Instances
Every server gets its own world: own mods, own mission, own ports.
Creating and starting a server
- Ports are allocated automatically
- An optional bind IP per instance
- Fixed CPU cores per server
Beta · free · DayZ server manager for Windows
All your DayZ servers. One window. Finally quiet.
Pick your mods, start your server, done. Keys, load order, dependencies and economy are handled in the background, on your own DayZ server.
Free · no sign-up · no cloud
You know these
Setting up a DayZ server: five evenings nobody gives back to you
Everyone running a DayZ server knows all five. DZSS was built against exactly these.
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BeforeEvery DayZ update wipes the economy you tuned.
With DZSSYour changes sit in a layer of their own on top of the vanilla files. A patch never touches them.
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BeforeOne key in the wrong folder, and every player is rejected on join.
With DZSSKeys, load order and dependencies are set by DZSS when you apply.
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BeforeThe server freezes at three in the morning. Nobody notices.
With DZSSThe watchdog queries every server every 30 seconds and brings it back before you wake up.
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BeforeOne click too fast on wipe, and the save is gone.
With DZSSA backup is taken before every restart and every restore. Back in seconds.
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BeforeA player is stuck and needs help. You would have to launch DayZ and join your own server first.
With DZSSYou see on the map where they are and answer them straight from the program, without launching DayZ.
Features
Your DayZ servers, all in one place
What a server owner touches every day, with no terminal and no hand-edited XML.
Monitoring & RCON
The watchdog notices a frozen server and brings it back. At night, without you.
- Restart schedules with a warning
- Scheduled messages to your players
- Player list, kick and ban
Mods
Drop in a workshop link. Dependencies, keys and load order sort themselves out.
- Keys land in the instance automatically
- Presets for several servers
- Export for the DZSA launcher
Economy
Tune your loot without writing XML, and without an update eating your work.
- All 1,969 vanilla types, searchable
- Change many entries at once
- Import an existing types.xml
Map
Your map inside the app. Drag spawn points instead of typing coordinates.
Setting spawn points on the map
- Edit event and player spawns
- Chernarus, Livonia, Sakhal and more
- Soft reset without a full wipe
Backups
Backups in seconds instead of minutes, and they come back when it matters.
- Automatic before every restart
- Whole folder or just the save
- Rebuild an instance from a backup
DZSSLink
NewDZSS brings a server mod of its own and delivers it to the instance itself. Your players install nothing for it.
- Follow the chat and reply
- Message a single player directly
- See players live on the map
Player support
Someone stuck? Answer them through DZSSLink right in the game and see on the map where they are, without joining yourself.
- Your reply lands in the in-game chat
- See where someone is stuck
- Follow the chat history in the app
Getting started
Three steps to your own DayZ server
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Connect Steam
A QR code in the app, one scan with the Steam mobile app. No password in the tool, no SteamCMD by hand.
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Data directory and server files
Pick a folder. The app checks the drive, free space and write access. Then install the server files with one click.
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Create an instance and start
Ports are allocated and the instance is prepared. Assign mods, apply, start.
Licence
Free for your own DayZ servers
Free for everyone running their own servers. If you sell servers to other people, you need a licence.
- Your own servers, as many as you like, private or for your community
- Donations, priority slots and in-game shops are explicitly fine
- No sign-up, no trial period, no feature behind a paywall
You need a paid licence if you use DZSS to provide or manage servers for other people in return for payment, a hosting provider for example. That applies even when the customers never see the program. Providers and resellers are welcome: dzss@kionova.com
The full text ships with the download as LICENSE.txt. DZSS uses components by other authors, each under its own licence. They are listed next to it in THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.txt.
Requirements
What you need to host a DayZ server yourself
- Windows 10, 11 or Server 2019+
- A Steam account that owns DayZ
- Administrator rights during installation
- 4 GB RAM for one server without mods, 8 GB recommended
- About 3.7 GB of space, plus 3.5 GB per server
Sakhal is paid DLC. DZSS ships no game content and copies none. For the Sakhal map it reads at runtime from a licensed DayZ installation.
Questions
Before you download: questions about the DayZ server manager
The nine questions that come up first, answered briefly.
Is DZSS a free DayZ server host?
No. DZSS does not rent out servers and does not run any for you. You host your DayZ server yourself, at home or on a machine you rent, and DZSS is the software you set it up and manage it with. The management is what is free: DZSS itself costs nothing.
What does DZSS Server Studio cost?
Nothing. The download is free, there is no sign-up, no trial period and no feature behind a paywall, not even if your server takes donations or sells priority slots. A licence is only needed if you provide servers to other people in return for payment, as a hosting provider would. If you want to back the development, you can do so voluntarily on Patreon or with a one-off donation.
Do I need a dedicated root server?
No. DZSS runs on any Windows from 10 or Server 2019 upwards, including the machine at home. For players to join from outside you need a reachable address and open ports; DZSS creates the Windows firewall rules at the push of a button, forwarding in your router stays your job.
How many servers can I run at once?
As many as the machine carries. Every instance gets its own server world with its own mission, its own mods and its own ports; DZSS allocates the ports automatically, and you can pin each instance to specific CPU cores.
Do I have to edit XML by hand?
No. Loot is set in the economy editor, spawn points are dragged on the map. If you do know XML, you still may: an existing types.xml can be imported.
What happens when DayZ gets an update?
Your changes live in a layer of their own above the original files, so a patch does not overwrite them. After the update each instance is prepared once more. DZSS shows you in the list which ones are affected.
Do I have to stop my servers when DZSS itself gets an update?
No. DZSS starts every DayZ server as a process of its own, not as part of the program. You can close the window, install the new build over the old one and restart the service while your servers keep running; nobody is dropped from the game. Afterwards DZSS finds the running servers again by itself and takes them back over with state, log, chat, RCON and watchdog. The same holds if the service crashes once or you restart it by hand.
What is DZSSLink, and do my players have to install anything for it?
No, your players install nothing. DZSSLink is the server mod DZSS brings along: the program packs it itself, puts it into the instance, you switch it on with a tile in the Mods tab, and it runs from the next server start. Because it lives on the server only, there is no download and no key for players, and your server stays in the ordinary server list instead of the modded filter. In return you follow the chat, answer everyone or a single player and see on the map where someone is right now.
Is any data sent anywhere?
No. No telemetry, no accounts, no cloud. Everything stays on your machine, credentials encrypted there. This website loads nothing from third-party servers and sets no cookies either.
Behind the project
Why DZSS exists
Built by a software developer who loves DayZ, for the community
I'm a developer myself and I build software for a living. At some point I decided to put that knowledge and experience to work for the DayZ community as well, and build something that genuinely adds value for server owners. In-game name: Vezir Fx, developer from Germany
- No telemetry, no accounts, no cloud
- Credentials encrypted on your own machine
- Service and server data for administrators only
Privacy and security come first.
Tell me what is missing
DZSS grows on what server owners report. Something missing, something stuck, something confusing? Say so on Discord. Support runs there as tickets, and that is where bugs and wishes reach me directly.
Support us
If DZSS helps you
Development happens in my spare time. If you would like to back it, you can do so monthly on Patreon or with a one-off donation. Every contribution goes into test servers, time and new features.
Thank you to everyone who has carried the project so far.
DZSS Launcher
Join your DayZ server, worry-free: the server browser
The DZSS Launcher is our server browser for DayZ players: find servers, keep favourites, stay on top of your mods and join directly. Open source and free for everyone, without an account and without unlocking.
- Server list with search, filters, ping and player count in real time
- Keep favourites and join with a single click
- Mod management with Workshop integration: versions, sizes and updates at a glance
Download DZSS Server Studio and get going
Unpack, install the service, start the app. Setup walks you through the Steam login, the data directory and the server files.
The beta download is being prepared. Want to be in early and help test? Tell me on Discord.
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Looking for the server browser for players rather than the server management? Take a look at the DZSS Launcher.
Versions
What changed
What the current Server Studio build brings along, and when the earlier ones appeared.
DZSS Server Studio 0.1.10
14. August 2026
The version list could not be loaded. Open this page through a web server rather than straight from the file system.