Run the vanilla PC server under its own Linux account, select one world explicitly and preserve that world through restarts. This guide uses Ubuntu 24.04 x86_64 and Terraria 1.4.5.8, with direct-IP connections. tModLoader, TShock and crossplay need separate compatibility checks.
Use a fresh VPS with a public IPv4 address, SSH and sudo. Reserve several gigabytes of RAM for a small vanilla group and check actual use while generating the world; this is a starting allocation, not a player-capacity guarantee. Keep your provider's recovery console available before changing the firewall.
Download the matching PC server#
Check every player's complete version number first. The official 1.4.5.8 archive contains a 1458/Linux directory, its launcher and bundled runtime files. If clients use a different release, select the corresponding server from Terraria's website; do not change digits in a download address by guesswork.
Run from your normal SSH account:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y curl unzip tmux ufw nano file binutils
sudo useradd --system --user-group --create-home \
--home-dir /srv/terraria --shell /bin/bash terraria
sudo install -d -o terraria -g terraria -m 750 \
/srv/terraria/worlds /srv/terraria/backups
curl --fail --location \
https://terraria.org/api/download/pc-dedicated-server/terraria-server-1458.zip \
--output /tmp/terraria-server-1458.zip
sha256sum /tmp/terraria-server-1458.zip
sudo unzip -q /tmp/terraria-server-1458.zip -d /opt/terraria-release
sudo chmod +x /opt/terraria-release/1458/Linux/TerrariaServer \
/opt/terraria-release/1458/Linux/TerrariaServer.bin.x86_64
file /opt/terraria-release/1458/Linux/TerrariaServer.bin.x86_64
The final command identifies the architecture; it does not launch the game. Keep the whole Linux directory together. Copying only its binary loses supporting files. The supplied TerrariaServer launcher enters its own directory and sets the runtime environment, so use it below. Do not install a random system Mono or .NET version to repair a package that has not been checked yet.
Create the world in an interactive console#
The account's home is /srv/terraria. Start an interactive session under that account:
sudo -iu terraria
umask 077
cd /opt/terraria-release/1458/Linux
tmux new-session -s terraria
./TerrariaServer -worldpath /srv/terraria/worlds
At the server prompts, create a new world, select its size and difficulty and name it Coop. Select that world, allow up to eight players, use port 7777, decline automatic router forwarding and set a nonempty server password. These are example choices for a private group; a Journey world also needs compatible player characters.
Wait for generation to finish and check the displayed game version. Type help to inspect the console commands offered by this build. Then type save, wait for the save to complete and type exit to save and stop. This is the server console, not Bash. Avoid exit-nosave for ordinary shutdowns; the server command reference distinguishes the two commands.
After the process exits, inspect the actual filename:
find /srv/terraria/worlds -maxdepth 1 -type f -name '*.wld' -print
nano /srv/terraria/serverconfig.txt
Use the filename shown, including capitalization. If it is Coop.wld, enter:
world=/srv/terraria/worlds/Coop.wld
worldpath=/srv/terraria/worlds
maxplayers=8
port=7777
password=REPLACE_WITH_A_PRIVATE_PASSWORD
upnp=0
Replace the password placeholder before starting. The archive's Windows/serverconfig.txt documents these shared options. Do not leave autocreate enabled for this existing world: a misspelled path should lead you to repair the selection, rather than accidentally creating a replacement world. Protect the configuration:
chmod 600 /srv/terraria/serverconfig.txt
./TerrariaServer -config /srv/terraria/serverconfig.txt
Detach with Ctrl+B, then D. That keeps the console running after SSH disconnects. From the original administrative SSH account, you can return later with:
sudo -iu terraria tmux attach-session -t terraria
Tmux survives a disconnected terminal; it does not restart the server after a VPS reboot. After a reboot, create a new tmux session as terraria, change into the same Linux directory and launch the same configuration. Never run a second instance against the same world.
Allow access and verify a real join#
Run firewall commands from your normal administrative SSH account. Check the actual SSH port with sudo sshd -T and allow it before enabling UFW. The example assumes SSH is on TCP 22:
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp
sudo ufw allow 7777/tcp
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status verbose
sudo ss -ltnp 'sport = :7777'
If your SSH port differs, replace 22 first. Add TCP 7777 to the VPS provider's firewall too. A private-network deployment also needs a router rule pointing to the server's private address. Opening UDP alone will not make this direct TCP connection work.
In the matching PC client, choose Multiplayer → Join via IP, enter the VPS public IPv4 address, port 7777 and the game password. The exact localized menu text may differ. A listening socket proves the local process has bound a port; a successful character entering the correct world proves more. After joining, make a recognizable change, save, restart with exit and confirm that change remains.
Keep a recoverable copy outside the VPS#
Warn players, enter save, wait and enter exit in the attached server console. Wait for the launcher to return to Bash before copying data. While still logged in as terraria:
(
set -e
umask 077
terraria_backup="/srv/terraria/backups/terraria-$(date -u +%Y%m%dT%H%M%SZ).tar.gz"
tar -czf "$terraria_backup" -C /srv/terraria worlds serverconfig.txt
tar -tzf "$terraria_backup"
)
Copy the entire worlds directory, including .bak or other rolling world copies that exist. A backup beside the world is useful for a bad edit but disappears with the same failed disk. In a separate administrative SSH session, enter the exact archive path, then stage an owner-only copy in your SSH account’s home:
read -r -p "Exact archive path: " game_archive
ssh_admin=$(id -un)
ssh_group=$(id -gn)
ssh_home=$(getent passwd "$ssh_admin" | cut -d: -f6)
sudo install -o "$ssh_admin" -g "$ssh_group" -m 600 \
"$game_archive" "$ssh_home/terraria-export.tar.gz"
From your workstation, replace both placeholders:
scp YOUR_SSH_USER@YOUR_VPS_IP:terraria-export.tar.gz .
The staged archive is readable only by its owner. Remove the staged copy after transferring and verifying it; keep your off-VPS backup protected because it contains the server password.
For a restore, stop the server, retain the current world separately and extract the backup into a temporary directory first. Copy its selected world and configuration back as terraria:terraria; start the matching release and verify the recognizable change in a client. Listing the archive alone does not prove restoration.
Diagnose the first failing layer#
| Observation | Next check | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Launcher exits immediately | Run it interactively from its own directory and retain the complete error | Packaging, permissions or runtime failure occurs before networking |
| Console reports a version mismatch | Compare exact client and server versions | Firewall edits cannot resolve incompatible builds |
| Server asks to create a world unexpectedly | Inspect world= and its exact filename | Wrong path or account may select a different save |
| Socket exists but off-VPS join fails | Check provider firewall and public address | A local listener does not verify the external route |
| World loses recent changes | Review whether shutdown used exit and restore a stopped copy | Killing the process is not a verified save operation |
Old Linux guides often combine server boot, automatic generation and service shutdown in one step. Starting once interactively separates those failures and gives you an explicit world to preserve. The next improvement is a supervised service whose stop action actually sends the game's save-and-exit command; validate that workflow with a disposable world before trusting it with this one.
