Hytale Server config.json Explained, Option by Option

Where they are and why the server must be stopped

The server one is in the folder it starts from (with the official launcher, Server/config.json). Each world's is in universe/worlds/<world name>/config.json.

The server reads them on startup and writes them again when something happens in the game, such as granting a permission with a command. That's why the manual warns that anything you change while the server is running will most likely be lost. Stop it, make the change, save and start it.

And watch the format: one comma too many or an unclosed quote and the server can't read the configuration (the console shows an error like “Failed to read server config!”). If that happens, undo the last thing you touched (more startup failures).

The server options

ServerName: the server name players see.

MOTD: the welcome message. Left empty, none is shown.

Password: the password to join. Left empty, anyone with the address can join.

MaxPlayers: how many players can be on at once. With the server running you can also change it with the “maxplayers” command and the number.

MaxViewRadius: the maximum view distance, in chunks of 32 blocks. It's what uses the most RAM (how much, in the RAM guide). The manual recommends 12 (384 blocks). Since Update 7 it accepts 1 to 32: if you set more, the server starts anyway and caps it at 32 with a warning. While running, “maxviewradius” and the number.

Defaults → World: the world loaded when players join, by the name of its folder in universe/worlds. With a name that doesn't exist, the server creates a new world; the old one stays in its folder. It's the thing to check when uploading your world to a server.

Defaults → GameMode: the players' game mode, Adventure or Creative.

Updates (the Update section)

Enabled: whether the server looks for new versions (yes by default). CheckIntervalSeconds: how often it checks, in seconds (3600, every hour). NotifyPlayersOnAvailable: tells players with permission when there's one.

AutoApplyMode is the one that matters. With Disabled (the default) it downloads the new version but doesn't install it until you type “update apply --confirm”. With WhenEmpty it installs it by itself when nobody is connected. With Scheduled it installs it after AutoApplyDelayMinutes (30 by default) even if people are on, warning them first.

WhenEmpty is the most convenient for a group of friends: when a version comes out, the players' game updates and, if the server doesn't, nobody can join. Patchline picks the branch (empty means your version's branch, usually release), and RunBackupBeforeUpdate and BackupConfigBeforeUpdate make a backup before updating.

All of this only works with the official launcher (start.sh or start.bat) and its folder layout. If you start the server some other way, the updater stays off. The commands to do it by hand are in the updates guide.

Each world's options

IsPvpEnabled: whether players can attack each other. In a new world it's false (no).

IsFallDamageEnabled: fall damage. It's true (yes).

IsSpawningNPC: whether creatures, animals and enemies spawn on their own. It's true.

IsAllNPCFrozen: with true, no creature moves.

IsGameTimePaused: with true, day and night don't advance.

Seed is the seed the world was generated with. Leave the rest as it is (what saves, loads and unloads the world, such as IsSavingChunks or IsSavingPlayers): turning it off can stop your game from being saved.

The other files in the folder

Next to config.json you'll find permissions.json (permissions and groups), bans.json (banned players), the mods folder, the universe folder with the worlds and players, and logs with the logs. Since Update 6 (August 2026) the whitelist works through permissions: if you had a whitelist.json, the server renamed it to whitelist.json.migrated. Permissions are best handled with commands: the Hytale server permissions guide explains it.

On NapNodes: the “Settings” tab

The most used options are in “Settings”, explained in plain words and without touching the JSON: under “The essentials”, Server name, Welcome message, Password to join, Max players, Game mode and World; under “The world”, PvP, fall damage, whether creatures spawn, whether they're frozen and pausing time; under “Performance”, view distance and compressing traffic.

While the server is running, the settings are locked and the panel asks you to stop it, because Hytale rewrites them when it shuts down. Stopped, they save automatically when you change them and apply when you start it. Updates already come set to WhenEmpty, so there's nothing to touch. Anything that isn't in the panel is in “Files” → Server → config.json, also with the server stopped.

Frequently asked questions