Pelican
Free self hosted game server control panel for running Docker isolated Minecraft, SteamCMD, voice, bot, and database servers from a web UI
Quick Start
curl -L https://github.com/pelican-dev/panel/releases/latest/download/panel.tar.gz | tar -xzv Overview
Pelican is a free, open source game server control panel for running multiplayer servers on your own hardware or VPS. Pelican gives admins a web UI for creating servers, assigning users, scheduling tasks, managing files, setting startup commands, and keeping each game instance inside its own Docker container through Wings. It fits Minecraft communities, friend groups running private worlds, and small game hosts that want a cleaner panel without paying for TCAdmin, AMP, or Multicraft.
The attraction is control. Pelican supports common game server templates called eggs, with coverage for Minecraft, Terraria, Palworld, Valheim, Factorio, SteamCMD games, voice servers, bots, databases, and more. The plugin hub is already growing, and the project has active releases for both the PHP panel and the Go based Wings daemon.
The caveat is maturity. Pelican is still in beta, and its own docs warn that things can change or break between beta versions. Setup also expects Linux comfort, PHP, a web server, a database, Docker, SSL, and careful firewalling. For gaming communities that accept that tradeoff, Pelican is a strong self hosted game server panel.
Pelican: Pros & Cons
| Pros (The Wins) | Cons (The Friction) |
|---|---|
| Cost & Value: Free open source panel. No per server SaaS fee. | Cost & Value: You still pay for hosting, hardware, and bandwidth. |
| Workflow: Web UI, schedules, users, plugins, and 2FA. | Workflow: Setup expects Linux, PHP, database, and Docker. |
| Game Coverage: Minecraft, Palworld, SteamCMD, and more. | Game Coverage: Server template quality depends on the community. |
| Isolation: Wings runs each server inside Docker. | Maturity: Still beta, with possible breaking changes. |
Features
- Web panel for creating and managing game servers
- Docker isolated servers through the Wings daemon
- Support for Minecraft, Palworld, Valheim, Factorio, Terraria, SteamCMD games, bots, voice servers, and databases
- User management, scheduling, file access, startup controls, SSL, and 2FA
- Plugin hub for extending the panel
- Linux focused deployment with PHP, database, web server, and Docker requirements
Use Cases
Specific ways to use Pelican for your workflow.
Deployment Strategy
Recommended ways to host Pelican in your own environment.