Terraria server mods and plugins

Terraria mods run on tModLoader, a free mod loader with its own Steam Workshop. TShock servers take plugins instead, which add admin tools but no new items. A vanilla server can’t run either, so pick the right server type first.

To change type, see vanilla, tModLoader or TShock.

Add tModLoader mods from the Mods tab

1. Open Mods. On a tModLoader server, it searches the tModLoader Steam Workshop.
2. Pick a mod and install it. Mods it depends on come with it, and we make a backup first.
3. Restart the server from Overview.
4. Watch the Console until the server says it has started.

Content mods change your world, so add them before you settle in. If you remove one, its items and blocks stop working in that world. tModLoader keeps them as placeholders, so they come back if you add the mod again.

Add tModLoader mods by hand

Use this for a mod that isn’t on the Workshop, or to copy your exact mod list.

1. Stop the server.
2. In Files, or with SFTP, open the Mods folder inside tModLoader, under .local/share/Terraria.
3. Upload the .tmod files.
4. Open enabled.json in that folder. It lists the mods to load. Add each new mod’s name, which is its file name without .tmod, in quotes.
5. Start the server, and check the Console for errors.

To copy your own setup, open tModLoader on your PC and go to Workshop > Mod Packs. Choose Save Enabled as New Mod Pack, then Open Mod Pack Folder. The folder holds enabled.json and install.txt, the list of Workshop mods. Use those lists to install the same mods from Mods.

What your friends need

Each friend needs tModLoader, free on Steam for anyone who owns Terraria. They don’t need to find the mods. When they join, tModLoader downloads the server’s mods from the server, then reloads.

• Mods that only run on their own PC, like some interface mods, can stay on.
• Other mods they have on, which the server doesn’t use, are turned off when they join.
• If a mod isn’t on the Workshop, or differs from the Workshop copy, tModLoader warns them before downloading.

Updates and version matching

Mods never update on their own. Mods shows when an update is ready, and a backup is made before you install it.

tModLoader itself updates once a month. The server and every player need the same tModLoader version, or the game shows “You are on …, server is on …”. After a monthly update, restart the server so it updates too, unless you pinned a version in Settings.

Stay on the normal stable version of tModLoader. Beta branches, like the 1.4.5-dev test branch, can’t join a stable server.

TShock plugins

TShock plugins are .dll files.

1. Make a backup in Backups.
2. Upload the plugin to the ServerPlugins folder with Files or SFTP, or with Mods.
3. Restart the server and look for errors in the Console.

A plugin must be made for your TShock version. After a TShock update, check that each plugin has a new version. If the server won’t start, remove the last plugin you added.

Players don’t install anything for TShock plugins. They join with normal Terraria.

Vanilla Terraria

Vanilla has no mods or plugins. You can still change a lot in Settings and serverconfig.txt: world size, difficulty, seed, max players and Journey Mode powers. See the config reference.