How to Connect to Your Windrose Server

Share your Windrose server using your invite code, or switch to direct IP for advanced setups.

Two Connection Modes

Windrose servers support two ways to connect:

Invite code (default and recommended): Your server ships with a randomly generated invite code. Players paste this code into the game to join. This is what the game recommends, and it’s how WinterNode servers are configured out of the box.

Direct IP (advanced): Players connect using your server’s IP address and port. This requires a configuration change and is generally unnecessary unless you have a specific reason to avoid invite codes.

Connecting via Invite Code

Step 1: Find Your Invite Code

1. Log in to the WinterNode Game Panel
2. Select your Windrose server
3. Go to Server Options in the left menu
4. Find the [SERVER] Invite Code field. The value shown is your server’s current invite code.

If your server is password-protected, the password is in the [SERVER] Server Password field on the same page.

Step 2: Share the Code with Your Players

Copy the invite code and send it to anyone you want to join. If your server has a password, share that separately.

Step 3: Join in the Windrose Client

In the Windrose game client:

1. From the main menu, select Connect to server
2. Choose the option to join by invite code
3. Paste your invite code
4. Enter the server password if prompted
5. Click Join

You should appear in your Windrose world within a few seconds of clicking Join.

Changing Your Invite Code

You can set your invite code to any value you choose.

1. Go to Server Options in the Game Panel
2. Edit the [SERVER] Invite Code field to your preferred code
3. Restart your server

The new code takes effect after the restart. Anyone trying to connect with the old code will need the new one.

Switching to Direct IP Connection (Advanced)

Direct IP mode is available if you need it, but most servers work better with invite codes. Only switch if you have a specific reason to.

1. Go to Server Options in the Game Panel
2. Set [CONFIG] Use Direct Connection to 1
3. Clear the [SERVER] Invite Code field (leave it empty)
4. Restart your server

Players connect using your server’s IP address and port, which you can find in the Network tab of the Game Panel.

To switch back to invite code mode, set [CONFIG] Use Direct Connection to 0 and put an invite code back in the [SERVER] Invite Code field, then restart.

Troubleshooting

Can’t connect at all: Double-check that the invite code is entered correctly with no extra spaces. Make sure your server is running (check the console for startup errors).

Connected but landed in an empty world: If you recently uploaded a singleplayer world, the server may not be loading it. See How to Upload an Existing World to Your Windrose Server for the fix.