Docker

Palworld Server Setup with Docker

Deploy a Palworld dedicated server using Docker for easy management, updates, and portability. This guide uses Docker Compose for simple configuration.

Prerequisites

Docker installed on your system (Get Docker)
Docker Compose v2 or later (included with Docker Desktop)
At least 16GB RAM recommended for the host system
Ports 8211 and 27015 UDP available and forwarded

1Create Directory Structure

Create a directory for your Palworld server files:

mkdir -p ~/palworld-server
cd ~/palworld-server

2Create Docker Compose File

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

docker-compose.yml

version: "3.8"

services:
  palworld:
    image: thijsvanloef/palworld-server-docker:latest
    container_name: palworld-server
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8211:8211/udp"
      - "27015:27015/udp"
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - PORT=8211
      - PLAYERS=16
      - SERVER_NAME=My Palworld Server
      - SERVER_PASSWORD=
      - ADMIN_PASSWORD=changeme
      - MULTITHREADING=true
      - COMMUNITY=false
    volumes:
      - ./palworld:/palworld

Note: The thijsvanloef/palworld-server-docker is a popular community-maintained image. Check Docker Hub for alternatives.

3Advanced Configuration (Optional)

For full control over game settings, you can mount a custom PalWorldSettings.ini file. Use our Config Builder to generate this file.

Place your custom config at ./palworld/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini after the first server start.

4Start the Server

Start your Palworld server with Docker Compose:

# Start the server (first run will download the image and game files)
docker compose up -d

# View logs
docker compose logs -f

# Stop the server
docker compose down

# Restart the server
docker compose restart

First Start: The initial startup will take several minutes as Docker downloads the game files (~8GB). Monitor progress with docker compose logs -f

5Firewall Configuration

Ensure your firewall allows the required ports:

UFW (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo ufw allow 8211/udp
sudo ufw allow 27015/udp

firewalld (CentOS/RHEL)

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=8211/udp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=27015/udp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

If hosting at home, also configure port forwarding on your router for these ports.

Updating the Server

To update your server when a new game version is released:

# Pull the latest image
docker compose pull

# Restart with the new image
docker compose up -d

Useful Commands

# Check container status
docker compose ps

# View real-time logs
docker compose logs -f palworld

# Execute command in container
docker compose exec palworld bash

# Check resource usage
docker stats palworld-server

# Backup save data
cp -r ./palworld ./backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)

Troubleshooting

Container keeps restarting

Check logs with docker compose logs. Common causes: insufficient memory, port conflicts, or permission issues on mounted volumes.

Cannot connect to server

Verify ports 8211 and 27015 UDP are open in your firewall and forwarded on your router. Check that the container is running with docker compose ps.

Permission denied errors

The container runs as a specific user. Ensure mounted directories have proper permissions:sudo chown -R 1000:1000 ./palworld

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