How to Move a Vintage Story World to a Server

To move a Vintage Story world to a server, copy the world's .vcdbs file from %AppData%\VintagestoryData\Saves\ (Windows) or ~/.config/VintagestoryData/Saves/ (Linux) into the server's Saves folder. Then, with the server stopped, set WorldConfig > SaveFileLocation in the server's serverconfig.json to the file's full path on the server, or rename your save to default.vcdbs. Server and players need the same game version and the same content mods.

What you can and cannot move

What goes where

A world is one .vcdbs file, a database, named after the world. Paste %AppData%\VintagestoryData\Saves into the Windows Run box (Win + R) to open the folder.

On GamezServers the data folder is data/, so the save goes in data/Saves/ and the config is data/serverconfig.json.

Before you start

• Exit the world to the main menu so the save is closed.
• Back up the .vcdbs file.
• Match the version. Check the version on your main menu and set the server to the same one, for example 1.22 stable.
• Match the mods. Note every mod in your Mods folder that the world uses, with its version.

Step 1: Stop the server and back it up

Stop the server and take a backup. Look in its Saves folder: a fresh server has already made default.vcdbs.

Step 2: Upload the save

Upload your .vcdbs into the server's Saves folder. The simple route is to rename it to default.vcdbs first (move the server's own default.vcdbs out of the way), because that is the name a fresh server loads. Large explored worlds run to gigabytes, so use SFTP rather than a browser upload.

Step 3: Or point serverconfig.json at your file

To keep your own file name, open serverconfig.json with the server stopped and find SaveFileLocation under WorldConfig. Set it to the full path on the server. On GamezServers that looks like this:

"WorldConfig": {
  "SaveFileLocation": "/home/container/data/Saves/Riverside.vcdbs",
  ...
}

Keep the rest of the file as it is. The settings are listed on the Vintage Story wiki's server config page.

Step 4: Upload mods and start

Upload the same mod .zip files into the server's Mods folder, at the versions the world used. Start the server and watch the console until the world has loaded. Then let your friends in (see the whitelist note below).

The gotcha: SaveFileLocation is a full path from another machine

SaveFileLocation is not a file name, it is a complete path, and the default depends on the machine that wrote the config: C:\Users\you\AppData\Roaming\VintagestoryData\Saves\default.vcdbs on Windows, /home/user/.config/VintagestoryData/Saves/default.vcdbs on Linux. People copy their PC's serverconfig.json to the server, or type just Riverside.vcdbs, and the server cannot find the file. It does not stop with an error: it quietly generates a brand new world at that path, and you are wandering a fresh map wondering where your base went.

Always use the server's own path. If you are not sure of it, look at what the server wrote into SaveFileLocation on its first start and change only the file name at the end.

The second trap: settings under WorldConfig such as WorldName, PlayStyle and WorldConfiguration only apply when a new world is created. Your world keeps its own settings inside the .vcdbs, so changing those keys does nothing to it. Change world rules in game with /worldconfig as an admin instead.

Will everyone keep their characters?

Yes. Player data, including inventories, positions and class, is stored in the world file, so friends who played in your world find their characters when they join the server with the same account.

Common problems

• Server made a new world: SaveFileLocation points at the wrong path, or the save is not named default.vcdbs. Check the path matches the server's folders exactly, capitals included.
• Friends cannot join: dedicated servers whitelist by default. Add them with /player NAME whitelist on in the console, and make yourself admin with /op NAME.
• "Unknown block" placeholders everywhere: a content mod is missing or on another version. Add the same mod versions to Mods.
• Players get a version error: the server is on a different release than their game. Match the version on both sides.
• World will not load after a mod update: restore your backup, then update mods one at a time.

Moving it to GamezServers

On a Vintage Story server from GamezServers, you pick the release branch and exact version in the panel so the server matches your game, then upload the save to data/Saves/ over SFTP (login in Settings) or in the file manager, which also handles zips, extracting and downloading a file from a link straight to the server. Click Backup before replacing anything, and crops keep growing without anyone's PC on. For first time setup, see how to host a Vintage Story server.

FAQ

Where are Vintage Story saves stored?

In %AppData%\VintagestoryData\Saves\ on Windows and ~/.config/VintagestoryData/Saves/ on Linux, as one .vcdbs file per world.

Will my friends keep their characters?

Yes. Inventories, positions and classes are saved in the .vcdbs world file, so they move with it.

Why does my server keep generating a new world?

SaveFileLocation in serverconfig.json does not point at your file. Use the full path on the server, or rename your save to default.vcdbs.

Do players need my server's mods?

Mods marked server side or universal are offered to players automatically when they join. The server itself must have every content mod the world uses.