Players do not install anything for Stratum. They connect with a normal Vintage Story client. Run the Stratum release built for your server’s Vintage Story game version. During connection, Stratum compares the client’s network protocol version with the server’s.
Game and network versions
The Vintage Story game version identifies the game build, such as 1.22.7. Each game build also uses a network protocol version. Stratum’s join check compares the protocol version, not the game version string. A mismatch screen shows both values for the client and server; use those values to decide which side to update. For example, the server can show game version 1.22.7 with network version 1.22.6.
The version rejection screen is titled Version mismatch and shows the client’s game and network versions beside the server’s values. Its hint says to use a matching Vintage Story version for the server.
Other common rejection screens tell the player what to fix:
| Screen | What the player sees | What staff should check |
|---|---|---|
Whitelist required | The server allows approved players only. | Add the player with /whitelist add <player>, or change WhitelistMode. |
Whitelist expired | The whitelist entry’s expiration time in UTC. | Review or renew that player’s whitelist entry. |
Invalid password | The password was not accepted. | Confirm the server password with the player. |
Account banned | The ban expiry, issuing staff member, and reason. | Review the ban and lift it if it was applied by mistake. |
Invalid player name | Names must use 1 to 16 letters, numbers, underscores, or hyphens. | Have the player correct the name in the client. |
Queue is full or Server is full | The queue or server has reached its limit. | Check available player slots and queue settings. |
Account verification failed | The account could not be verified. | Ask the player to check their Vintage Story account session. |
Auth server unavailable | The authentication service could not be reached. | Check server-main.log and server-debug.log and the server’s outbound connectivity. |
Stratum release version
Each Stratum release tag includes the Vintage Story version it is built against and a Stratum revision, for example 1.22.7-stratum.2. Run the release whose game version matches the server. If the server runs a release for an older game version, update the server, not the players.
Check the server version
The startup log names the running version. The /stratum version command shows the same details while the server runs.
When GitHub reports a newer release, the log warns at startup and then every 12 hours by default, with a link. The interval is set by UpdateChecker.CheckIntervalHours, which is clamped to 1 through 168 hours. The check ignores prereleases and compares game versions first, so its reminder can point to a release built for a newer Vintage Story version. Check the release’s game version before updating.
Use these commands to inspect the running build or force an update check:
/stratum version
/stratum version checkCheck the port
Players connect to the server port, which defaults to 42420. The server listens on both TCP and UDP on that port. If a player cannot connect, check that your firewall and router allow both protocols. For a server behind a router, forward both protocols to the server machine.
Check the whitelist
A new dedicated server is invite-only by default. A rejected player sees a Whitelist required message and is asked to contact staff. Add a player with /whitelist add <player> or set WhitelistMode to Off in serverconfig.json before you tell them to connect.
Mods
Most server mods work with Stratum. Stratum patches deeper server code than a regular mod, so test your mod list before you move a live server over. Some mods are known to conflict. See Compatibility overview, and Client mods policy for controlling which client mods can join.