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The short version
Use a maintained image such as ghcr.io/ginco-org/hytale-server:latest, bind-mount a host directory to /data, publish 5520/udp, accept the EULA, and allocate at least 4GB of RAM. Start the service with Docker Compose, follow the first-run URL and code in the logs, and complete the device authorization in a browser. Keep the data directory when recreating the container: it holds credentials, worlds, configuration, logs, and mods.
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hytale:
image: ghcr.io/ginco-org/hytale-server:latest
container_name: hytale-server
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "5520:5520/udp"
environment:
EULA: "true"
MEMORY: "4G"
volumes:
- ./data:/dataSave this as compose.yaml, create the data directory, then run docker compose up -d. Follow startup with docker compose logs -f. The image is unofficial, so inspect its tag, Dockerfile, release history, and license before using it for an important world.
What the server requires
Runtime and memory
Hypixel Studios documents Java 25 and a minimum of 4GB of memory. That minimum is a starting point, not a player-cap guarantee. CPU and RAM demand increases with concurrent players, loaded entities, view distance, mods, and large content packs. Leave headroom for the operating system, Docker, filesystem cache, and any downloader or update process.
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Supported CPU architectures
The Hytale server supports both x64 and arm64. The automatic downloader bundled with the Hybrowse image is currently limited to Linux amd64 because the official downloader archive does not include a Linux arm64 binary. On an ARM64 machine, manually provide the game files or run the container as linux/amd64 under emulation.
Storage
Use persistent storage rather than an anonymous container volume. An NVMe SSD is strongly recommended by the image documentation, especially when worlds, logs, and mods are active. The recommendation is storage guidance, not a published performance benchmark.
Choose and verify the Docker image
There is no official Hytale Docker image identified in the available documentation. A community image can simplify Java setup, file layout, OAuth handling, updates, and optional operations features, but it also becomes part of your supply chain.
- Pin a reviewed tag instead of silently following an unexamined moving tag in production.
- Read the image README and Dockerfile so you know which paths, environment variables, entrypoint, and console mechanism it uses.
- Check the image’s update history and license before allowing automatic pulls.
- Confirm that the image expects the official Hytale files and that its update process does not overwrite your persistent data.
- Test a restore on a separate host before treating the deployment as your only copy of a world.
The Hytale Server Manual remains the authority for server behavior and file layout. The image’s README is authoritative only for that image’s environment variables and operational switches.
Obtain the official Hytale files
A container cannot create the proprietary game payload from nothing. You need the official Assets.zip and a matching Server directory. The package can come from the official downloader, a launcher installation, or the documented bootstrap flow.
Downloader package
- Place the official downloader on a machine and run
./hytale-downloader -download-path game.zip. - Extract the resulting package.
- Copy
Assets.zipand the completeServerdirectory into the host directory that will be mounted as/data. - Keep the files from one download together. Do not combine an
Assets.zipfrom one release with aServerdirectory from another.
Launcher or manual provisioning
If the launcher has already installed Hytale, copy the corresponding Assets.zip and server files from that installation into the persistent data directory. The server directory contains at least HytaleServer.jar and its runtime files. This approach is useful on ARM64 hosts where the image’s automatic downloader cannot run.
Expected volume layout
./data/
Assets.zip
server/
HytaleServer.jar
...Exact capitalization and directory names matter to the image you choose. Read its README before renaming Server to server; some entrypoints normalize the path, while others expect a specific name. Keep credentials, worlds, mods, logs, and configuration in this same persistent volume unless the image documents another location.
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Create the Compose deployment
Directory and permissions
- Create a project directory and enter it:
mkdir -p hytale-server/data && cd hytale-server. - Put
compose.yamlin that directory. - Place the provisioned game files under
./data. - Ensure the Docker daemon can read the files and write worlds, logs, credentials, and configuration. If the image runs as a non-root user, adjust ownership according to its documentation rather than making the directory world-writable.
Compose file
The following is a minimal deployment. EULA: 'true' records that you accept the applicable terms; do not set it until the person operating the server has reviewed those terms.
services:
hytale:
image: ghcr.io/ginco-org/hytale-server:latest
container_name: hytale-server
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- '5520:5520/udp'
environment:
EULA: 'true'
MEMORY: '4G'
volumes:
- ./data:/dataUse docker compose config to render and validate the file before starting it. Then run docker compose up -d and inspect docker compose logs -f. A first run may spend time checking files or preparing the runtime before it prints the authentication instructions.
Authenticate the first startup
Device authorization
Players cannot connect until the server has authenticated. In the server console, use the documented command /auth login device. The process displays a short code and a URL. Open https://accounts.hytale.com/device, enter the code, and approve the account.
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Keep credentials across restarts
Persisting /data is essential. The image records downloader credentials at /data/.hytale-downloader-credentials.json, and authenticated server credentials are persisted when configured as documented by the image. Removing the directory or replacing it with a new empty bind mount will trigger authentication again and can separate a server from its existing worlds and configuration.
Fleet authentication
For automated fleets, Hypixel Studios documents supplying --session-token and --identity-token, or the corresponding environment variables. Game sessions expire after one hour and refresh automatically. OAuth refresh tokens have a 30-day offline time-to-live according to the provider guide, so a machine that remains offline longer may require a new authorization.
Expose the correct network port
Why UDP matters
Hytale networking uses QUIC over UDP, not TCP. The default server bind is 0.0.0.0:5520. The Compose mapping therefore must end in /udp; a TCP-only mapping does not make the game reachable.
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Docker, firewall, and router
- Publish the container port with
5520:5520/udp. - Allow inbound UDP 5520 in the host firewall, restricted to the networks or addresses that should reach the server.
- If the host is behind a router, forward UDP 5520 to the host’s private address.
- Give players the public address or DNS name and port used by your deployment. The default is 5520 unless you deliberately change both the server bind and every forwarding layer.
TCP forwarding is not required for normal Hytale game traffic. If a provider offers separate security groups, cloud firewalls, or network ACLs, allow UDP 5520 in those layers as well.
Diagnose a connection failure
- If the container logs show the server is not authenticated, finish the OAuth device flow first.
- If the server is listening but outside players cannot connect, check the Docker mapping and confirm it says
/udp. - On a home network, verify the router forwards UDP 5520 to the current host address rather than an old DHCP lease.
- On a cloud host, check both the operating-system firewall and the provider’s inbound rule.
- Test locally from the same network before debugging Internet routing; a local success isolates the remaining problem to firewall, NAT, or DNS configuration.
Understand and protect the persistent data
The /data mount is the server’s durable state. It can contain:
- the game payload, including
Assets.zipand the server runtime; - world saves and generated data;
- server configuration;
- OAuth and downloader credentials;
- mods and content packs; and
- logs and image-specific operational files.
Do not delete or recreate this directory during routine upgrades. Back it up while the server is stopped or while using a backup mechanism that the image documents as world-safe. Store copies outside the live world volume, preferably on separate storage or a different machine. A backup that remains in the same disk failure domain is not a complete recovery plan.
Run on ARM64 and Apple Silicon
Native ARM64 option
The server runtime itself supports arm64. On a native ARM64 Linux host, download or copy the official files on another system, then mount them into ./data. Disable or bypass any image feature that assumes it can download a Linux amd64 binary, following that image’s instructions.
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Alternatively, request an amd64 image on an ARM64 Docker host:
services:
hytale:
platform: linux/amd64Add the platform line to the service in the earlier Compose file. Docker will use emulation, which introduces overhead and can reduce efficiency. Treat it as a compatibility path, monitor CPU and memory, and avoid assuming that amd64 behavior represents native ARM64 performance.
Apple Silicon checklist
- Use Docker Desktop’s Linux container mode.
- Provide the official files manually unless your chosen image explicitly supports an ARM64 downloader.
- Set
platform: linux/amd64only when you accept emulation and its resource cost. - Make sure the Docker Desktop VM has at least 4GB available to the container, plus memory for the host and other services.
- Keep the data directory on storage that Docker Desktop can share reliably, and test restart persistence before inviting players.
Apply updates without losing worlds or mods
The official wrapper checks for updates on a default hourly interval. When it finds one, it stages new files, exits with code 8, and restarts after replacing server binaries and assets. Its documented layout expects a parent directory containing Assets.zip, a launcher script, and Server/. The wrapper is designed to preserve configuration, saves, and mods while updating the staged binaries and assets.
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Safe update procedure
- Back up the persistent data directory and verify that the backup contains the world and configuration files.
- Read the image and wrapper release notes for compatibility changes.
- Stop player activity or announce a maintenance window.
- Let the wrapper perform its staged update, or follow the image’s documented update command rather than replacing files by hand.
- Watch
docker compose logs -fthrough the restart and confirm that the server authenticates using the existing credentials. - Join with an administrator account and check a representative world, mod, and configuration setting.
Do not mix assets and server binaries from unrelated releases. If an update fails, restore the last known-good data backup and the matching image tag, then investigate the failed release separately.
Tune memory, CPU, and view distance
Memory setting
MEMORY: '4G' establishes a 4GB starting allocation in the example image. Raise it only after observing actual usage and ensuring the host has sufficient headroom. A larger ceiling cannot compensate for a CPU limit, slow storage, an excessive view distance, or a mod that is inefficient.
View distance is multiplicative
Hytale’s official hardware guidance identifies view distance as a major driver. Doubling view distance quadruples the world area loaded and simulated. Increase it gradually, watch tick behavior and memory, and treat a high setting as a capacity decision rather than a cosmetic preference.
Players, entities, and mods
There is no independent benchmark in the available documentation that converts player count into a guaranteed CPU or RAM requirement. Measure your own workload: record CPU utilization, resident memory, disk latency, and log warnings while players explore, entities accumulate, and mods run their normal tasks. Large content packs and complex mods can raise requirements beyond a lightly populated vanilla world.
Backups, health checks, and console operations
The image documentation describes optional backups, mod downloads, health checks, and a console pipe. Enable only the features you understand, and keep their output outside the live world directory when possible.
Backups
- Choose a schedule based on how much progress you can afford to lose.
- Copy backups to separate storage and enforce retention so a full disk does not stop the server.
- Periodically restore a backup to a disposable instance; a file existing on disk is not proof that it can be restored.
Health monitoring
Use the image’s documented health check if it accurately represents readiness for your deployment. A running container is not necessarily a ready game server: authentication, file preparation, or a crashed child process can leave Docker reporting an apparently healthy process. Alert on repeated restarts, authentication failures, disk-full conditions, and sustained resource pressure.
Console access
Use the image’s console pipe or documented console attachment method for administrative commands. Avoid sending commands by writing directly into unknown process descriptors, because entrypoints differ and an incorrect method can corrupt input or expose credentials.
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Security and production hardening
- Keep the host, Docker Engine, image, and Hytale files updated, but stage updates after a tested backup.
- Restrict UDP 5520 at the firewall when the server is intended for a private group.
- Protect
/data; it contains authentication material as well as worlds. - Do not publish Docker’s management socket or administrative ports to the Internet.
- Run the container with the least privilege supported by the image, and avoid broad host mounts.
- Record the image digest or exact tag used for each production change.
- Use separate credentials and data directories for separate environments so a test server cannot overwrite a live world.
- Monitor free disk space: world growth, logs, staged updates, and backups can exhaust a small volume.
Hytale server license and session limits
Hypixel Studios documents a 500-server game-license limit. That figure matters to operators building a hosting fleet, not to a single home server, but it should be included in capacity and account planning. Each running server also follows the one-hour game-session expiry and automatic refresh behavior described for the authentication system; long-lived automation still needs a valid refresh-token path and periodic reauthorization planning.
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Troubleshooting guide
Container exits immediately
Inspect the first error with docker compose logs hytale. Common causes are a missing EULA acknowledgement, absent or mismatched game files, an unwritable /data directory, or an image tag whose expected layout differs from yours. Correct the underlying condition, then start the service again; do not delete the data directory as a first response.
It repeatedly asks for OAuth
Check that ./data is the same host directory on every restart and that the container can write its credential files. Confirm whether the image is asking for downloader authorization and server authorization separately. If the OAuth refresh token has exceeded its 30-day offline lifetime, repeat the device flow.
Players time out
Verify that the server reached an authenticated, ready state, then check 5520/udp at Docker, the host firewall, cloud security rules, and the router. A TCP-only rule will not pass Hytale traffic. Confirm that DNS points to the current public address and that the router forwards to the correct internal host.
World or mods disappeared
Inspect the volume mount with docker compose config. A changed working directory can turn ./data into a new empty directory, making the container appear to have lost its state. Stop the service, locate the original data directory, restore the intended mount, and verify the world before allowing players back in.
ARM64 download fails
This is expected when the image invokes the amd64-only automatic downloader. Manually provision Assets.zip and Server, or add platform: linux/amd64 and accept emulation. The server’s arm64 support does not imply that every helper binary in an image supports arm64.
Performance degrades as the world grows
Check view distance first, then correlate CPU, memory, disk latency, player count, entities, and mod activity. Reduce view distance or heavy content before blindly raising the memory ceiling. Confirm that the host is using fast persistent storage and that backups or log rotation are not saturating the disk.
Quick Recap
Final deployment checklist
- Java 25 is available through the selected image or runtime.
- The host can provide at least 4GB of memory, with additional headroom for actual workload.
Assets.zipand the matchingServerdirectory are present../data:/datais a persistent, writable mount.- The Compose file publishes
5520:5520/udp. - UDP 5520 is allowed through host, cloud, and router firewalls where applicable.
- OAuth device authentication has completed for every client the image requests.
- A tested backup exists outside the live world volume.
- ARM64 users have manually provisioned files or explicitly selected amd64 emulation.
- The image tag, Dockerfile, update process, and license have been reviewed.
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