How to port forward a 7 Days to Die server
7 Days to Die has the most unusual port layout here: the game port on both TCP and UDP, then three further UDP ports immediately above it for server data and the Steam query.
Your setup
Pick the firmware family, not the exact model — the menus are identical across a range.
Default is 26900. If you changed it, it is the value of ServerPort in serverconfig.xml.
The private address of the machine running the server — ipconfig on Windows, ip addr on Linux. It starts with 192.168, 10. or 172.
Open these
This firmware accepts ranges, so each line below is a single rule.
- 26900 TCP
- 26900-26903 UDP
26900TCPGame trafficServerPort. 7 Days needs TCP here and UDP on the ports above it — an unusual split that trips most people up.26900UDPGame trafficThe same number over UDP.26901UDPServer dataClaimed automatically alongside the main port.26902UDPServer dataClaimed automatically alongside the main port.26903UDPSteam queryNeeded to show up in the server browser.
Do not open these
These are administrative sockets. Plenty of guides list them next to the game ports; opening them puts a remote console for your server on the public internet.
8080TCPWeb dashboardThe control panel. It has a login, but it is still an admin surface on a game box.8081TCPTelnetUnencrypted remote console. Forwarding this is the worst mistake available on this page.
If you need remote administration, reach the machine over SSH or a VPN and talk to the port from there. The port stays closed to everyone else.
Step by step: your router
- 1
Give the server a fixed local IP
A forward points at one address. If the server picks up a different one after a reboot, the rule silently starts pointing at nothing — this is why forwards "stop working" on their own.
On this router:look for DHCP Reservation, Address Reservation, Static Lease or Manually Assigned IP
- 2
Open the router admin page
Try these addresses in a browser on the same network:
- 192.168.0.1
- 192.168.1.1
- 192.168.2.1
- 10.0.0.1
Almost always printed on a sticker on the router itself.
- 3
Find the port forwarding page
Port Forwarding, Virtual Server, NAT, Applications & Gaming, or Port Mapping
Vendors use at least six names for the same feature. Whatever it is called, the page you want is the one asking for a port, a protocol and a device on your network. If the external and internal port fields both exist, set them to the same number.
- 4
Create one rule per line
a description field, if there is one External / WAN / Public / Service port Internal / LAN / Private port Protocol Internal IP / Device / Server IP 7 Days to Die 26900 26900 TCP your server’s local IP 7 Days to Die 26900-26903 26900-26903 UDP your server’s local IP External and internal port are the same number here. Changing the external port is possible, but then everyone connects on the new one, so keep them matched unless you have a reason.
- 5
Let the server through its own firewall
The router now sends traffic to the machine, and the machine can still refuse it. Windows Defender Firewall in particular blocks a freshly installed dedicated server by default, which looks exactly like a failed forward.
Take it with you
7 Days to Die — port forwarding rules ------------------------------------- 26900 TCP -> <server local IP> 26900-26903 UDP -> <server local IP>
Check whether it worked
Test from outside your own network. Connecting from a machine in the house proves nothing — that traffic never leaves the LAN and never touches the rule you just wrote.
What usually goes wrong
The mixed protocol split is what catches people. Opening the range on UDP alone leaves the game port half-configured; opening TCP alone leaves everything else shut. Beyond that, the server ships with a telnet console and a web dashboard, and neither belongs on the public internet — telnet in particular sends its password in clear text, so forwarding it hands over full control of the server to anyone who watches the connection.
Not forwarding at all
Horde nights are the moment a 7 Days server shows what hardware it is on, because the zombie count spikes at exactly the time everyone is playing. If the server is already struggling on a quiet evening, day seven will not go well.