![Minecraft Server (stack)]()
Minecraft Server (stack)
Minecraft Java Edition via itzg/minecraft-server - the standard image: env-driven, supports Paper/Fabric/Forge/Vanilla, and downloads the server jar at runtime (nothing redistributed).
Image details
Configuration
TypeComposelinuxitzg/minecraft-server:java2525565:25565/data : mcdataEULA=${EULA}TYPE=${TYPE:-PAPER}VERSION=${VERSION:-LATEST}MEMORY=${MEMORY:-2G}MOTD=${MOTD:-A Miget Minecraft Server}unless-stoppedTemplate by deployable-sh·Source
Report issueStandalone Install
Select an install method, to see config/commands for deploying Minecraft Server (stack)
Install on Portainer
Import all app templates into your Portainer instance, for easy 1-click deploys
- Ensure both Docker and Portainer are installed, and up-to-date
- Log into your Portainer web UI
- Under Settings → App Templates, paste the below URL
- Head to Home → App Templates, and the list of apps will show up
- Select Minecraft Server (stack), fill in any config options, and hit Deploy
Template Import URL
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Lissy93/portainer-templates/main/templates.json
Show Me
Original stackfile
The compose file this template deploys, straight from its repo:
name: minecraft
services:
minecraft:
image: itzg/minecraft-server:java25
restart: unless-stopped
environment:
EULA: ${EULA}
TYPE: ${TYPE:-PAPER}
VERSION: ${VERSION:-LATEST}
MEMORY: ${MEMORY:-2G}
MOTD: ${MOTD:-A Miget Minecraft Server}
ports:
- "25565:25565"
volumes:
- mcdata:/data
stdin_open: true
tty: true
volumes:
mcdata:
Or deploy it directly from the source:
git clone https://github.com/deployable-sh/stacks
cd stacks
docker compose -f minecraft/compose.yaml up -dMore install options in our documentation.
This docker image provides a Minecraft Server that will automatically download the latest stable version at startup. You can also run/upgrade to any specific version or the latest snapshot.
To simply use the latest stable version, run
docker run -d -p 25565:25565 --name mc -v mc-data:/data itzg/minecraft-serverLooking for a Bedrock Dedicated Server
For Minecraft clients running on consoles, mobile, or native Windows, you'll need to use this image instead:itzg/minecraft-bedrock-server
Serve Minecraft Server (stack) on your own domain behind Caddy, Nginx or Traefik. Fill in your domain and copy the result. It's a starting point, some apps need their own base URL or extra headers set too.
Proxying minecraft-server-stack.example.com to http://minecraft:25565
Add this to your Caddyfile
minecraft-server-stack.example.com {
reverse_proxy http://minecraft:25565
}Check the logs first
Nine times out of ten the logs tell you exactly what went wrong.
- In Portainer, go to Containers, click the container, then Logs. Or run
docker logs <container> - Exit codes help too:
137means killed, usually out of memory.126or127means the command inside the image is broken.
Port already in use
If deployment fails with "Bind for 0.0.0.0:25565 failed: port is already allocated", something else on your server is using that port.
- Find what's using it:
sudo ss -tlnp | grep :25565 - Stop the other service, or pick a different host port. In
25565:25565only the left number is yours to change, the right one belongs to the app.
Running but the page won't load
The container is up but nothing appears in your browser.
- Use your server's real IP:
http://your-server-ip:25565. The 0.0.0.0 link Portainer shows isn't a real address. - Give it a minute after first deploy, minecraft can take a while to initialise.
- Make sure your firewall allows the port, e.g.
sudo ufw allow 25565
Image won't pull
Test the pull directly on the host: docker pull itzg/minecraft-server:java25
- "manifest unknown" means the tag no longer exists.
- "toomanyrequests" is the Docker Hub rate limit. Log in with
docker loginto raise it. - "no space left on device" means a full disk. Reclaim space with
docker system prune
"exec format error"
This means the image was built for a different CPU architecture than your server.
- This image supports:
amd64, arm64, arm/v7, riscv64 - Check yours with
uname -m: x86_64 is amd64, aarch64 is arm64. Raspberry Pi and other ARM boards are the usual culprits.
Container keeps restarting
The unless-stopped restart policy relaunches the app after every crash, so the real error can scroll past.
- Check the logs right after a restart, the last few lines before it died are the useful ones.
- Get the exit code with
docker inspect <container> --format '{{.State.ExitCode}}' - Still stuck? Redeploy once with the restart policy set to
noso the failure stays visible.
Stack won't deploy
Compose stacks fail fast on small mistakes, and Portainer shows the reason just above the editor.
- YAML only accepts spaces for indentation, a single tab breaks the whole file.
Raise an issue
Found something which isn't working as it should? Here's how to report it.
- Bug within the app: Open an issue within minecraft's repo
- Template not working: Open an issue on deployable-sh/stacks
- This website not working: Open an issue on lissy93/portainer-templates
A Compose stack
Minecraft Server (stack) is a Compose stack, a set of containers defined in one file and brought up together by Portainer, then started and stopped as a single app.
The app image
An image is the app packed up ready to go, everything Minecraft Server (stack) needs bundled into one download. This template pulls itzg/minecraft-server:java25, which Docker fetches once (about 195 MB) and then starts your own copy from.
Where the image comes from
Docker pulls its images from registries, public libraries of ready-built apps. Minecraft Server (stack)'s comes from Docker Hub, published by itzg.
Version tags
The bit after the colon in the image name is the version tag. This one pins java25, so every redeploy gives you that exact build until you bump it yourself.
Which machines it runs on
Every image is built for particular CPU types. This one ships for amd64, arm64, arm/v7, riscv64, so it runs on both regular x86 servers and ARM boards like a Raspberry Pi.
Ports
A port is the door the app answers on. A mapping like 25565:25565 means it's reachable on port 25565 of your server, where the left number is yours to change and the right one belongs to the app. It opens:
25565:25565
Volumes
A volume is where Minecraft Server (stack) keeps its files so they survive an update or a restart. Without one, anything it saves would sit inside the container and vanish the moment it's recreated. This template mounts:
/datakept in themcdatavolume Docker manages
Environment variables
Environment variables are the settings you hand over when you deploy, things like a password or a timezone. Minecraft Server (stack) takes 5 of them, all with defaults you can leave alone or tweak:
EULA, pulled from your own environment. Mojang's EULA (https://aka.ms/MinecraftEULA) - YOU accept it.TYPE, defaults toPAPER. PAPER (recommended), VANILLA, FABRIC, FORGE, ...VERSION, defaults toLATESTMEMORY, defaults to2G. JVM heap.MOTD, defaults toA Miget Minecraft Server
Restart policy
The restart policy here is unless-stopped, so Docker restarts Minecraft Server (stack) after a crash or reboot, but leaves it off when you stop it on purpose. You can change this on the deploy screen. The choices are no (never restart), on-failure (only after a crash), unless-stopped (restart unless you stop it), and always (bring it back no matter what).
Networking
Nothing custom is set, so Minecraft Server (stack) sits on Docker's default bridge network: its own private space that reaches the outside world only through the ports it publishes.
Container name
Once it's deployed, Portainer names the container minecraft. That's what you'll spot in the containers list and use in commands like docker logs minecraft.
Platform
The platform is linux, the kind of system the container is built to run on. Docker and Portainer handle this on a normal Linux server.
Portainer app templates
Zooming out, this whole page comes from a Portainer app template: a short recipe telling Portainer how to set Minecraft Server (stack) up. Add the template list to Portainer once, then deploying Minecraft Server (stack) is a click rather than a wall of config.