dedicatedserver.cfg: tuning your Sons of the Forest server properly

The entire behavior of a dedicated Sons of the Forest server lives in a single text file: dedicatedserver.cfg. Knowing it line by line is what takes you from a server that "works" to a server tailored to your group. Let's break down the keys that truly weigh on an 8-player island.

Anatomy of the dedicatedserver.cfg file

• ServerName: the label players see. A clear name avoids confusion in the menu.
• Password: filled in, it locks the island as private; left empty, it opens it to everyone.
• MaxPlayers: the number of slots, capped at 8. To be matched to the available RAM.
• GameMode: Normal, Hard or custom, which drives cannibal aggressiveness and the survival pace.
• PvpEnabled: allows or cuts off damage between teammates.
• SaveInterval: how often the persistent world is written to disk.

Lock or open: the Password question

A closed group sets a Password and shares it outside the game; the island then appears only to those who hold it. A public community leaves the field empty but exposes itself to moderation and unwanted visits. In either case, an Anti-DDoS active upstream keeps a session night from turning into a general disconnect.

Setting the difficulty without breaking the mood

Hard mode transforms the nights: more mutants, scarcer resources, more punishing seasons. For a mixed group, a Normal setting keeps the horror without discouraging newcomers. Test it across a few evenings before you lock in your choice.

Nothing applies on the fly: every change to dedicatedserver.cfg is only taken into account after a full server restart.

Editing without opening the file

On a Sons of the Forest server at Fly-Serv, FlyPanel exposes these settings in an interface: you adjust slots, difficulty or PvP with a click, then restart the server with a single button, no SFTP or text editor. No server on hand yet? Start with How to create a Sons of the Forest server, then deploy your own from €7.99/month.