Run the server.
Let us handle the pack.
The publisher side of PackRelay covers signing packs. This page is about the other half: running a 7 Days to Die or Valheim game server and wiring it up to a PackRelay-distributed pack.
- 1
Register a server account
Sign up as a server-owner. The role gives you access to pack publishing, server attachment, and staff delegation.
Register a server → - 2
Publish your pack
Use the CLI to author and sign your manifest, or create the catalog entry from /account/packs to attach packs you publish externally.
Open my packs → - 3
Register your game server
Add your 7 Days to Die or Valheim dedicated server: game, name, region, max players. Pick which of your published packs for that game it serves.
Open my servers → - 4
Install PackRelay Server Tools
A small agent that runs inside your server, reads live player counts off the game and posts them to PackRelay every 5 minutes: a mod for 7DTD's Mods/ folder, or a BepInEx plugin for Valheim's BepInEx/plugins/. Drop the folder in, then copy packrelay-config.json.example to packrelay-config.json and fill in your slug + API token. Don't skip that file — the agent loads but stays dormant without it, so your server will show Offline even when it's running. Restart the server and you're done. Players see the live numbers on /servers, and your listing goes offline on its own when the heartbeats stop.
Get the server tools →
Tools for running real communities
Run a PvE box and a PvP box on the same pack — attach once, both stay in sync as you publish new versions.
Pin a server to a specific version while you test the next one on a staging box. Roll forward when you're ready.
Delegate publish access and server admin to co-admins. They sign with their own keys, audited under your organization.
Decide per-server whether to show up in /servers or stay private for invite-only communities.
Region tags help players find low-ping servers. The launcher prefers proximity matches when surfacing recommendations.
Once heartbeats land, /servers shows fullness bars and online status without you running a side dashboard.
What about the game server itself?
PackRelay doesn't host your dedicated server — you run that wherever you currently run it (your own box, a hosted gameserver provider, etc.). PackRelay handles the layer above: distributing the pack to players who join your server, keeping them on the right version, and exposing you in the public server browser if you opt in.
Need help wiring an existing server? Reach out via support or our Discord.
PackRelay Server Tools (7DTD mod)
v0.9.0A mod that lives in your 7DTD server's Mods/ folder. Reads live player counts and POSTs them to PackRelay every 5 minutes — so your listing's online status and player count stay accurate without an external cron job or firewall surgery — and keeps the server on its attached pack. Drops in alongside your content packs.
PackRelay Server Tools (Valheim plugin)
v0.1.0A BepInEx plugin for a Valheim dedicated server's BepInEx/plugins/ folder: the same heartbeats and signed pack sync as the 7DTD mod. On the lloesche/valheim-server image, set BEPINEX=true and put it in /config/bepinex/plugins/. Valheim can't restart itself, so restart the server after a pack installs.