Skip to content
BranchesTags
 
 

Repository files navigation

ko-fi

Docker - Palworld Dedicated Server Wine

This is a modified version of a linux palworld server to use the Windows version the Palworld server instead of Linux. I've tried my best to make everything else from the previous repository work in this version, but there will probably be some incompatibilities.

Warning

Heads-up — RCON has been removed. This image no longer uses RCON for any container tooling. All server management (player detection, backups, restarts, CLI) now runs via the Palworld REST API.

  • RCON_ENABLED now defaults to false — this only controls the game server INI setting, not container functionality.
  • Make sure RESTAPI_ENABLED=true is set in your default.env.
  • See the Changelog for the full migration guide and renamed environment variables.

Caution

Public Service Announcement — Custom Script Feature

After many community requests, this image now supports running a custom script before the server starts. This feature is entirely opt-in and is controlled by the CUSTOM_SCRIPT_ENABLED environment variable, which defaults to false.

This image will never ship with a custom script of any kind.

If you come across a Docker image that appears to be this one but includes a bundled custom script, please be careful — it is not this image and I have no affiliation with it.

This feature was added at the request of the community. While I am glad to offer the option, I will not be providing support for it, and I refuse to accept any liability for any harm, data loss, corruption, or security issues that may result from its use. Please use it at your own discretion. — Public Service Announcement.

Table of Contents

How to ask for support for this Docker image

If you need support for this Docker image:

  • Feel free to create a new issue.
    • You can reference other issues if you're experiencing a similar problem via #issue-number.
  • Follow the instructions and answer the questions of people who are willing to help you.
  • Once your issue is resolved, please close it and please consider giving this repo a star.
  • Please note that any issue that has been inactive for a week will be closed due to inactivity.

Please avoid:

  • Reusing or necroing issues. This can lead to spam and may harass participants who didn't agree to be part of your new problem.
  • If this happens, we reserve the right to lock the issue or delete the comments, you have been warned!

Requirements

To run this Docker image, you need a basic understanding of Docker, Docker-Compose, Linux, and Networking (Port-Forwarding/NAT).

Minimum system requirements

Resource 1-8 players 8-12+ players
CPU 4 CPU-Cores @ High GHz 6-8 CPU Cores @ High GHz
RAM 8GB RAM Base + 2GB per player 12GB RAM Base + 2GB per player
Storage 30GB 30GB+

Changelog

You can find the changelog here

Getting started

  1. Create a game sub-directory on your Docker-Node in your game-server-directory
    • (Examples: /srv/palworld, /opt/palworld or /home/username/palworld)
    • This directory will be used to store the game server files, including configs and savegames
    • In older versions we asked you to setup permissions via CHMOD or CHOWN, this should not be needed anymore!
  2. Set up Port-Forwarding or NAT for the ports in the Docker-Compose file
  3. Pull the latest version of the image with docker pull ghcr.io/ripps818/palworld-dedicated-server-wine:latest
  4. Download the docker-compose.yml and default.env
  5. Set up the docker-compose.yml and default.env to your liking
    • Make sure you setup PUID and PGID according to the user you want to use
      • PUID and PGID 0 will error out, thats on purpose!
      • if you use Docker as root, then you can just use 1000 inside the container
    • Change ADMIN_PASSWORD (and SERVER_PASSWORD if set) in default.env from default values (adminPasswordHere / serverPasswordHere). The container enforces security checks and will abort server start if default passwords remain configured.
    • Refer to the Environment-Variables section for more information
  6. Start the container via docker-compose up -d && docker-compose logs -f
    • Watch the log, if no errors occur you can close the logs with ctrl+c
  7. Now have fun and happy gaming! 🎮😉

Installing Mods

This Palworld Windows server supports installing mods manually (via UE4SS) or automatically via the Steam Workshop.

Automatic Mods via Steam Workshop

Palworld Dedicated Server supports automatic mod installation and updates directly from the Steam Workshop. Mods sourced this way (including UE4SS itself, if published on the Workshop with the appropriate InstallRules) are deployed automatically by the server's own mod-manifest system on startup or restart. You do not need to manually download or place files into the game directories.

Configuration

You can specify which Workshop mods to install using either environment variables or a configuration file:

  1. Via Environment Variable: Set the WORKSHOP_MOD_IDS environment variable to a comma-separated list of Published File IDs: 
    environment:
  - WORKSHOP_MOD_IDS=3142718104,3142718105
  2. Via Config File: Create a file named workshop-mods.txt in the root of your bind-mounted game directory (e.g., ./game/workshop-mods.txt). Add one Published File ID per line. Lines starting with # are treated as comments and blank lines are ignored: 
    # My Favorite Mods
3142718104
3142718105

Note: If both sources are populated, the lists are merged and deduplicated.

How to Find a Mod's Published File ID

Go to the Palworld Steam Workshop page, find a mod you want to install, and look at its URL. The ID is the number at the end of the ?id= parameter:

  • URL: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3142718104
  • ID: 3142718104

Steam Authentication (Required for Paid Workshop Content)

Because Palworld (AppID 1623730) is a paid game on Steam, SteamCMD requires an authenticated login using a Steam account that owns the game in order to download its Workshop mods (anonymous downloads will fail).

  1. Set the STEAM_USERNAME and STEAM_PASSWORD environment variables in your .env or compose environment: 
    environment:
  - STEAM_USERNAME=your_steam_username
  - STEAM_PASSWORD=your_steam_password
  2. Steam Guard (Two-Factor Authentication) Persistence: If your account has Steam Guard enabled, SteamCMD will prompt for your 2FA code on the first run. To avoid entering the Steam Guard code on every container restart, you must persist the Steam session token:

    • Mount a host directory to /home/steam/Steam/ in your compose.yml volumes:

      volumes:
  - ./steam_cache:/home/steam/Steam/

    • Run the interactive console inside the container to log in manually once:

      docker exec -it --user steam palworld-wine-server steamcmd

    • At the Steam> prompt, log in:

      login your_steam_username your_steam_password

      Confirm the 2FA code on your phone/email. Once logged in, type quit.

    • Crucial step: After logging in manually once, remove or empty the STEAM_PASSWORD variable in your .env or compose file, leaving only STEAM_USERNAME set.

      Why? If both STEAM_USERNAME and STEAM_PASSWORD are set, the container's startup script will attempt a fresh password login on every boot, which bypasses the cached session token and triggers a new 2FA prompt. Leaving STEAM_PASSWORD blank forces it to use the cached token in the mounted volume.

Automatic Update Checks

By default, the container checks for mod updates every 6 hours via the WORKSHOP_MOD_UPDATE_CRON environment variable (0 */6 * * *).

  • When an update is detected, the container uses the REST API to broadcast warnings to connected players, save the world, shut down safely, and restart.
  • You can change the cron schedule by setting WORKSHOP_MOD_UPDATE_CRON to a different cron expression, or set it to empty ("") to disable periodic checks (mods will still be installed/updated once at container startup).

Manual / Native Mod Installation (Automated)

If you have mods not available on the Steam Workshop (e.g. from Nexus Mods) or want to install the UE4SS framework manually, the container provides an automated pipeline using a NativeMods folder:

  1. Create a directory named Mods/NativeMods inside your bind-mounted game folder on the host (e.g., ./game/Mods/NativeMods/).
  2. Place your extracted manual mod directories (e.g., MyManualMod) directly inside ./game/Mods/NativeMods/.
  3. On container startup, the container will automatically:
    • Deploy the mod folder to the server executable's directory.
    • Auto-detect and copy LogicMod .pak files directly to Pal/Content/Paks/LogicMods/.
    • Auto-detect and copy/rename UE4SS framework files (like dwmapi.dll / UE4SS.dll) to Pal/Binaries/Win64/.
    • Register the mod automatically in PalModSettings.ini (parsing its Info.json or falling back to the mod folder name).
    • Track and clean up all deployed files automatically if you delete the mod from NativeMods and restart the container.

Persistent Mod Config Overrides (ConfigOverrides)

If you edit mod configuration files (.ini, .lua, .json) directly inside the game runtime directory (Pal/Binaries/Win64/Mods/), they will be overwritten when mods update or sync on container restart.

To keep custom mod configurations persistent across restarts and updates:

  1. Create a directory named Mods/ConfigOverrides in your game volume (e.g., ./game/Mods/ConfigOverrides/).
  2. Create a folder matching either the mod's PackageName or its Steam Workshop ID (e.g., ./game/Mods/ConfigOverrides/MyModName/ or ./game/Mods/ConfigOverrides/3142718104/).
  3. Place your customized configuration files directly inside that folder.
  4. On container startup, after mods are downloaded or extracted, the container automatically overlays your custom configuration files on top of the deployed runtime destination directory.

Manual Mod Installation (Legacy / Manual)

If you prefer to copy files manually and configure the files yourself, you can install the UE4SS framework:

  1. Download the latest version of UE4SS 3.0.0 or newer
  2. Unzip it into ./game/Pal/Binaries/Win64 (assuming ./game/ is the host directory bound to /palworld in the container)
  3. Edit UE4SS-settings.ini to configure the following settings: 
    bUseUObjectArrayCache = false
GuiConsoleEnabled = 0
  4. Install mods into the Mods folder and follow the installation instructions for each mod. Some mods may require editing mods.txt or installing parts of the mod into the generated LogicMods folder.

Environment variables

See this file for the documentation

Docker-Compose examples

Gameserver with REST API

networks:
  palworld:

services:
  palworld-dedicated-server:
    container_name: palworld-wine-server
    image: ghcr.io/ripps818/docker-palworld-dedicated-server-wine:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    # Only needed if AUTO_PAUSE_ENABLED=true - lets iptables install the
    # NFLOG wake-on-connect rule.
    # cap_add:
    #   - NET_ADMIN
    # Gives a graceful shutdown room to finish before Docker SIGKILLs it.
    stop_grace_period: 30s
    logging:
      driver: "local"
      options:
        max-size: "10m"
        max-file: "3"
    ports:
      - target: 8211 # Gamerserver port inside of the container
        published: 8211 # Gamerserver port on your host
        protocol: udp
        mode: host
      - target: 8212 # Gameserver API port inside of the container
        published: 8212 # Gameserver API port on your host
        protocol: tcp
        mode: host
      - target: 25575 # RCON port inside of the container
        published: 25575 # RCON port on your host
        protocol: tcp
        mode: host
      - target: 27015 # Query port inside of the container
        published: 27015 # Query port on your host
        protocol: tcp
    env_file:
      - ./default.env
    volumes:
      - ./game:/palworld
    networks:
      - palworld

Run REST API commands

Note

Please research the REST API commands on the official source: https://docs.palworldgame.com/category/rest-api

You can use docker exec palworld-wine-server restapicli <command> right on your terminal/shell.

$ docker exec palworld-wine-server restapicli players
> Players: {"players": [...]}

$ docker exec palworld-wine-server restapicli info
> Server info: {"version": "v0.7.3.90464", "servername": "...", ...}

$ docker exec palworld-wine-server restapicli metrics
> Metrics: {"currentplayernum": 1, "serverfps": 120, ...}

$ docker exec palworld-wine-server restapicli save
> Saving world...
> World saved.

$ docker exec palworld-wine-server restapicli announce "Hello players!"
> Announced: Hello players!

$ docker exec palworld-wine-server restapicli kick steam_76000000000000123 "Goodbye!"
> Kicked: steam_76000000000000123

$ docker exec palworld-wine-server restapicli ban steam_76000000000000123 "You are banned."
> Banned: steam_76000000000000123

$ docker exec palworld-wine-server restapicli unban steam_76000000000000123
> Unbanned: steam_76000000000000123

$ docker exec palworld-wine-server restapicli banlist
> Ban list (2 entries):
steam_76000000000000123
steam_76000000000000456

$ docker exec palworld-wine-server restapicli shutdown 60 "Server restarting soon"
> Shutting down server in 60s...
> Shutdown issued.

Backup Manager

Note

Container Backup (BACKUP_ENABLED) vs. Native World Backup (ENABLE_WORLD_BACKUP):

  • Container Backup Manager (BACKUP_ENABLED=true): The recommended backup system provided by this Docker image. It runs on a cron schedule (BACKUP_CRON_EXPRESSION), triggers a world save via the REST API, compresses save files into .tar.gz archives in /palworld/backups, and enforces automated retention cleanup (BACKUP_RETENTION_AMOUNT_TO_KEEP).
  • Native World Backup (ENABLE_WORLD_BACKUP=false): The Palworld server's built-in backup setting (bIsUseBackupSaveData). It creates uncompressed backup save folders inside the save game directory without cron scheduling or automatic cleanup.
  • Using Both: Both backup methods can be used together if desired. However, Native World Backup is disabled by default (ENABLE_WORLD_BACKUP=false) to keep disk usage lower and avoid unnecessary duplication.

Warning

If RESTAPI_ENABLED is set to false, the backup manager will not announce backup start/success/failure in-game and will not trigger a world save before creating a backup. This means that the backup will be created from the last auto-save of the server. This can lead to data-loss and/or savegame corruption.

Recommendation: Please make sure that RESTAPI_ENABLED=true is set before using the backup manager.

Warning

Please use in the following part always the --user steam option or your files will be written as root

Usage: docker exec --user steam palworld-wine-server backup [command] [arguments]

Command Argument Required/Optional Default Value Values Description
create N/A N/A N/A N/A Creates a backup.
list <number_to_list> Optional N/A Positive numbers Lists all backups.
If <number_to_list> is specified, only the most
recent <number_to_list> backups are listed.
clean <number_to_keep> Optional BACKUP_RETENTION_AMOUNT_TO_KEEP Positive numbers Cleans up backups.
If <number_to_list> is specified, cleans and keeps
the most recent<number_to_keep> backups.
If not, default to BACKUP_RETENTION_AMOUNT_TO_KEEP var

Examples:

$ docker exec --user steam palworld-wine-server backup create
>>> Backup 'saved-20240203_032855.tar.gz' created successfully
$ docker exec --user steam palworld-wine-server backup list
>>> Listing 2 backup file(s)!
2024-02-03 03:28:55 | saved-20240203_032855.tar.gz
2024-02-03 03:28:00 | saved-20240203_032800.tar.gz
$ docker exec --user steam palworld-wine-server backup clean 3
>>> 1 backup(s) cleaned, keeping 2 backup(s).
$ docker exec --user steam palworld-wine-server backup list 1
>>> Listing 1 out of 2 backup file(s).
2024-02-03 03:30:00 | saved-20240203_033000.tar.gz

Automatic Server Pausing (Auto-Pause)

When AUTO_PAUSE_ENABLED=true, the gameserver process is frozen (SIGSTOP) after AUTO_PAUSE_TIMEOUT seconds with zero online players. This saves CPU resources and pauses world decay while empty.

  • Wake-on-connect: Requires the NET_ADMIN capability (see compose.yml) so netfilter can detect incoming connection attempts on game port 8211.
  • REST API & Cron integration: Scheduled backups, broadcasts, and restarts automatically wake the server without extra setup.
  • Community Server support: When COMMUNITY_SERVER=true (or AUTO_PAUSE_HEARTBEAT_PULSE=true), the server briefly micro-unpauses for 4 seconds every 90 seconds so Epic Online Services (EOS) and Steam master servers receive heartbeats, keeping the server listed online in the in-game browser.
  • CLI Control: Manage pause states on demand: 
    $ docker exec palworld-wine-server autopause status
$ docker exec palworld-wine-server autopause resume
$ docker exec palworld-wine-server autopause stop

See ENV_VARS.md for all auto-pause configuration options.

Webhook integration

To enable webhook integrations, you need to set the following environment variables in the default.env:

WEBHOOK_ENABLED=true
WEBHOOK_URL="https://your.webhook.url"

After enabling the server should send messages in a Discord-Compatible way to your webhook url.

You can find more details about these variables here.

Supported events

  • Server starting
    • This even is not server started. Just add like 5 seconds on top and the server is online
  • Server stopped
  • Server updating
  • Server updating and validating

Deploy with Helm

A Helm chart to deploy this container can be found at palworld-helm.

FAQ

Does this image support Xbox Dedicated Servers?

Yes just change the value from ALLOW_CONNECT_PLATFORM from Steam to Xbox. See here for more documentation: https://tech.palworldgame.com/getting-started/for-xbox-dedicated-server

How can I use the interactive console in Portainer with this image?

You can run this `docker exec -ti palworld-wine-server bash' or you could navigate to the "Stacks" tab in Portainer, select your stack, and click on the container name. Then click on the "Exec console" button.

How can I look into the config of my Palworld container?

You can run this docker exec -ti palworld-wine-server cat /palworld/Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/PalWorldSettings.ini and it will show you the config inside the container.

I'm seeing S_API errors in my logs when I start the container?

Errors like [S_API FAIL] Tried to access Steam interface SteamUser021 before SteamAPI_Init succeeded. are safe to ignore.

I'm using Apple silicon type of hardware, can I run this?

You can try to insert in your docker-compose file this parameter platform: linux/amd64 at the palworld service. This isn't a special fix for Apple silicon, but to run on other than x86 hosts. The support for arm exists only by enforcing x86 emulation, if that isn't to host already. Rosetta is doing the translation/emulation.

I changed the BaseCampWorkerMaxNum setting, why didn't this update the server?

This is a confirmed bug. Changing BaseCampWorkerMaxNum in the PalWorldSettings.ini has no effect on the server. There are tools out there to help with this, like this one: https://github.com/legoduded/palworld-worldoptions

Warning

Adding WorldOption.sav will break PalWorldSetting.ini. So any new changes to the settings (either on the file or via ENV VARS), you will have to create a new WorldOption.sav and update it every time for those changes to have an effect.

Planned features in the future

  • Feel free to suggest something. Under Issues there is a Feature Request issue-type.

Software used

About

Docker container to easily provision and manage Palworld Dedicated Server. Modified to use windows version with Wine

Resources

Readme
MIT license
Activity

Stars

40 stars

Watchers

1 watching

Forks

11 forks
Report repository

Releases

Sponsor this project

Packages

Contributors

Languages