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Knowledge base

Set up your Project Zomboid server

Admin account, server settings and Steam Workshop mods.

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Updated 4 November 2026

This guide covers the basics of your Project Zomboid server: your admin account, the most important settings, and installing Steam Workshop mods. You do everything in SparkPanel.

1. Your admin account

Your server gets an admin account when it's created. In SparkPanel, go to Settings: you'll find the Admin Username (default admin) and a random Admin Password. Log in with these in the game to get admin rights. Change the password there if you like, then restart.

Give other players admin rights from the console with setaccesslevel PlayerName admin. In the game chat, use the same command with a slash: /setaccesslevel PlayerName admin.

2. Join your server

  1. Start Project Zomboid and click Join.
  2. Enter the address and port from SparkPanel under Connect (for example g-fi-07.serverspark.nl and 25566).
  3. Pick a username and password for your character on this server.

3. Server settings

The settings are in two files. In SparkPanel, go to Files and open .cache/Server:

  • ServerSpark.ini: server rules, such as MaxPlayers, Password (a join password for everyone), Public (show in the server list), PVP and PauseEmpty.
  • ServerSpark_SandboxVars.lua: the world itself, such as zombie count, loot rarity and day length.

Stop the server before you edit these files, then start it again. The file names follow the Server Name in Settings. If you change that name, the server starts a new world with new files.

4. Workshop mods

  1. Open the mod on the Steam Workshop. Note the Workshop ID (the number in the page address) and the Mod ID (listed in the mod description).
  2. Stop the server and open .cache/Server/ServerSpark.ini.
  3. Add the numbers to WorkshopItems= and the Mod IDs to Mods=, separated by semicolons, for example: 
    WorkshopItems=1111111111;2222222222
Mods=FirstModID;SecondModID
  4. Start the server. It downloads the mods on start; the first time takes a little longer.

Players get the same mods automatically when they join.

Backups

We back up your server every night. Before you add mods or change the world settings, make an extra backup via Backups → Create backup in SparkPanel.

Questions? Email info@serverspark.nl.