Set a password and keep a Don't Starve Together server private
A password is one field in Startup settings, but there are three different kinds of private in Don't Starve Together, and picking the wrong one either leaves your world open or hides it from your own friends.
6 min read · Updated Oct 21, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team
A password is one field in Startup settings, but there are three different kinds of private in Don't Starve Together, and picking the wrong one either leaves your world open or hides it from your own friends.
Set a password in one minute
- Sign in at customer.guavahost.com, open My servers and click Manage on your Don't Starve Together server.
- Go to the Settings tab and find Startup settings.
- Type your password into Server password and click Save next to it.
- Press Restart at the top of the server page.
Every time the server starts, the panel writes that value into cluster.ini as cluster_password in the [NETWORK] section. That is why this is the field to change: an edit made only in the file is written over on the next start. The cluster.ini guide lists the other settings the panel manages the same way.
To remove the password, clear the field, save and restart. An empty value means an open server.
Your server still appears in the public browser with a password on it, marked as needing one. Anyone can see it, nobody can join without the password. For most groups that is exactly right.
The three kinds of private
| What you want | What to use |
|---|---|
| Listed publicly, only your group can get in | A password |
| Not listed at all, joined on purpose | lan_only_cluster, or an unlisted style of play |
| Listed and open, but slots held for your regulars | whitelist_slots plus whitelist.txt |
These stack. A server can be password protected and hold whitelist slots at the same time, which is the setup most long-running friend groups end up with.
Hiding the server from the browser
lan_only_cluster in the [NETWORK] section of cluster.ini stops the server advertising itself to the public internet. It is designed for a server on your own home network, and on a hosted server it mostly serves as a way to keep the world off the public list.
Before you turn it on, understand what it costs. Players who cannot see the server in the browser have to reach it another way, and that is fiddlier in Don't Starve Together than in most games. A password on a listed server is the option that keeps joining simple, and it is what we would suggest first.
There is also an offline mode in the same section, offline_cluster, which stops the server talking to Klei's services at all. That sounds appealing for privacy and is usually a mistake: without that connection the server cannot authenticate players by their Klei ID, and Workshop mods are not downloaded. If you only want the world off the public list, this is not the setting you want.
To change either one, open Server properties under Game tools in the server menu, which shows cluster.ini as Server settings with a search box, change the value and click Save changes. You can also edit DoNotStarveTogether/config/server/cluster.ini on the Files tab. Keep each setting inside the section it came in, then restart, because the file is read at startup.
Holding slots for your regulars
A whitelist in Don't Starve Together is not a lock on the door, it is a reservation. whitelist_slots in [NETWORK] sets how many of your slots are held for the Klei user IDs listed in whitelist.txt, so the server can be busy with strangers and your friends can still get in.
- On the Files tab, open
DoNotStarveTogether/config/server/, the folder withcluster.iniin it. - Open
whitelist.txtand put one Klei ID per line, in theKU_AbCdEfGhform. If the file is not there, make a plain text file with that name on your computer and upload it with Upload files. - Set
whitelist_slotsincluster.inito the number of slots you want held. - Save and restart.
Making yourself admin shows how to find a Klei ID, which is the same ID you use for the admin list and the block list. The three files sit together at cluster level, so one copy of each covers both the surface and the caves.
Keeping unwanted players out for good
A password is the right tool for keeping a server private and the wrong tool for dealing with one specific person, because changing it inconveniences everybody. For that, use the block list: blocklist.txt in the same cluster folder, one Klei ID per line, read at startup. An admin can also ban from the console with TheNet:Ban("KU_..."), which works while the person is online.
If somebody has already caused damage, the order of events that saves the most time is: take a backup from the Backups page, block the ID, change the password, restart, then hand the new password out by name.
Choosing a password your friends can type
- Keep it short and sayable. You will be reading it out in a voice call, and the game's join box is not forgiving of typos.
- Avoid characters that are awkward on a different keyboard layout.
- Never reuse the password from your GuavaHost account or your e-mail. Server passwords get pasted into Discord channels and screenshots constantly, and your GuavaHost login is the one that actually matters.
- Change it when a group breaks up or a server has been posted somewhere public. It costs you one message.
What your players see
A password protected server shows in the browser with the name and description you set, and asks for the password when they click join. A wrong password is refused clearly, which makes this the easiest kind of private to support: nobody has to guess what went wrong.
Two things to check if a friend cannot get in:
- The description, not the password, is what people read. Set Server description in Startup settings so your group can recognise the right server in a long list.
- A server missing from the browser is a different problem. That is usually the cluster token, a mod stopping the boot, or a browser filter rather than anything you set here. Don't Starve Together server not showing works through it, and connecting to your server has the join steps to send someone.
If you are weighing up a password against a whitelist in general terms, whitelist, password or private server compares the approaches across games.
Common questions
Where is the Don't Starve Together server password stored?
In cluster.ini as cluster_password in the [NETWORK] section, written there from the Server password field in Startup settings every time the server starts. Change it in Startup settings so your change survives the next restart.
Can I hide my server from the public browser?
Yes, with lan_only_cluster in cluster.ini, but it makes joining harder for your own friends too. A password on a listed server gives you the same privacy with far less hassle, which is why most groups use one.
Does a whitelist stop other people joining?
No. In Don't Starve Together a whitelist reserves slots for the players on it rather than turning everyone else away, so pair it with a password if you want the server genuinely closed.
Will changing the password kick people who are already on?
No, a change applies from the next restart and does not throw out players who are already connected. If you need somebody gone now, an admin can kick or ban them from the console.
Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.
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