The Sons of The Forest dedicated server on your VPS is deployed inside a Docker container and managed from the /sotf directory. You can customize it by editing the Docker Compose file and the server configuration file.
Adjust the Docker Compose file
The main Compose file is:
/sotf/docker-compose.yml
From here you can change:
Container name
Port mappings (8766/udp, 27016/udp, 9700/udp by default)
Environment variables that control updates and logging
The volume mapping for game data (
./game:/sonsoftheforest)
After editing, run your usual Docker Compose commands in /sotf to recreate or restart the container so the changes take effect.
Edit the dedicated server configuration
Extended server settings are stored in:
/sotf/game/userdata/dedicatedserver.cfg
This file controls game-specific behavior such as server name, difficulty, player limits, and other gameplay rules. Edit it to match your preferences, then restart the Docker container to apply the new configuration.