Palworld Dedicated Server — one-click deploy with persistent volume, REST API, automated backups, and zero-downtime updates. Powered by thijsvanloef/palworld-server-docker.
After deploying, open Palworld → Multiplayer → Enter Server Address: <your-railway-domain>:8211
This template runs a single Palworld dedicated server wrapped around the upstream Docker image. Game data persists on a Railway volume mounted at /palworld — saves, configs, and backups survive deploys and restarts.
The entrypoint runs as root on boot to chown the Railway volume (root-owned by default) to the steam user, then drops privileges before launching the server. Railway uses the REST API on port 8212 for healthchecks since the game port (8211) is UDP and Railway doesn't support UDP healthchecks.
Key environment variables:
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
ADMIN_PASSWORD |
auto-generated | RCON/REST API admin password — visible in the service's Variables tab after deploy |
PLAYERS |
16 |
Max simultaneous players (1-32) |
SERVER_NAME |
My Palworld Server |
Displayed in the server browser |
SERVER_PASSWORD |
(empty) | Set to make the server private |
COMMUNITY |
true |
Show in public server browser |
RCON_ENABLED |
false |
Enable remote console |
BACKUP_ENABLED |
true |
Auto-backup world saves |
TZ |
UTC |
Server timezone |
The Palworld server requires at least 10 GB of persistent storage for the base installation. The initial game download via SteamCMD is ~5 GB, and world saves, backups, and mods increase over time. Railway provisions a volume automatically, but you may need to upgrade from the default 5 GB plan limit if you plan to run long-term with backups enabled.
- Persistent saves: world data lives on a Railway volume — no lost progress on restart.
- Automated backups: scheduled world saves with configurable retention.
- REST API: manage players, settings, and server state via HTTP.
- No Docker knowledge required: click deploy, configure env vars, start playing.
- Host a private Palworld server for friends (set
SERVER_PASSWORD) - Run a public community server (set
COMMUNITY=true) - Experiment with server config without local Docker setup
This template has no external service dependencies — everything runs in a single container with a persistent volume.
- A Railway account
- That's it