Minecraft Server Docker Template

This is our Minecraft Server template for Docker Compose.

Tech used

• The Minecraft Server on Docker (Java Edition) for hosting servers for arbitrary Minecraft versions with any mod loader and CurseForge mod pack;
• Optionally, Playit.gg Docker agent for exposing the server to the internet.

Quick start

To deploy the container with the default config, first copy the .env.example file into .env:

cp .env.example .env

Then, you can start the headless server without Playit:

docker compose up

Or, with Playit:

docker compose --profile public up 

Notes:

• You will need to provide your Docker agent key when using the public profile. Additionally, you will need to change the address and port of your Minecraft instance to 10.103.0.10:25565 in the Playit console. More info.
• To run a headless server, add -d to the Docker Compose command.

Configuration

The services are configured through the .env file. To start, copy the .env.example file into .env and open it using a text editor of your choice:

cp .env.example .env && nano .env

Here, the values can be changed based on one's needs. The following sections cover the .env configuration variables. Each section has a corresponding comment in the .env.example file.

Container versions

Versions of the internal services' containers can be explicitly set:

MC_CONTAINER=:java21
PLAYIT_CONTAINER=:0.15

Note that the values must start with a colon.

These can be omitted, but you would probably want to set the matching MC_CONTAINER value for your target Minecraft version.

Minecraft environment

These options determine the server version, type and more.

MC_TYPE=AUTO_CURSEFORGE # required
MC_VERSION=1.21.1 # required
MC_MIN_MEMORY=4G # required
MC_MAX_MEMORY=10G # required
MC_SERVER_NAME=Minecraft server # default
MC_MOTD=A Minecraft server # default
MC_OPS="Player1\nPlayer2"
MC_WHITELIST="Player1\nPlayer2"
MC_ENFORCE_WHITELIST=TRUE # default
MC_SPAWN_PROTECTION=FALSE # default
MC_ONLINE_MODE=TRUE # default

Notes and links:

• You must set the variables marked as required for the container to run.
• Lists of values can be set as "value1\nvalue2\nvalue3" etc., as in the example above.
• TYPE docs.
• AUTO_CURSEFORGE docs.
• Whitelist only works when MC_ONLINE_MODE is TRUE.
• The server configuration will not update on .env changes automatically after it was initially created.

CurseForge mod pack options

This template uses CurseForge as main distribution source. It does not include options which I didn't need yet while configuring my servers so the options here are limited.

If you use the AUTO_CURSEFORGE server type, you will need to get the CF API key and set the CF_API_KEY and CF_PAGE_URL variables.

CF_API_KEY="your-curseforge-key"
CF_PAGE_URL="https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/modpacks/your-modpack/files/fileId"
CF_EXCLUDE_MODS="id1\nid2"

If any mods break the server loading due to being incorrectly marked as server-side, they can be excluded by providing the CF_EXCLUDE_MODS variable as a list of mod IDs.

Playit.gg

If you plan to expose the server to the internet using playit.gg, you will need to set the PLAYIT_SECRET_KEY to your private Docker agent key.

PLAYIT_SECRET_KEY="your-playit-gg-docker-deployment-key"

The agent itself can then be configured through the Playit web interface.

RCON commands

This template currently exposes the following RCON commands (default values are shown):

RCON_CMDS_STARTUP=gamerule doFireTick false
RCON_CMDS_FIRST_CONNECT=gamerule doFireTick true
RCON_CMDS_LAST_DISCONNECT=gamerule doFireTick false

Notes:

• These can also be lists of commands.
• The RCON commands set above ensures that the fire does not spread when there are no players online.