Docker

Minecraft Server Setup with Docker

Deploy a Minecraft Java Edition server using Docker for easy management, updates, and portability.

Prerequisites

Docker installed on your system
Docker Compose (included with Docker Desktop)
At least 2GB RAM available for the container

1Create Project Directory

Create a directory to store your server configuration and world data.

mkdir minecraft-server
cd minecraft-server

2Create Docker Compose File

Create a docker-compose.yml file with your server configuration.

docker-compose.yml

version: "3.8"

services:
  minecraft:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server:latest
    container_name: minecraft-server
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
      TYPE: "VANILLA"
      VERSION: "LATEST"
      MEMORY: "4G"
      MAX_PLAYERS: "20"
      MOTD: "My Minecraft Server"
      DIFFICULTY: "normal"
      MODE: "survival"
      PVP: "true"
      ONLINE_MODE: "true"
      VIEW_DISTANCE: "10"
      SPAWN_PROTECTION: "16"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data
    tty: true
    stdin_open: true

itzg/minecraft-server

This popular Docker image supports many server types including Paper, Spigot, Forge, and Fabric. See the documentation for all options.

3Start the Server

Start your Minecraft server using Docker Compose.

# Start the server in detached mode
docker compose up -d

# View logs
docker compose logs -f

# Stop the server
docker compose down

The first startup will take a few minutes as it downloads the Minecraft server files and generates the world.

4Server Console Access

Access the server console to run commands.

# Attach to the container console
docker attach minecraft-server

# To detach without stopping: Ctrl+P, Ctrl+Q

# Or run commands directly
docker exec minecraft-server rcon-cli "say Hello World"

5Configure Firewall

Ensure port 25565 is open in your firewall.

# Linux (UFW)
sudo ufw allow 25565/tcp

# Windows PowerShell (as Administrator)
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Minecraft Server" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 25565 -Action Allow

Port Forwarding

If hosting from home, configure port forwarding on your router to forward port 25565 to your server's local IP address.

6(Optional) Alternative Server Types

The itzg/minecraft-server image supports various server types. Modify the TYPE environment variable:

docker-compose.yml (Paper example)

environment:
  EULA: "TRUE"
  TYPE: "PAPER"
  VERSION: "LATEST"
  MEMORY: "4G"
  # Paper offers better performance and plugin support

VANILLA

Official Mojang server

PAPER

High performance, plugins

FORGE

Mod support

FABRIC

Lightweight mods

Managing Your Server

Common Docker commands for server management:

Update server: docker compose pull && docker compose up -d
Backup world: cp -r ./data/world ./backups/
View resource usage: docker stats minecraft-server