How to Protect Your SCP: Secret Laboratory Server Without a Server Password

SCP: Secret Laboratory has no built-in server password. There is no entry for it in any configuration file, and you cannot set a password in the dashboard either. If you want to control who can join your server, use the whitelist instead. This guide shows you which options you have and what they do.

Warning

The path to the configuration files contains the game port of your server: /.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/config/<Port>/. Replace <Port> with the actual game port of your server. You can find the game port in the dashboard under Overview.

Whitelist instead of a password

The whitelist is the real replacement for a server password: only players whose ID you add can join. Everyone else is rejected.

1. Find out the game port
   Open the dashboard of your server and note the game port shown under Overview.

2. Stop the server
   Stop your server via the dashboard.

3. Connect via SFTP
   Connect to your server via SFTP.

4. Enable the whitelist
   In the file /.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/config/<Port>/config_gameplay.txt, set the enable_whitelist entry to true:

   enable_whitelist: true

5. Add players
   In the file /.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/config/<Port>/UserIDWhitelist.txt, add each allowed ID on its own line, e.g.:

   76561198000000001@steam

   Tip

   Add your own ID as well, otherwise you will lock yourself out.

6. Start the server
   Save both files and start your server via the dashboard.

   Note

   Later changes to the whitelist only take effect after restarting the server.

You can find all details, e.g. on Discord IDs and comments in the list, in the Set up a whitelist guide.

Additionally filter by country

As an additional filter, you can allow or block connections by country of origin – you can find out how in the Set up geoblocking guide.

Hide the server from the server list

An unverified server never appears in the public server list. Your server is only shown there after it has been verified.

If your server is verified and you still want to hide it from the list, enter the following command in the console of the dashboard:

!private

To show the server in the list again, enter the following command:

!public

Important

Hiding does not protect your server. Anyone who knows the IP address and port can still join via Direct Connect (see Join the server). Only the whitelist actually restricts access.

Password plugins

A join password can only be added via a plugin. We recommend the whitelist instead, as it works without additional plugins.

Note

If you use your own plugin or modification that restricts access to your server (other than the whitelist), you must mark this in config_gameplay.txt on a verified server (see the Verified Server Rules):

server_access_restriction: true

If a plugin provides its own whitelist instead, set:

custom_whitelist: true

These entries only mark your server in the public server list. If your server is not verified, you can ignore these entries.

Not a join password: override_password

Warning

The file /.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/config/<Port>/config_remoteadmin.txt contains the entry override_password. This is not a password for joining, but a login for the Remote Admin that grants the rank set in override_password_role. Northwood itself explicitly advises against it in the file and recommends assigning ranks by ID instead (see Assign ranks). So leave the entry at its default value:

override_password: none