Edit Starbound’s dedicated-server settings in starbound_server.config, located in the server’s storage folder beside the server binaries. The file is generated on first launch, so run the dedicated server once, close it, edit the JSON in a plain-text editor, then launch the server again.
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This guide follows current community documentation, but Starbound’s install paths and file naming differ between builds. Use the storage directory belonging to the server you actually launch, and keep a backup before changing anything.
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starbound_server.config is the dedicated server’s JSON configuration file. It stores server behavior and access settings, including account entries and (in community examples) password and anonymous-connection options. It is not normally supplied as a finished file with the game installation; the dedicated server creates it when it starts successfully for the first time.
The dependable location rule is more useful than memorizing one absolute path: look in the storage folder next to the directory that contains the dedicated-server executable. A path copied from another machine, guide or hosting panel can be wrong because Steam libraries, Linux users, container mounts and older builds place the installation in different locations.
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Check these prerequisites before changing anything
- Have access to the machine or hosting file manager that contains the dedicated server binaries.
- Use a plain-text editor. Notepad, a code editor or another editor that does not add rich-text formatting is suitable.
- Make sure the server is not running while you save the configuration. Editing a live file can be overwritten when the process exits, and changes are intended to be read at startup.
- Copy the original file to a backup with a clear name, such as
starbound_server.config.backup-2026-10-14. - Be prepared to restore the backup if the server starts with defaults or reports a configuration error.
Generate the file on a new installation
If you cannot find starbound_server.config, it may simply not exist yet. The Steam setup guide documented this first-run sequence for the Windows dedicated server:
- Open the installation’s
win64directory. - Run
starbound_server.exefrom that directory once. - Wait for the process to initialize, then close it cleanly.
- Open the neighboring
storagedirectory and look forstarbound_server.config.
Linux installations follow the same principle: launch the dedicated server once from its own installation directory, allow it to initialize, stop it, and then inspect that installation’s storage directory. If the server was installed under /home/steam/starbound/, for example, the expected directory would be /home/steam/starbound/storage/; your account, package and mount layout may be different.
Find the correct file on each platform
Windows Steam installation
A common Steam layout is ...\steamapps\common\Starbound\win64 for the executable and ... steamapps\common\Starbound\storage for the generated configuration. The exact Steam library drive and parent folders vary. Start by locating the win64 folder that contains the starbound_server.exe you intend to run; then open the storage folder at the same Starbound installation level. Do not edit a similarly named file in another Steam library.
Linux installation
Linux guides identify the file as starbound_server.config inside the installation’s storage directory. Paths such as /home/steam/starbound/storage/ are examples, not universal defaults. Check the service definition, launch script or working directory used by your server, then follow that installation tree to storage.
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Docker and hosted panels
Containerized and panel-managed servers can map the game’s storage directory to a host volume with a completely different path. No single Docker path is established here. Use the panel’s file browser or inspect the volume mounted for the Starbound server, and confirm that the file sits beside the binaries inside the container’s game directory. Editing an unrelated host copy will have no effect.
Use a safe edit procedure
- Stop the dedicated server. Use the server’s normal stop command or service control and wait until the process has exited.
- Back up the file. Duplicate
starbound_server.configbefore touching its contents. Keep the backup outside any automatic reset or replacement workflow if possible. - Open it as text. Do not use a word processor. Preserve the
.configextension; the contents are JSON even though the filename does not end in.json. - Change only the required values. Keep existing commas, braces, quotation marks and capitalization. Avoid reformatting the entire file until you know the editor preserves valid JSON.
- Save, then validate the JSON. Use your editor’s JSON checker or a local validator. A missing comma or quote is enough to invalidate the file.
- Start the server from its installation directory. This keeps relative paths in
sbinit.configpointed at the intendedassets,modsandstoragedirectories. - Verify the result. Connect with the intended account or setting and inspect the startup output. If the server behaves as though it has factory settings, stop it and compare the active file path with your edited copy.
Keep the configuration valid JSON
The file is parsed as JSON, not as an INI file or a script. JSON requires double-quoted property names and string values, commas between sibling properties, and matching braces. It does not allow comments in the middle of the document. Preserve the structure already present in your generated file instead of pasting a complete configuration from an unrelated build.
The Starbounder setup guidance reports a specific recovery behavior: when the server encounters a syntax error at startup, it renames the bad file to starbound_server.config.old and creates a default configuration. That can look like your changes were ignored, but it means the parser rejected the edited file. Stop the server, inspect the renamed file if you need to recover your text, restore your backup, correct the JSON, and validate it before trying again.
A minimal syntax example
This illustrates JSON punctuation only; it is not a complete Starbound configuration and should not replace the file generated by your installation:
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{
"serverPassword": "example",
"allowAnonymousConnections": false
}Whether a particular key is recognized, and what its default is, depends on the build and the existing configuration. Add a key only when it is already documented for your version or present in the generated file.
Configure accounts in serverUsers
For account-based access, community examples place users under a serverUsers object keyed by username. A representative shape is:
"serverUsers" : {
"UsernameHere" : {
"admin" : true,
"password" : "PasswordHere"
}
}The exact format above is an observed community example, not a format confirmed by an official Starbound reference. Treat the file generated by your own server as authoritative: if it already contains a serverUsers section, edit that object and preserve its punctuation and neighboring properties. Usernames are object keys, so each key must be unique within the section.
Adding or changing a user
- Find the existing
serverUsersobject in the generated file. - Add a new username as a quoted key, or edit the matching key if the account already exists.
- Set the nested
passwordvalue to the credential you want the server to check. - Set
adminto the booleantrueorfalse, without quotation marks, if your configuration uses that field. - Ensure the preceding account entry ends with a comma and the final entry does not.
- Save and validate the complete file before restarting.
Use a unique password for each account and avoid sharing the configuration file: it contains credentials in readable text. If you lose track of an account entry, stop the server, restore the known-good backup, and make one controlled change at a time.
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Community-referenced access settings
The following names appear in community configuration references. Their exact defaults and support are not established by an official page in the available documentation, so inspect your generated file and test changes on your own build.
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| Key | Community-described purpose | How to treat it |
|---|---|---|
serverPassword |
A server-wide password; community examples show it empty by default. | Use the key only if it exists in your file or is documented for your build. A blank value and a missing key are not necessarily equivalent. |
allowAnonymousConnections |
Set to false in community examples to limit joins to listed accounts. |
Confirm the behavior with a test account. Do not assume changing this key alone creates or validates users. |
allowAdminCommandsFromAnyone |
Referenced as a testing-only option that can allow administrative commands broadly. | Do not enable it on a public server. If present, treat it as high risk and verify the exact semantics in your build. |
serverUsers |
An object containing named accounts, with nested admin and password fields in community examples. |
Follow the structure already generated by your server; the example syntax has not been officially confirmed. |
Launch from the right working directory
A community summary notes that sbinit.config uses relative paths for assets, mods and storage. Starting the executable while your shell or service is pointed at another directory can therefore load a different set of files, or fail to find the intended ones. The safest practice is to set the process working directory to the folder that contains the server’s supporting directories before launching it.
On Windows, open a command prompt in the Starbound server directory and run the executable there, rather than double-clicking a copy located through a shortcut with an unknown “Start in” value. On Linux, set the service or launch script’s working directory to the Starbound installation directory. For a panel or container, check the configured working directory and volume mount so they refer to the same assets, mods and storage tree.
Apply and verify a change
After saving a valid file, start the same dedicated-server executable you used during first-run generation. Watch its startup output for parse errors, missing-file messages or an indication that a default configuration was created. Then test the specific behavior you changed: sign in with the edited account, try the server password from a separate client, or confirm that an anonymous connection is refused when your access policy requires accounts.
Test with one controlled client before inviting others. If the result does not match the edit, do not immediately add more keys. First confirm the process is stopped, the path is correct, the file timestamp changed, and the launch directory points to the same installation. These checks distinguish an ignored file from a setting that your build does not support.
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The file is missing
Run the dedicated server once from its own directory and close it cleanly. Then inspect the adjacent storage folder. If several Starbound copies exist, locate the executable used by the service or shortcut and follow that copy’s directory tree. A Docker or hosting-panel installation may expose the storage directory only through its volume or file manager.
The server immediately restores defaults
Look for starbound_server.config.old. According to Starbounder’s community guidance, this rename occurs after a syntax error. Compare the renamed file with your backup, fix commas, quotes and braces, remove unsupported comments, validate the JSON, and retry.
Changes have no effect
- Check that the server was stopped before the edit and restarted afterward.
- Confirm you edited
storage/starbound_server.confignext to the binaries actually being launched. - Check the process working directory because relative paths can select another
assets,modsorstoragetree. - Verify that the key is present in your generated file and spelled with the same capitalization.
- Test the smallest possible change and review startup output before making another edit.
Users cannot log in
Recheck the spelling and capitalization of the username key, the nested password field and the JSON commas around the account object. Confirm that the access policy you selected does not still permit or require anonymous connections in a way you did not expect. Because the account schema is community-documented rather than officially specified here, compare your edits with the structure already present in your own generated file.
An older guide names starbound.config
Older forum posts use starbound.config without the _server suffix. Newer setup guides identify the dedicated-server file as starbound_server.config. Do not rename files speculatively: use the filename created by your executable, and keep separate client and server configurations separate.
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Filename and path caveats
Community pages disagree about default folders and were written at different times; one Starbounder page and one Steam guide are several years old. Builds, operating systems and hosting methods can change the layout. The stable rules are to launch the dedicated server once, use the generated file in its own storage directory, preserve valid JSON, and launch from the installation directory that owns that storage folder.
Quick Recap
Final pre-start checklist
- The dedicated server process is stopped.
- A backup of the original configuration exists.
- The edited file is named exactly
starbound_server.configand remains in the correctstoragefolder. - JSON validation reports no syntax errors.
- Account entries, if used, are nested under
serverUsersin the structure your file already uses. - The launch working directory is the Starbound installation directory.
- You have a test account or client ready to verify the one setting you changed.
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