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@github-actions github-actions released this 29 Sep 07:10
· 12 commits to main since this release
v3.1.0
30a3d34

ObserverLauncher 3.1.0

3.1.0 puts the headless launcher into a container. If you want to run a Minecraft server on a VPS, a home server or a NAS — somewhere with no desktop — you can now generate a ready-made Docker setup in one command. This release also fixes a handful of command-line rough edges found in 3.0.0.

This is the plain-English release note. Developers: see the full technical changelog in CHANGELOG.md.

Run your server in Docker

One command writes everything you need:

observer docker create --type fabric --ram 4 --port 25565 --out my-server

That produces a Dockerfile, a docker-compose.yml, a .dockerignore and a short README. Then:

cd my-server
mkdir -p server data
# put a server jar (or run.sh) in ./server
docker compose up -d

The image bakes its own Java, runs the launcher with no window, and keeps your server folder and your launcher settings in two separate volumes (./server and ./data), so they survive rebuilds. The container restarts automatically after a reboot, and Docker can see whether it is healthy.

Supported server types: Paper, Vanilla, Purpur, Leaf, Folia, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Spigot.

Your server folder is found automatically

A fresh container has no server folder configured, which used to leave the launcher reporting "no folder". Now it adopts the mounted /server folder by itself, and there is a observer set-folder <path> command to point it somewhere else. You never have to hand-edit settings.json.

Stopping the container stops the server properly

When you stop the container (or press Ctrl+C), the launcher now shuts the Minecraft server down first — letting it save — then closes cleanly. Only if the server refuses to stop within 15 seconds does it force-kill it. Nothing is lost, and no orphaned server process is left behind.

Command-line fixes

  • --instance now actually works. Before, observer <cmd> --instance <id> was documented but quietly ran against whichever server was active. It now targets the instance you asked for.
  • observer start stays in the foreground. The server runs attached to your terminal, so you can watch it and stop it with Ctrl+C. If the server crashes, the command returns instead of hanging silently.
  • Command-line actions are now recorded. Starting, stopping and installing from the CLI appear in the audit log, just like actions taken through an AI.
  • observer set-folder (new) sets the active server folder from the command line — useful for headless setups.

A note on what did not change

  • The window. The desktop app is unchanged.
  • Your settings and servers. They carry straight over; there is no migration.

What is coming next

  • 3.2.0 — CI/CD for modpacks: verify and boot-test a modpack automatically in GitHub Actions.
  • 3.3.0 — Remote management: check on your server from elsewhere, designed to be safe by default.

Developer notes: npm test (70 files) passes. New: src/main/docker.js (a pure Dockerfile/compose generator), observer docker create, observer set-folder, container-aware shutdown, and a Docker guide in docs/docker.md. The generated image runs node src/headless.js as PID 1 with a baked JRE, a ./server/./data volume split and a cheap PID-1 healthcheck.

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