20 KiB
In order to unify management of the Minecraft server container, all of the server.properties
entries can be managed by the environment variables described in the sections below. Some of the mappings provide additional functionality above and beyond the properties file.
If you prefer to manually manage the server.properties
file, set OVERRIDE_SERVER_PROPERTIES
to "false". Similarly, you can entirely skip the startup script's creation of server.properties
by setting SKIP_SERVER_PROPERTIES
to "true".
!!! note
To clear a server property, set the variable to an empty string, such as `-e RESOURCE_PACK=""`. An unset variable is ignored and the existing server property is left unchanged.
To see what server.properties
will get used by the server, set the environment variable DUMP_SERVER_PROPERTIES
to "true" and the contents of server.properties
will get output before the server starts.
Placeholders
When declaring a server properties via container environment variables, those values may contain placeholders that are processed when the server.properties
file is updated.
The syntax of placeholders is DOS-style, %VAR%
, to avoid being processed by Docker or the shell and the following options are available:
%VAR%
or%env:VAR%
-
Replaced with the resolved value or the environment variable
VAR
%date:FMT%
-
Formats the current date/time with the given
FMT
string processed by Java's DateTimeFormatter.
Any declared or resolved environment variable may be referenced, such as VERSION
and TYPE
. Additionally, Modrinth and Auto CurseForge modpacks will expose the environment variables MODPACK_NAME
and MODPACK_VERSION
. The originally declared version, such as "LATEST" or "SNAPSHOT", is available in the variable DECLARED_VERSION
!!! example
As a compose file environment entry:
```yaml
MOTD: Running %MODPACK_NAME% version %env:MODPACK_VERSION%
LEVEL: world-%date:yyyy-MM-dd%
```
!!! warning
Placeholders are not supported when manually managing `server.properties`
Properties
Message of the Day
The message of the day, shown below each server entry in the client UI, can be changed with the MOTD
environment variable or a default is computed from the server type and version, such as
A Paper Minecraft Server powered by Docker
That way you can easily differentiate between several server types you may have started.
The section symbol (§) and other unicode characters are automatically converted to allow formatting codes to be used consistently with all server versions. For Minecraft versions less than 1.20, unicode characters in server.properties
will be escaped as \uXXXX
, by default. That behavior can be altered by setting SERVER_PROPERTIES_ESCAPE_UNICODE
to "true" or "false".
!!! example
With `docker run`
-e MOTD="A §l§cMinecraft§r §nserver"
or within a compose file
environment:
MOTD: "A §l§cMinecraft§r §nserver"
renders
![](../img/motd-example.png)
To produce a multi-line MOTD, embed a newline character as \n
in the string, such as the following example.
!!! example "Multi-line MOTD"
With `docker run`
```
-e MOTD="Line one\nLine two"
```
or within a compose file
```yaml
MOTD: |
line one
line two
# or
# MOTD: "line one\nline two"
```
!!! tip
You can also embed configured and resolved environment variables using [placeholders](#placeholders).
Difficulty
The difficulty level (default: easy
) can be set like:
docker run -d -e DIFFICULTY=hard ...
Valid values are: peaceful
, easy
, normal
, and hard
, and an
error message will be output in the logs if it's not one of these
values.
Refer to the Minecraft wiki
Whitelist Players
!!! warning "For public servers"
It is very important to consider setting a whitelist of expected players.
To whitelist players for your Minecraft server, you can:
- Provide a list of usernames and/or UUIDs separated by commas or newlines via the
WHITELIST
environment variable - Provide the URL or container path to a whitelist file via
WHITELIST_FILE
that will be retrieved/copied into the standard location
!!! example
In a compose file, a text block can be used to improve maintainability, such as
```yaml
WHITELIST: |
user1
user2
user3
```
When either is set, whitelisting of connecting users is enabled.
To change the behavior when the whitelist file already exists, set the variable EXISTING_WHITELIST_FILE
to one of the following options:
SKIP
- Skip processing of the whitelist file when one is already present. This is the same as setting the legacy variable
OVERRIDE_WHITELIST
to "false". SYNCHRONIZE
- Synchronize the list of users in the file with the
WHITELIST
orWHITELIST_FILE
provided. When using both,WHITELIST
will take precedence. This is the same as setting the legacy variableOVERRIDE_WHITELIST
to "true". MERGE
- Merge the list of users from
WHITELIST
into the existing file.WHITELIST_FILE
cannot be used with this option. SYNC_FILE_MERGE_LIST
(default)- When
WHITELIST_FILE
is provided it will overwrite an existing whitelist file. Also, ifWHITELIST
is provided, then those users will be merged into the newly copied file.
!!! note
For versions prior to 1.7.3, `white-list.txt` will be maintained instead. Only usernames are supported for those versions.
To enforce the whitelist changes immediately when whitelist commands are used , set ENFORCE_WHITELIST
to "true". If managing the whitelist file manually, ENABLE_WHITELIST
can be set to "true" to set the white-list
property.
!!! tip "Changing user API provider"
The usernames provided for whitelist and ops processing are resolved using either [PlayerDB](https://playerdb.co/) or [Mojang's API](https://wiki.vg/Mojang_API#Username_to_UUID). The default uses PlayerDB, but can be changed by setting the environment variable `USER_API_PROVIDER` to "mojang". Sometimes one or the other service can become overloaded, which is why there is the ability to switch providers.
Op/Administrator Players
Similar to the whitelist, users can be provisioned as operators (aka administrators) to your Minecraft server by
- Providing a list of usernames and/or UUIDs separated by commas or newlines via the
OPS
environment variable - Providing the URL or container path to an ops file via
OPS_FILE
that will be retrieved/copied into the standard location
!!! example
In a compose file, a text block can be used to improve maintainability, such as
```yaml
OPS: |
user1
user2
user3
```
To change the behavior when the ops file already exists, set the variable EXISTING_OPS_FILE
to one of the following options:
SKIP
- Skip processing of the ops file when one is already present. This is the same as setting the legacy variable
OVERRIDE_OPS
to "false". SYNCHRONIZE
- Synchronize the list of users in the file with the
OPS
orOPS_FILE
provided. When using both,OPS
will take precedence. Thelevel
andbypassesPlayerLimit
will be retained from previous entries. This is the same as setting the legacy variableOVERRIDE_OPS
to "true". MERGE
- Merge the list of users from
OPS
into the existing file.OPS_FILE
cannot be used with this option. SYNC_FILE_MERGE_LIST
(default)- When
OPS_FILE
is provided it will overwrite an existing ops file. Also, ifOPS
is provided, then those users will be merged into the newly copied file.
!!! note
For versions prior to 1.7.3, `ops.txt` will be maintained instead. Only usernames are supported for those versions.
Enable/disable initial selection of datapacks
New to 22W42A, datapacks with feature flags can be controlled before initial world creation by setting these to a comma separated list of packs:
INITIAL_ENABLED_PACKS
such as "update_1_20,bundle"INITIAL_DISABLED_PACKS
Server icon
A server icon can be configured using the ICON
variable. The image will be automatically
downloaded, scaled, and converted from any other image format:
docker run -d -e ICON=http://..../some/image.png ...
The server icon which has been set doesn't get overridden by default. It can be changed and overridden by setting OVERRIDE_ICON
to TRUE
.
docker run -d -e ICON=http://..../some/other/image.png -e OVERRIDE_ICON=TRUE...
RCON
RCON is enabled by default to allow for graceful shut down the server and coordination of save state during backups. RCON can be disabled by setting ENABLE_RCON
to "false".
!!! warning
Disabling RCON will remove and limit some features, such as interactive and color console support.
The default password is randomly generated on each startup; however, a specific one can be set with RCON_PASSWORD
.
DO NOT MAP THE RCON PORT EXTERNALLY unless you are aware of all the consequences and have set a secure password with RCON_PASSWORD
.
!!! info
Mapping ports (`-p` command line or `ports` in compose) outside the container and docker networking needs to be a purposeful choice. Most production Docker deployments do not need any of the Minecraft ports mapped externally from the server itself.
By default, the server listens for RCON on port 25575 within the container. It can be changed with RCON_PORT
but only do this if you have a very good reason. DO NOT change rcon.port
via server.properties
or integrations will break.
Query
Enabling this will enable the gamespy query protocol.
By default the query port will be 25565
(UDP) but can easily be changed with the QUERY_PORT
variable.
docker run -d -e ENABLE_QUERY=true
Max players
By default max players is 20, you can increase this with the MAX_PLAYERS
variable.
docker run -d -e MAX_PLAYERS=50
Max world size
This sets the maximum possible size in blocks, expressed as a radius, that the world border can obtain.
docker run -d -e MAX_WORLD_SIZE=10000
Allow Nether
Allows players to travel to the Nether.
docker run -d -e ALLOW_NETHER=true
Announce Player Achievements
Allows server to announce when a player gets an achievement.
docker run -d -e ANNOUNCE_PLAYER_ACHIEVEMENTS=true
Enable Command Block
Enables command blocks
docker run -d -e ENABLE_COMMAND_BLOCK=true
Force Gamemode
Force players to join in the default game mode.
-
false - Players will join in the gamemode they left in.
-
true - Players will always join in the default gamemode.
docker run -d -e FORCE_GAMEMODE=false
Generate Structures
Defines whether structures (such as villages) will be generated.
-
false - Structures will not be generated in new chunks.
-
true - Structures will be generated in new chunks.
docker run -d -e GENERATE_STRUCTURES=true
Hardcore
If set to true, players will be set to spectator mode if they die.
docker run -d -e HARDCORE=false
Snooper
If set to false, the server will not send data to snoop.minecraft.net server.
docker run -d -e SNOOPER_ENABLED=false
Max Build Height
The maximum height in which building is allowed. Terrain may still naturally generate above a low height limit.
docker run -d -e MAX_BUILD_HEIGHT=256
Max Tick Time
The maximum number of milliseconds a single tick may take before the server watchdog stops the server with the message, A single server tick took 60.00 seconds (should be max 0.05); Considering it to be crashed, server will forcibly shutdown. Once this criteria is met, it calls System.exit(1). Setting this to -1 will disable watchdog entirely
docker run -d -e MAX_TICK_TIME=60000
Spawn Animals
Determines if animals will be able to spawn.
docker run -d -e SPAWN_ANIMALS=true
Spawn Monsters
Determines if monsters will be spawned.
docker run -d -e SPAWN_MONSTERS=true
Spawn NPCs
Determines if villagers will be spawned.
docker run -d -e SPAWN_NPCS=true
Set spawn protection
Sets the area that non-ops can not edit (0 to disable)
docker run -d -e SPAWN_PROTECTION=0
View Distance
Sets the amount of world data the server sends the client, measured in chunks in each direction of the player (radius, not diameter). It determines the server-side viewing distance.
docker run -d -e VIEW_DISTANCE=10
Level Seed
If you want to create the Minecraft level with a specific seed, use SEED
, such as
-e SEED=1785852800490497919
If using a negative value for the seed, make sure to quote the value such as:
-e SEED="-1785852800490497919"
Game Mode
By default, Minecraft servers are configured to run in Survival mode. You can
change the mode using MODE
where you can either provide the standard
numerical values or the
shortcut values:
- creative
- survival
- adventure
- spectator (only for Minecraft 1.8 or later)
For example:
docker run -d -e MODE=creative ...
PVP Mode
By default, servers are created with player-vs-player (PVP) mode enabled. You can disable this with the PVP
environment variable set to false
, such as
docker run -d -e PVP=false ...
Level Type and Generator Settings
By default, a standard world is generated with hills, valleys, water, etc. A different level type can
be configured by setting LEVEL_TYPE
to an expected type listed here.
For some of the level types, GENERATOR_SETTINGS
can be used to further customize the world generation.
To configure the GENERATOR_SEETINGS
you need to add the appropriate GeneratorOptions
JSON configuration. In the case of a superflat world, you may omit the flat_world_options
.
The layers are applied from -64 and up and are added in the order of the list
Example for a superflat world:
- 1x bedrock
- 2x stone
- 15x sandstone
- Desert biome
LEVEL_TYPE: FLAT
GENERATOR_SETTINGS: >-4
{
"layers": [
{
"block": "minecraft:bedrock",
"height": 1
},
{
"block": "minecraft:stone",
"height": 2
},
{
"block": "minecraft:sandstone",
"height": 15
}
],
"biome": "minecraft:desert"
}
For more details, check the official wiki.
Custom Server Resource Pack
You can set a link to a custom resource pack and set it's checksum using the RESOURCE_PACK
and RESOURCE_PACK_SHA1
options respectively, the default is blank:
docker run -d -e 'RESOURCE_PACK=http://link.com/to/pack.zip?=1' -e 'RESOURCE_PACK_SHA1=d5db29cd03a2ed055086cef9c31c252b4587d6d0'
You can enforce the resource pack on clients by setting RESOURCE_PACK_ENFORCE
to TRUE
(default: FALSE
).
Level / World Save Name
You can either switch between world saves or run multiple containers with different saves by using the LEVEL
option,
where the default is "world":
docker run -d -e LEVEL=bonus ...
NOTE: if running multiple containers be sure to either specify a different
-v
host directory for eachLEVEL
in use or don't use-v
and the container's filesystem will keep things encapsulated.
INFO Refer to the data directory section for a visual description of where the
$LEVEL
directory is situated.
Online mode
By default, server checks connecting players against Minecraft's account database. If you want to create an offline server or your server is not connected to the internet, you can disable the server to try connecting to minecraft.net to authenticate players with environment variable ONLINE_MODE
, like this
docker run -d -e ONLINE_MODE=FALSE ...
Allow flight
Allows users to use flight on your server while in Survival mode, if they have a mod that provides flight installed.
-e ALLOW_FLIGHT=TRUE|FALSE
Server name
The server name (e.g. for bungeecord) can be set like:
docker run -d -e SERVER_NAME=MyServer ...
Server port
WARNING: only change this value if you know what you're doing. It is only needed when using host networking and it is rare that host networking should be used. Use
-p
port mappings instead.
If you must, the server port can be set like:
docker run -d -e SERVER_PORT=25566 ...
however, be sure to change your port mapping accordingly and be prepared for some features to break.
Custom server properties
Some mods/plugins utilize custom server.properties
entries which can be declared via the CUSTOM_SERVER_PROPERTIES
environment variable. The contents must be newline delimited name=value
pairs.
Within a compose file, newline delimited entries can be declared as shown here:
CUSTOM_SERVER_PROPERTIES: |
custom1=value1
defaultworldgenerator-port=f8c04631-f744-11ec-b260-f02f74b094e0
When using docker run
from a bash shell, the entries must be quoted with the $'
syntax, such as
-e CUSTOM_SERVER_PROPERTIES=$'k1=v1\nk2=v2'
Other server property mappings
Environment Variable | Server Property |
---|---|
BROADCAST_CONSOLE_TO_OPS | broadcast-console-to-ops |
BROADCAST_RCON_TO_OPS | broadcast-rcon-to-ops |
ENABLE_STATUS | enable-status |
ENFORCE_SECURE_PROFILE | enforce-secure-profile |
ENTITY_BROADCAST_RANGE_PERCENTAGE | entity-broadcast-range-percentage |
FUNCTION_PERMISSION_LEVEL | function-permission-level |
NETWORK_COMPRESSION_THRESHOLD | network-compression-threshold |
OP_PERMISSION_LEVEL | op-permission-level |
PLAYER_IDLE_TIMEOUT | player-idle-timeout |
PREVENT_PROXY_CONNECTIONS | prevent-proxy-connections |
SIMULATION_DISTANCE | simulation-distance |
SYNC_CHUNK_WRITES | sync-chunk-writes |
USE_NATIVE_TRANSPORT | use-native-transport |
HIDE_ONLINE_PLAYERS | hide-online-players |
RESOURCE_PACK_ID | resource-pack-id |
RESOURCE_PACK_PROMPT | resource-pack-prompt |
MAX_CHAINED_NEIGHBOR_UPDATES | max-chained-neighbor-updates |
LOG_IPS | log-ips |
REGION_FILE_COMPRESSION | region-file-compression |
BUG_REPORT_LINK | bug-report-link |
PAUSE_WHEN_EMPTY_SECONDS | pause-when-empty-seconds |