Docker Minecraft JAVA PaperMC Server

Docker Minecraft PaperMC server for AMD64 and ARM64 platforms. Works on Synology, Raspberry Pi or any other systems that support docker.

Always up-to-date with the latest PaperMC version.

Quick Start

docker run --name mcserver --memory=4g -v /home/joe/mcserver:/data:rw -p 25565:25565 -i marctv/minecraft-papermc-server:latest

The server will generate all data including the world and config files in /home/joe/mcserver. Change that to an existing folder.

Docker Run Command

docker run -d \
  --name mcserver \
  --restart=unless-stopped \
  --memory=1g \
  -p 25565:25565/tcp \
  -p 25565:25565/udp \
  -v /home/docker/mcserver:/data:rw \
  marctv/minecraft-papermc-server:latest

Docker Compose (Portainer Stacks)

services:
  minecraft:
    image: marctv/minecraft-papermc-server:latest
    restart: always
    container_name: "mcserver"
    environment:
      PAPERMC_FLAGS: ""
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          memory: 1G
    volumes:
      - minecraftserver:/data
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    # The following allow `docker attach minecraft` to work
    stdin_open: true
    tty: true

volumes:
  minecraftserver:

How do I update the container?

On Synology DSM

• Re-download the image from the docker repository.
• Stop the container.
• Clear the container.
• Start the container.

On Terminal

docker pull marctv/minecraft-papermc-server:latest
docker stop mcserver

Or just use https://containrrr.dev/watchtower/

Run as another user

You can get the desired UID/GID (xxx) with the ID command (id username) then add the following to your docker run command:

-e PUID=9001
-e PGID=9001

Note

the permissions are set automatically.

Run rootless

You can also run the container rootless. Just use the native user argument with your desired UID/GID:

--user=9001:9001

Important

replace the IDs with your own.

Caution

make sure the folder you mount has the correct permissions.

Skip permission change step

If you have a big custom minecraft install (e.g. multiple plugins which generate files), changing ownership can take up a tremendous amount of time. You can skip this, by making sure that your files have the necessary permissions for the UID/GID that you passed using the environment variables above and then add the following variable:

-e SKIP_PERM_CHECK=true

Docker Compose

If you prefer to use docker compose, use the following commands:

Start the server:

docker compose up

Stop the server:

docker compose stop

Issue server commands after attaching to the container:

docker attach mcserver
# then you can type things like "list"
list
# which will show the current players online or
help
# to see all the commands available

How to use the Makefile with Docker Compose

Additionally, a Makefile is provided to easily start, stop, and attach to the container.

make start     # equivalent to `docker compose up -d --build`
make stop      # equivalent to `docker compose stop --rmi all --remove-orphans`
make attach    # equivalent to `docker attach mcserver`
make help      # prints a help message

Environment variables

Memory

MEMORYSIZE = 1G

Not more than 70% of your RAM for your container. This is important. Because this is the RAM, your Minecraft Server will use within the container WITHOUT the operating system.

But don't use this unless you really need this. Use runtime memory limits.

Timezone

TZ = Europe/Berlin

Sets the timezone for the container. A list of valid values can be found on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones

Additional flags

PAPERMC_FLAGS = --nojline

Optional: Sets the command-line flags for PaperMC. Remove --nojline if you want to enable color and tab-completion for the server console.

JAVAFLAGS

Optional: Overrides the optimized java parameter configuration with your own. You can set your own Xms and Xmx values this way.

Tutorial Synology

Tutorial (german) https://marc.tv/anleitung-stabiler-minecraft-server-synology-nas/

https://youtu.be/LtAQiTwLgak

How-to install on a Raspberry Pi 4

Video Tutorial Raspberry Pi 4

https://youtu.be/BuHOyhM2fCg

How-to install on a Raspberry Pi 4

You can install this docker container by using my dedicated installer: https://github.com/mtoensing/RaspberryPiMinecraftDocker Or just follow these steps:

1. Download Raspberry Pi Imager https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/ and start it.
2. Select Raspberry Pi OS lite (64-bit) under "Raspberry Pi OS (other)".
3. Click on gear icon in the Raspberry Pi Imager and enable ssh and set username and password.
4. Write image to a fast sd card.
5. Connect the Raspberry Pi 4 to an ethernet cable.
6. Use putty for Windows or terminal on macOS and connect via ssh:

ssh pi@raspberrypi

7. Upgrade all packages

 sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
 sudo reboot now

The Raspberry Pi will restart now.

8. Install Docker

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
chmod +x get-docker.sh
./get-docker.sh
sudo apt-get install -y uidmap
dockerd-rootless-setuptool.sh install
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
sudo systemctl enable docker
newgrp docker

9. New folder for the server

cd
mkdir mcserver

10. Run this image as Minecraft Server

docker run -d \
--restart unless-stopped \
--name mcserver \
--memory=1g \
-e PAPERMC_FLAGS='' \
-v /home/pi/mcserver:/data:rw \
-p 25565:25565 \
-it docker.io/marctv/minecraft-papermc-server:latest

The server will generate all data including the world and config files in /home/pi/mcserver.

11. Enter the command line of Minecraft server

docker attach mcserver

Here, you can use Minecraft server commands like whitelist add [userrname].

Credits

On GitHub https://github.com/mtoensing/Docker-Minecraft-PaperMC-Server

This server is live here: https://mc.marc.tv

Based on the work of Felix Klauke Thanks for your help!