How to Move a Don't Starve Together Server to a New Host

Q: Where are Don't Starve Together server saves stored?

In each shard's save folder inside the cluster folder, ~/.klei/DoNotStarveTogether/ /Master/save and Caves/save by default.

Q: Will players keep their characters?

Yes, as long as both shards' save folders move together.

Q: Why are my mods missing after moving?

dedicatedservermodssetup.lua lives in the game's mods folder, not the cluster folder. Copy it, or add the Workshop IDs again.

To move a Don't Starve Together server to a new host, stop both shards and download the cluster folder (for example ~/.klei/DoNotStarveTogether/MyDediServer/): cluster.ini, cluster_token.txt, adminlist.txt, and the Master and Caves folders with their save folders, modoverrides.lua and leveldataoverride.lua. Also take dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua from the game's mods folder, which sits outside the cluster. Upload everything to the new cluster folder, keep the new host's ports, and start both shards.

What you can and cannot move

Thing	Moves to the new server?
The surface world, day count, season, bases	Yes, `Master/save/`
The caves and ruins	Yes, `Caves/save/`. Leave it out and the caves regenerate
Players' characters (who they are, inventories, where they stood)	Yes. They are saved per shard on the server
Admins, bans and whitelist	Yes, `adminlist.txt`, `blocklist.txt` and `whitelist.txt`
Name, password, game mode, max players, PvP	Yes, `cluster.ini`
World generation settings	Yes, each shard's `leveldataoverride.lua` or `worldgenoverride.lua`
Which mods download	Yes, `dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua` from the game's `mods` folder
Which mods are enabled, with their options	Yes, each shard's `modoverrides.lua`
Console servers	No. Console versions cannot run or join PC dedicated servers

What goes where

File or folder	What it holds	Old server	New server
`cluster.ini`	Name, password, game mode, max players, `[SHARD]` link	Cluster folder	Cluster folder (merge, see Step 4)
`cluster_token.txt`	Klei server token, starts with `pds-g`	Cluster folder	Cluster folder, or a fresh token
`adminlist.txt`, `blocklist.txt`, `whitelist.txt`	Klei IDs starting with `KU_`	Cluster folder	Cluster folder
`Master/save/`	The surface world and its players	`Master/`	`Master/`
`Caves/save/`	The caves world and its players	`Caves/`	`Caves/`
`Master/modoverrides.lua`, `Caves/modoverrides.lua`	Mods enabled on each shard, and their settings	Each shard folder	Each shard folder
`Master/leveldataoverride.lua`, `Caves/leveldataoverride.lua`	World settings per shard	Each shard folder	Each shard folder
`Master/server.ini`, `Caves/server.ini`	Shard ports and whether it is the master	Each shard folder	Keep the new host's
`dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua`	Workshop mods to download	`mods/` in the server install folder	`mods/` in the new install folder

The cluster folder is ~/.klei/DoNotStarveTogether/<cluster>/ on Linux and Documents\Klei\DoNotStarveTogether\<cluster>\ on Windows by default. Hosts often move it with the -persistent_storage_root, -conf_dir and -cluster launch options, so check the start line if it is not there.

Survivors around a camp at dusk in Don't Starve Together

Before you start

Save and stop both shards. Run c_save() in the Master console, wait a moment, then shut down with c_shutdown(). Copying while a shard runs can give you a surface and caves from different days.
Note the mods. Copy the Workshop IDs from the old dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua and both modoverrides.lua files.
Have your Klei token ready. You can reuse the old token, or make a fresh one at accounts.klei.com.

Step 1: Download from the old host

Use the host's backup download, the file manager's zip option on the cluster folder, or SFTP with FileZilla or WinSCP. Download the whole cluster folder and the one dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua file from the install folder's mods directory. You do not need the Workshop mod files themselves; the new server downloads them.

Step 2: Do not forget the mod download list

This is the file almost everyone misses. DST splits mods across two places:

dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua in the game install's mods folder says which Workshop mods to download, with lines like ServerModSetup("378160973").
modoverrides.lua in each shard says which of those are enabled and with what options.

Because the setup file lives outside the cluster folder, it gets left behind when people copy "the world". The new server then never downloads the mods, the enabled list points at nothing, and the world loads with modded items and structures missing. Copy it into the new server's mods folder, or add each ID by hand.

Step 3: Upload the saves for both shards

Stop the new server, then upload:

Master/save/ into the new cluster's Master folder, replacing what is there.
Caves/save/ into the new cluster's Caves folder.
Both modoverrides.lua and leveldataoverride.lua files into their shard folders.
adminlist.txt, blocklist.txt and whitelist.txt into the cluster folder.

Always move both shards together. A surface from one server with caves from another breaks the links between sinkholes and stairs.

Step 4: Merge cluster.ini, keep the new ports

Copy your [GAMEPLAY] and [NETWORK] values (game_mode, max_players, pvp, cluster_name, cluster_password, cluster_description) into the new cluster.ini. Keep the new host's [SHARD] section and both server.ini files, because the ports, master_port and cluster_key there belong to the new machine. Copying old ports is a common reason the caves shard never connects. The full layout is in our guide to running a DST server with caves.

Step 5: Start and check

Start the server and watch both shard logs. Join, check the day count and your base, then go down a sinkhole to check the caves. Search for the cluster name in Browse Games, ticking the modded and password filters if they apply.

Common problems

Mods missing, modded items gone: dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua was not copied, or a mod is enabled in only one shard's modoverrides.lua.
Caves are a brand new world: Caves/save/ was not uploaded, or went into the wrong folder.
Server never appears online: cluster_token.txt is missing or holds an old or revoked token. Make a new one.
Caves shard will not connect: the old server.ini or [SHARD] ports came across and clash with the new host.
Admins lost powers: adminlist.txt went into a shard folder instead of the cluster folder.

Moving to GamezServers

On a Don't Starve Together server from GamezServers, the cluster folder is DoNotStarveTogether/config/server/, with surface and caves already running as two shards. Click Backup, stop the server, and upload both save folders, your lua files and admin lists from the Files tab or over SFTP (login in Settings). Your mod download list goes in mods/dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua. The file manager can extract a zip or download one straight from a link. Paste your token in the Klei server token field, and your day count keeps going without anyone's PC.

FAQ

Where are Don't Starve Together server saves stored?

In each shard's save folder inside the cluster folder, ~/.klei/DoNotStarveTogether/<cluster>/Master/save and Caves/save by default.

Will players keep their characters?

Yes, as long as both shards' save folders move together.

Can I reuse my cluster token?

Yes. The token is tied to your Klei account, not the machine. If it was shared or leaked, make a new one on your Klei account.

Why are my mods missing after moving?

dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua lives in the game's mods folder, not the cluster folder. Copy it, or add the Workshop IDs again.