Forest and Caves as one persistent cluster
A complete Don't Starve Together world is not one process. The Forest is the master shard and Caves is a second server process with its own save and public UDP port. GHosting starts, stops and restarts both together, while keeping migration portals and character travel inside one cluster.
That two-shard layout is included on every plan. You do not have to choose between the surface and Ruins content or maintain a second service by hand.
Workshop mods on both shards
A modded cluster needs one file that tells the dedicated server what to download and a separate modoverrides.lua inside every shard that should load it. The Mods tab handles both layers: paste Workshop links, save and restart, and the same selected items are enabled in Forest and Caves.
Advanced configuration and world-generation overrides remain available through Files and SFTP. The server keeps worlds and saves separate from the Steam installation, so a managed update does not replace the cluster data.
Settings without rebuilding cluster.ini
The panel exposes the settings groups actually use: join password, description, player cap, Survival, Endless or Wilderness mode, browser playstyle, PvP, pause when empty and vote kicks. Save without interrupting players, then restart both shards when you are ready to apply the change.
Klei requires a cluster token for every online dedicated server. Create one in Klei Accounts, paste it into the masked token field, and restart. A brand-new install stays in offline setup mode until that token exists instead of failing halfway through provisioning.
Choosing a plan for two processes
Klei notes that Forest plus Caves is more CPU-intensive because both worlds run simultaneously. Mods add download time and memory on each shard, so size for the combined cluster rather than a single empty world.
- Small vanilla group: 4 GB Campfire
- Regular group with a practical mod list: 6 GB Stronghold
- Larger group or heavier Workshop collection: 8 GB Ancient
Console, versions and durable saves
The Console tab combines live Forest and Caves output and accepts safe Lua administration commands on the master shard. Version checks compare the installed dedicated-server build with Steam, and Force update validates app 343050 before restoring the managed cluster configuration.
Automatic snapshots are enabled, pause when empty is on by default, and optional daily restarts shut down both shards together. Worlds, player data, token, mod selections and custom world-generation files stay inside the server directory with browser file access and SFTP.
Try the real cluster for 48 hours
A verified account can start one 48-hour Campfire trial with no payment card and no automatic renewal, subject to available capacity. It is the complete Forest and Caves cluster rather than a surface-only demo.
That matters here more than in most games, because Klei is explicit that running both shards at once is the heavier configuration. Paste your Klei token, enable the mod list, send people underground while others stay up top, and find out whether 4 GB suits your group before paying. If you continue, the same cluster, token and mods carry on.
Regions and flexible billing
Pick Europe or North America based on where most of your group plays. Don't Starve Together is fairly forgiving about latency, but the moment that changes is a boss fight, which is also the moment a rollback costs the most.
Choose pay once or optional automatic renewal. A pay-once server stops at the end of its term, while a subscription renews for the amount and cadence accepted at checkout until you cancel. Renew inside the seven-day grace window and both shards come back with the same world, mods and Klei token in place. Past that the server is deleted, so download the cluster directory if a run is on hold between updates. Your first server is covered by a 72-hour money-back guarantee.