Docker is a containerization platform that packages software into standardized units (containers). For game server hosting, it offers major advantages: isolation, reproducibility, and easy management. In this article, we explain how to use Docker for your game servers.
Why Docker for game servers?
- Isolation: each container is independent. A crash in one game server does not affect the others.
- Consistency: a container works the same everywhere, whether it is your laptop or a production server.
- Quick setup: a new server is ready in seconds.
- Easy updates: pull a new image, restart the container, done.
- Resource control: set a maximum per container for CPU and RAM.
Installing Docker
# Ubuntu/Debian apt update apt install docker.io docker-compose-v2 systemctl enable docker systemctl start docker
Example: Minecraft server in Docker
Use the popular itzg/minecraft-server image:
docker run -d \ --name minecraft \ -p 25565:25565 \ -e EULA=TRUE \ -e TYPE=PAPER \ -e VERSION=LATEST \ -e MEMORY=4G \ -v /data/minecraft:/data \ itzg/minecraft-server
That is all. A Paper server with 4 GB RAM, accessible on port 25565, with data stored in /data/minecraft.
Docker Compose
For multiple servers, use Docker Compose. Create a docker-compose.yml:
services:
minecraft:
image: itzg/minecraft-server
ports:
- "25565:25565"
environment:
EULA: "TRUE"
TYPE: PAPER
MEMORY: 4G
volumes:
- ./minecraft-data:/data
restart: unless-stopped
deploy:
resources:
limits:
memory: 5G
cpus: "2.0"
terraria:
image: ryshe/terraria
ports:
- "7777:7777"
volumes:
- ./terraria-data:/root/.local/share/Terraria/Worlds
restart: unless-stopped
Start everything with: docker compose up -d
Setting resource limits
Limit how many resources each container can use:
docker run -d \ --name minecraft \ --memory=5g \ --cpus=2.0 \ ...
This prevents one server from consuming all your resources and affecting other servers or the host system.
Management commands
docker ps Show running containers docker logs minecraft View logs of a container docker stop minecraft Stop a container docker start minecraft Start a container docker restart minecraft Restart a container docker exec -it minecraft bash Open a shell in the container
Backups with Docker
Because all data is in volumes, backing up is simple:
# Stop the container (optional, for consistency) docker stop minecraft # Copy the data tar -czf minecraft-backup.tar.gz /data/minecraft/ # Start again docker start minecraft
Docker vs. Pterodactyl
Pterodactyl uses Docker under the hood! The difference is that Pterodactyl provides a web interface on top of Docker, including user management, file manager, and console. If you are comfortable with the command line, you can use Docker directly for more flexibility.
Does Docker slow down my game server?
No, Docker containers run natively on the host kernel. The overhead is minimal (less than 1%). This is different from virtualization (VPS), where a full OS layer is simulated.
Can I use Docker on any VPS?
On most, yes. You need a Linux VPS with KVM or bare-metal virtualization. OpenVZ containers often do not support Docker. At HostValues, Docker runs without issues on our KVM-based VPSes.
Is Docker secure for game servers?
Yes, Docker provides extra security through isolation. A compromised container does not have access to other containers or the host system. Do use official images and keep them updated.
Run Docker on a VPS at HostValues with KVM virtualization and root access.
