let you remove tshock.ignore.ssc from accounts that should remain server-side.
• Database backup and restore: backups must include the TShock character database, not only the world file.
• Logs: operators should be able to inspect startup, login, save and command activity.
• Restart or reload workflow: there must be a predictable way to apply configuration changes without corrupting active data.
• Version visibility: the panel should show which Terraria and TShock versions are running so you can match documentation and verify threshold behavior.

Do not choose a host solely because it advertises Terraria support. SSC depends on the server modification, file access, permissions and database operations above. Hosting documentation can become outdated, so confirm current panel behavior before committing a production server.

Operational practices that prevent avoidable loss

• Keep sscconfig.json under a dated change history so you can identify when a setting changed.
• Back up the character database before bulk imports, resets, upgrades or permission migrations.
• Limit /uploadssc, /overridessc and the SSC bypass to trusted operators.
• Use ordinary administrator groups for daily work instead of playing as SuperAdmin.
• Maintain a test account and repeat the validation checklist after upgrades.
• Document which server and database are authoritative when multiple instances exist.
• Keep player-facing instructions clear: local characters remain local, while the SSC character belongs to the server.

Key takeaways

SSC is enabled by TShock in tshock/sscconfig.json; setting Enabled to true and applying the change makes the server provide its own character state. Starting health, starting mana, starting inventory, automatic save interval and login-discard behavior are configurable, but the exact interpretation of version-sensitive fields should be checked against the installed TShock build.

The security boundary is permission-based. Normal players are saved to the server character database, while tshock.ignore.ssc bypasses that process and is commonly present on SuperAdmin. Design groups explicitly, protect privileged SSC commands, and back up both configuration and character data before making production changes.

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