Deployment Examples - Docker Minecraft Server

This page provides practical deployment examples for common scenarios using the Docker Minecraft Server. All examples are based on real configurations from the official examples repository.

Basic Deployments

Vanilla Server

The simplest possible deployment:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  mc:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    tty: true
    stdin_open: true
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data

Create the file

Save as docker-compose.yml

Start the server

docker compose up -d

Check logs

docker compose logs -f

View on GitHub

Paper Server

Optimized server with Paper:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  mc:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    tty: true
    stdin_open: true
    environment:
      EULA: "true"
      TYPE: PAPER
      MEMORY: 2G
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    volumes:
      - mc-data:/data
    restart: unless-stopped
    
volumes:
  mc-data: {}

View on GitHub

Advanced Features

Server with Auto-pause

Automatically pause when no players are online:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  minecraft:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    volumes:
      - "mc:/data"
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
      TYPE: PAPER
      ENABLE_AUTOPAUSE: "TRUE"
      MAX_TICK_TIME: "-1"
      # More aggressive settings for demo purposes
      AUTOPAUSE_TIMEOUT_INIT: "30"
      AUTOPAUSE_TIMEOUT_EST: "10"
      JVM_DD_OPTS: "disable.watchdog:true"
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  mc: {}

Auto-pause reduces CPU usage when the server is idle, perfect for servers with intermittent usage.

Configuration:

AUTOPAUSE_TIMEOUT_INIT: Seconds before initial pause (default: 600)
AUTOPAUSE_TIMEOUT_EST: Seconds to wait for player join estimation (default: 3600)
MAX_TICK_TIME: Set to -1 to disable watchdog during pause

View on GitHub

Server with Auto-stop

Automatically stop container when empty:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  minecraft:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    volumes:
      - "mc:/data"
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
      TYPE: PAPER
      ENABLE_AUTOSTOP: "TRUE"
      AUTOSTOP_TIMEOUT_INIT: 1800
      AUTOSTOP_TIMEOUT_EST: 900
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  mc: {}

Auto-stop will stop the container completely. Use with orchestration that can restart on-demand.

View on GitHub

RCON Integration

Server with RCON Commands

Automate server commands at various lifecycle events:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  minecraft:
    image: ${IMAGE_TO_TEST:-itzg/minecraft-server}
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    volumes:
      - "mc:/data"
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
      TYPE: FABRIC
      MEMORY: "2G"
      CURSEFORGE_FILES: |
        fabric-api
        chunky-pregenerator
      CF_API_KEY: ${CF_API_KEY}
      # Commands to run on server startup
      RCON_CMDS_STARTUP:  |-
        /gamerule doFireTick false
        /team add New
        /team add Old
        /chunky radius 1000
        /chunky start
      # Commands when player connects
      RCON_CMDS_ON_CONNECT: |-
        /team join New @a[team=]
        /give @a[team=New] birch_boat
        /team join Old @a[team=New]
      # Commands on first player connect
      RCON_CMDS_FIRST_CONNECT: |-
        /chunky pause
      # Commands when last player disconnects
      RCON_CMDS_LAST_DISCONNECT: |-
        /kill @e[type=minecraft:boat]
        /chunky continue
    restart: unless-stopped
    
volumes:
  mc: {}

Available RCON Command Types

RCON_CMDS_STARTUP: Run once after server starts
RCON_CMDS_ON_CONNECT: Run when any player connects
RCON_CMDS_FIRST_CONNECT: Run when first player connects
RCON_CMDS_ON_DISCONNECT: Run when any player disconnects
RCON_CMDS_LAST_DISCONNECT: Run when last player disconnects

View on GitHub

Modded Servers

Forge Server with Mods

Mount a local mods directory:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  minecraft:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data
      - ./mods:/mods
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    environment:
      EULA: "true"
      TYPE: "FORGE"
      VERSION: "1.19.2"
    tty: true
    stdin_open: true

Place your mod .jar files in the ./mods directory before starting.

View on GitHub

CurseForge Modpack (ATM7)

Deploy a complete CurseForge modpack:

services:
  mc_atm7:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    container_name: mc_atm7
    ports:
      - 25565:25565
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - ./modpacks:/modpacks:ro
      - data:/data
    environment:
      EULA: "true"
      TYPE: CURSEFORGE
      CF_SERVER_MOD: /modpacks/ATM7-0.4.32-server.zip
      MEMORY: "8G"
      TZ: "America/New_York"
      OVERRIDE_SERVER_PROPERTIES: "true"
      DIFFICULTY: "easy"
      MAX_TICK_TIME: "-1"
      ALLOW_FLIGHT: "true"
      VIEW_DISTANCE: 10
      MAX_PLAYERS: 10
      PVP: "false"
      LEVEL_TYPE: "biomesoplenty"
      MOTD: "Welcome Home"

volumes:
  data:

Download modpack

Download the server files from CurseForge

Place in directory

Put the zip file in ./modpacks/

Start server

docker compose up -d

View on GitHub

Auto-scaling and On-Demand

Lazymc Integration

Start server on-demand when players connect:

docker-compose.yml

networks:
  minecraft-network:
    driver: bridge    
    ipam:
      config:
        - subnet: 172.18.0.0/16

services:
  lazymc:
    image: ghcr.io/joesturge/lazymc-docker-proxy:latest
    networks:
      minecraft-network:
        ipv4_address: 172.18.0.2
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - data:/server:ro
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"

  mc:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server:java21
    networks:
      minecraft-network:
        ipv4_address: 172.18.0.3
    labels:
      - lazymc.enabled=true
      - lazymc.group=mc
      - lazymc.server.address=mc:25565
    tty: true
    stdin_open: true
    restart: no
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
    volumes:
      - data:/data

volumes:
  data:

Lazymc requires static IPs and Docker socket access to manage the server container.

How it works:

Lazymc proxy listens on port 25565
When a player connects, it starts the Minecraft container
Traffic is forwarded to the actual server
Server stops after configured idle timeout

View on GitHub

MC-Router Auto-scale

Route multiple servers with auto-scaling:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  router:
    image: itzg/mc-router
    environment:
      IN_DOCKER: true
      # Global auto-scaling settings
      AUTO_SCALE_DOWN: true
      AUTO_SCALE_UP: true
      AUTO_SCALE_DOWN_AFTER: 2h
      AUTO_SCALE_ASLEEP_MOTD: "Server is asleep. Join again to wake it up!"
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
      
  vanilla:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
    labels:
      mc-router.host: "vanilla.example.com"
      
  fabric:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
      TYPE: FABRIC
    labels:
      mc-router.host: "fabric.example.com"
      mc-router.auto-scale-up: false
      mc-router.auto-scale-down: false
      
  paper:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
      TYPE: PAPER
    labels:
      mc-router.host: "paper.example.com"
      mc-router.auto-scale-asleep-motd: "Paper is folded. Join to unfold!"

Router Configuration

Environment Variables:

IN_DOCKER: Enable Docker backend
AUTO_SCALE_DOWN: Enable auto-scaling down
AUTO_SCALE_UP: Enable auto-scaling up
AUTO_SCALE_DOWN_AFTER: Idle time before scaling down

Label Overrides:

mc-router.host: Server hostname for routing
mc-router.auto-scale-up: Override global setting
mc-router.auto-scale-down: Override global setting
mc-router.auto-scale-asleep-motd: Custom sleep message

View on GitHub

Proxy Configurations

HTTP Proxy

Route server traffic through a proxy:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  mc:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
      PROXY: proxy:3128
      
  proxy:
    image: sameersbn/squid

Useful for controlling outbound connections or caching downloads.

View on GitHub

Multi-Service Setups

Production Server with RCON Web Admin

docker-compose.yml

services:
  minecraft:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    volumes:
      - "mcbig:/data"
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
      MAX_MEMORY: 32G
      MAX_BUILD_HEIGHT: 256
      VIEW_DISTANCE: 15
      LEVEL_TYPE: LARGEBIOMES
      MAX_PLAYERS: 100
      CONSOLE: "false"
    restart: always
    
  rcon:
    image: itzg/rcon
    ports:
      - "4326:4326"
      - "4327:4327"
    volumes:
      - "rcon:/opt/rcon-web-admin/db"

volumes:
  mcbig:
  rcon:

Access RCON:

Web interface: http://localhost:4326
Websocket: ws://localhost:4327

View on GitHub

Configuration Management

Apply Extra Configs

Automatically copy configuration files:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  mc:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
      TYPE: PAPER
      # Copy configs from /extras to /data
      COPY_CONFIG_DEST: /data
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data
      - ./shared-configs:/extras:ro
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"

Directory structure:

.
├── docker-compose.yml
├── data/                    # Server data
└── shared-configs/          # Mounted as /extras
    ├── LuckPerms/
    │   └── config.yml
    └── plugins/
        └── plugin.yml

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Special Server Types

BentoBox (Skyblock)

docker-compose.yml

services:
  mc:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
      TYPE: SPIGOT
      SPIGET_RESOURCES: "88802"  # BentoBox plugin ID
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data

View on GitHub

Geyser (Bedrock Bridge)

docker-compose.yml

services:
  mc:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
      TYPE: PAPER
      PLUGINS: |
        https://download.geysermc.org/v2/projects/geyser/versions/latest/builds/latest/downloads/spigot
        https://download.geysermc.org/v2/projects/floodgate/versions/latest/builds/latest/downloads/spigot
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"   # Java
      - "19132:19132/udp" # Bedrock
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data

This allows Bedrock Edition clients to connect to your Java server.

View on GitHub

Volume Mount Patterns

Complete Directory Mapping

docker-compose.yml

services:
  minecraft:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    volumes:
      # Data directory
      - ./data:/data
      # Specific subdirectories
      - ./worlds:/data/worlds
      - ./plugins:/plugins
      - ./mods:/mods
      - ./config:/config
      # Backups
      - ./backups:/backups
      # Read-only resources
      - ./resource-packs:/data/resource-packs:ro

Named Volumes for Production

docker-compose.yml

services:
  minecraft:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    volumes:
      - mc-data:/data
      - mc-backups:/backups
      - mc-logs:/data/logs

volumes:
  mc-data:
    driver: local
    driver_opts:
      type: none
      o: bind
      device: /mnt/storage/minecraft/data
  mc-backups:
    driver: local
    driver_opts:
      type: none
      o: bind
      device: /mnt/storage/minecraft/backups
  mc-logs:
    driver: local

Resource Optimization

Low-Resource Server

docker-compose.yml

services:
  minecraft:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
      TYPE: PAPER
      VERSION: "1.21.4"
      MEMORY: "1G"
      VIEW_DISTANCE: 6
      SIMULATION_DISTANCE: 4
      MAX_PLAYERS: 10
      ENABLE_AUTOPAUSE: "TRUE"
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data

High-Performance Server

docker-compose.yml

services:
  minecraft:
    image: itzg/minecraft-server:java21
    environment:
      EULA: "TRUE"
      TYPE: PAPER
      VERSION: "1.21.4"
      MEMORY: "16G"
      USE_AIKAR_FLAGS: "TRUE"
      VIEW_DISTANCE: 12
      SIMULATION_DISTANCE: 10
      MAX_PLAYERS: 100
      # Performance optimizations
      SPIGET_RESOURCES: "34315"  # Spark profiler
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    volumes:
      - mc-data:/data
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          cpus: '8'
          memory: 20G
        reservations:
          cpus: '4'
          memory: 16G

volumes:
  mc-data:

Next Steps

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Server Types

Mod Platforms

Configuration

Mods & Plugins

Versions

Operations

Deployment

Advanced

​Basic Deployments

​Vanilla Server

​Paper Server

​Advanced Features

​Server with Auto-pause

​Server with Auto-stop

​RCON Integration

​Server with RCON Commands

​Modded Servers

​Forge Server with Mods

​CurseForge Modpack (ATM7)

​Auto-scaling and On-Demand

​Lazymc Integration

​MC-Router Auto-scale

​Proxy Configurations

​HTTP Proxy

​Multi-Service Setups

​Production Server with RCON Web Admin

​Configuration Management

​Apply Extra Configs

​Special Server Types

​BentoBox (Skyblock)

​Geyser (Bedrock Bridge)

​Volume Mount Patterns

​Complete Directory Mapping

​Named Volumes for Production

​Resource Optimization

​Low-Resource Server

​High-Performance Server

​Next Steps

View All Examples

Kubernetes Deployment

Docker Swarm

Configuration Reference

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Basic Deployments

Vanilla Server

Paper Server

Advanced Features

Server with Auto-pause

Server with Auto-stop

RCON Integration

Server with RCON Commands

Modded Servers

Forge Server with Mods

CurseForge Modpack (ATM7)

Auto-scaling and On-Demand

Lazymc Integration

MC-Router Auto-scale

Proxy Configurations

HTTP Proxy

Multi-Service Setups

Production Server with RCON Web Admin

Configuration Management

Apply Extra Configs

Special Server Types

BentoBox (Skyblock)

Geyser (Bedrock Bridge)

Volume Mount Patterns

Complete Directory Mapping

Named Volumes for Production

Resource Optimization

Low-Resource Server

High-Performance Server

Next Steps