Left 4 Dead Server Config — Ready-to-Use server.cfg

Config files

server.cfg

ini

45 lines · 1.4 KB

// ****************************************************************************
// Left 4 Dead
// Config - server.cfg
// Date - 26/04/2026
// ****************************************************************************

// .................................. Basic ................................. //

// hostname - Name of the server.
hostname "SERVERNAME"

// rcon_password - Remote console password.
rcon_password "ADMINPASSWORD"

// sv_password - Server password for private servers.
sv_password ""

// ............................... Map Rotation .............................. //

// map - Start playing on specified map.
// map "4d_hospital01_apartment"

// mapcyclefile - Name of the .txt file used to cycle maps on multiplayer servers.
mapcyclefile "mapcycle.txt"

// ................................. Security ................................ //

// sv_lan - LAN mode. No heartbeat, no authentication, and no public listing.
sv_lan 0

// ............................. Server Logging ............................. //

// sv_logfile - Log server information in the log file.
sv_logfile 1

// sv_logbans - Log server bans in the server logs.
sv_logbans 1

// ............................. Communication .............................. //

// sv_voiceenable - Enable voice communications.
sv_voiceenable 1

// sv_alltalk - Players can hear all other players' voice communication, no team restrictions
sv_alltalk 1

What these settings mean

Quick reference for the 8 most important keys in this Left 4 Dead config. Hover or tap any key to see what it controls — useful when you're tuning a server for the first time and don't want to grep through the upstream wiki.

Core

2 settings

hostname: Server name shown in the in-game browser. Keep it under 64 characters and avoid colour codes if you want clean Steam listings.
sv_password: Optional join password. Empty string means a public server.

Network

1 setting

sv_lan: 1 forces LAN-only mode (no Steam heartbeat). Set 0 for any internet-facing server.

Voice

2 settings

sv_voiceenable: Master switch for in-game voice chat. 1 enabled, 0 disabled server-wide.
sv_alltalk: 1 lets dead players hear the living and both teams hear each other. Off by default for competitive integrity.

RCON

1 setting

rcon_password: Remote console password. Use a long random string — Source RCON is unencrypted, so anyone sniffing your wire can grab it if it's weak.

Logging

2 settings