7DTD Telnet & Web Dashboard Setup

7 Days to Die uses Telnet (not traditional RCON) for remote administration. Pick your use case below — the tool generates your serverconfig.xml block, Linux firewall commands, and CSMM connection string automatically.

Step 1 — Choose Your Use Case

Password security — read this first

Blank TelnetPassword = localhost-only access (SECURE). The server will refuse all Telnet connections from outside the machine — this is the right choice when CSMM runs on the same box. Only set a password if you need remote Telnet access from a different machine or IP. If you do set a password, use at least 16 random characters.

Step 2 — Configure Settings

Telnet (Remote Admin)

Default: 8081 (TCP)

Localhost-only mode — most secure option.

Failed attempts before block (default 10)

Seconds IP is blocked (default 10)

Ports Summary

26900 UDP Game port — always open Always required
8081 TCP Telnet — localhost only, no firewall rule neededLocalhost only

serverconfig.xml — Telnet & Dashboard Block

Merge these properties into your existing serverconfig.xml inside <ServerSettings>.

<!-- Telnet & Web Dashboard — paste inside <ServerSettings> -->

<!-- Telnet (remote admin / CSMM) -->
<property name="TelnetEnabled"              value="true"/>
<property name="TelnetPort"                 value="8081"/>
<property name="TelnetPassword"             value=""/>
<property name="TelnetFailedLoginLimit"     value="10"/>
<property name="TelnetFailedLoginsBlocktime" value="10"/>

Linux Firewall Commands (ufw)

# Game port — always required
sudo ufw allow 26900/udp
sudo ufw allow 26901/udp  # query port
sudo ufw allow 26902/udp  # steam port

# Telnet on port 8081 — localhost-only, no firewall rule needed

# Reload and check status
sudo ufw reload
sudo ufw status

CSMM Connection String

telnet://localhost:8081

CSMM on the same machine connects via localhost — no password needed and no port exposure required.

CSMM Connection Checklist

  1. 1
    Add these settings to serverconfig.xml and (re)start the server
  2. 2
    Confirm the server started without errors — check the server console for "Telnet activated"
  3. 3
    On the CSMM server page, paste the connection string above into the "Telnet connection string" field
  4. 4
    Set the CSMM Telnet password to match TelnetPassword (or leave blank if localhost-only)
  5. 5
    Click "Test connection" in CSMM — a green tick confirms success
  6. 6
    If the test fails: verify the port is correct, check ufw allows the port, confirm no other process is on that port
  7. 7
    Enable CSMM auto-import and set the timezone to match your server
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