How to Add Mods to Your DayZ Server

Mods are what make a DayZ server yours, and the panel installs them straight from the Steam Workshop. Add a mod on the Mods page, restart, and the server downloads it and its signing key. Players get the same mods through the DayZ Launcher when they join.

1Back Up First

• Log in to your game panel and click your DayZ server.
• Before a big mod change, take a manual backup. A mod that fails to load stops the server from starting, and a backup makes that a quick fix.

2Add a Mod From the Workshop

• Open Mods in the left menu.
• Paste the Steam Workshop link of the mod (or of a whole collection) in the field at the top and press add. The panel looks the mod up and shows its title.
• Repeat for every mod. The order in the list is the load order; put frameworks such as CF and Community Online Tools above the mods that depend on them.
• Save the list and restart the server. The console shows the download progress; large mods take a few minutes on the first start.

3Server-Side Mods

• Mods that only run on the server, such as admin tools or loot editors, go under Advanced: server-side mods.
• Players do not need these and are not kicked for not having them, even with Verify Signatures on.

4Let Players Join With the Mods

• Players join from the Community tab of the DayZ Launcher. The launcher reads the server's mod list, subscribes to the mods and loads them before starting the game.
• Nothing to send around: no modlist files, no manual subscriptions. If a player joins with different mods, the server kicks them at connection and the launcher tells them which mod is missing.

Good to Know

• Hidden and friends-only Workshop items cannot be downloaded and stop the server from starting. Every mod has to be public on the Workshop.
• Mods update with the server. With Automatic Updates on, every start checks the server and every Workshop mod for updates. The Restarts page can restart the server when an update is published, so players on the new version can join.
• A modlist from the launcher can be imported too: upload the exported .html modlist with the file manager, set it as Modlist File on the Game Settings page, and press Import on the Mods page. The panel then manages those mods like the rest.
• Disk cleanup. Mods you removed stay on the disk until you delete them. The Cleanup tab on the Mods page finds unused mod folders and deletes them.
• Mods that will not load on Linux usually have upper case file names. Turn on Lowercase Mod Files on the Game Settings page for one start.

Finished

The server runs your mods and the launcher hands them to your players. Take another backup now that it works, so you have a known good copy after the next mod update.