Run Starbound in a Linux Docker container by using a community image with a documented startup process, publishing TCP port 21025, and keeping the server’s data directory on persistent storage. The steps below use the Didstopia image; other community images differ in how they handle Steam credentials, updates, and file ownership.
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What you need before starting
You need Docker on a Linux host or another Docker-capable system, a community Starbound server image, and a Steam account that owns Starbound. The image uses Steam credentials when installing or updating the game. If the account has Steam Guard enabled, be prepared to enter a verification code in an interactive terminal.
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No authoritative hardware minimums or player-capacity figures are established for these images. Start with the resources available on your host, then monitor actual CPU, memory, disk, and network use under your expected workload rather than relying on an invented universal minimum.
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Start a Didstopia Starbound container
The Didstopia project describes its image as a dedicated Linux server for Starbound running inside a Docker container. Its documented data tree is rooted at /steamcmd/starbound. The following detached command publishes the game port and maps that tree to persistent host storage:
docker run -d
--name starbound
--restart unless-stopped
-p 21025:21025/tcp
-v /srv/starbound:/steamcmd/starbound
-e STEAM_USERNAME='your-steam-name'
-e STEAM_PASSWORD='your-steam-password'
didstopia/starbound-server- Prepare the host directory. Create
/srv/starboundif it does not exist, and ensure the Docker process can write to it. This is the host side of the bind mount; the image reads and writes its Starbound files at/steamcmd/starbound. - Substitute your Steam account details. Replace the example username and password with credentials for an account that owns Starbound. Do not copy the example values literally.
- Run the command. Docker creates a container named
starbound, maps host TCP port21025to the container’s TCP port21025, and restarts the container unless it is explicitly stopped. - Check the container’s startup output. The image handles installation or updating at startup when Steam credentials are present. If it pauses for a Steam Guard code, use the interactive procedure below rather than assuming startup has completed.
The example puts credentials directly in a shell command. That can expose them through shell history, process or administration records, or a copied command. Treat the example as a demonstration of the image’s environment-variable contract, not as a safe way to publish secrets. Never commit credentials in a Compose file or source repository, and do not include them in public issue reports. Use a secret-handling method appropriate to your host and deployment, and restrict access to any file or mechanism that stores them.
Handle Steam Guard with an interactive terminal
A detached container launched with -d does not provide the attached terminal needed to answer an interactive Steam Guard prompt. When the image asks for a verification code, start it with standard input and a TTY attached by using Docker’s -it options. For the initial run, use the same name, port mapping, mount, and credentials as in the previous command, but omit -d and add -it:
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docker run -it
--name starbound
--restart unless-stopped
-p 21025:21025/tcp
-v /srv/starbound:/steamcmd/starbound
-e STEAM_USERNAME='your-steam-name'
-e STEAM_PASSWORD='your-steam-password'
didstopia/starbound-serverEnter the Steam Guard code only when the image prompts for it. This interactive command runs in the foreground, so keep the terminal available while the prompt is active. Do not launch a second container with the same name while the first one still exists; if you already created a detached container, resolve that container first rather than layering a duplicate over it. Once authentication and the image’s installation or update work have completed, follow the image’s documented process for operating the resulting container. The exact post-authentication workflow is image-specific.
Make the server reachable on TCP 21025
The image documents TCP port 21025 for Starbound. The -p 21025:21025/tcp option publishes that container port on the Docker host. Docker’s port-publishing documentation explains that a container port is not reachable from outside the host unless it is published with -p or --publish.
Publishing the port is only one part of network access. Check the path the connection must take:
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- Docker host: Keep the port mapping in the container’s run configuration. If you change or recreate the container, make sure the mapping remains present.
- Host firewall: Allow inbound TCP traffic on port
21025to the Docker host. A Docker port mapping does not by itself guarantee that the host firewall permits outside connections. - Router, for Internet play: Forward TCP port
21025from the router to the Docker host’s network address. This step is not needed for players connecting only within a network where the host is already reachable.
Use the correct reachable address for the network you are connecting from. A mapping can be correct while an upstream firewall or router still blocks traffic. The documented image port is TCP; do not assume a UDP mapping is required by this setup.
Keep worlds, configuration, and mods persistent
The bind mount in the run command maps the host directory /srv/starbound to /steamcmd/starbound inside the container. This is the critical boundary between replaceable container state and files you need to keep. The Didstopia layout places the key files and directories here:
| Purpose | Path inside the container | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Server configuration | /steamcmd/starbound/storage/starbound_server.config |
Edit this file to change server configuration; the corresponding host path is /srv/starbound/storage/starbound_server.config. |
| World and save data | /steamcmd/starbound/storage/universe |
Keep this directory on the mounted persistent storage. Its host path in the example is /srv/starbound/storage/universe. |
| Mods | /steamcmd/starbound/mods |
Put and maintain the server’s mod files under the mounted tree, at host path /srv/starbound/mods in this example. |
The image documentation identifies /steamcmd/starbound/storage/universe for save files and /steamcmd/starbound/mods for mods. The mount makes those paths available under the host directory, so back up the host-side data rather than relying on the container’s writable layer. Keep the configuration, saves, and mods together with the mounted tree when moving or rebuilding the server.
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Before deleting or recreating a container, confirm that the data is actually present under the host directory or named volume you intend to retain. If you omit the mount or point it at a different host directory during recreation, the new container may start with a different data tree and appear to have lost its prior configuration or world. Preserve a backup before making substantial configuration or mod changes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose an image based on its update and storage workflow
Community images are not interchangeable. The documented workflows differ, and the available information does not establish a single best image for every deployment. Compare the behavior that affects your operation before selecting one, then read the image’s current README and pin a reviewed image tag where one is available.
| Image | Update and credential workflow | Data path or persistence | Other documented details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Didstopia | Uses Steam credentials for installation or updates on startup. Steam Guard may require an interactive terminal and TTY. | Mount /steamcmd/starbound; documented config, universe, and mods paths are inside that tree. |
Documents TCP port 21025. The specific Compose, UID/GID, mod-ID, image-freshness, and pinned-tag details are not stated here. |
| morgyn | Documents an interactive update.sh workflow rather than the Didstopia startup update process. |
Not stated in the documented comparison. | Compose support, UID/GID behavior, mod support, image freshness, and pinned-tag availability are not stated here. |
| hetsh | Uses a fixed game version in each image build. | Documents a bind mount at /starbound. |
Compose support, UID/GID behavior, mod support, image freshness, and pinned-tag availability are not stated here. |
| azureowl | Credential and update behavior is not stated in the documented comparison. | Documents a host-volume pattern. | Documents a Compose pattern, UID/GID ownership, optional mod IDs, and TCP port 21025. Image freshness and pinned-tag availability are not stated here. |
“Not stated” means the documented comparison does not establish that behavior; it is not proof that an image cannot support it. For production use, check the current README for the exact image and tag you plan to run, including how it handles updates, data paths, ownership, Steam authentication, and mods. A fixed game version per build and an update-on-startup workflow have different operational consequences: one makes the version part of the selected image build, while the other can change installed game files when the container starts.
Update and maintain the deployment carefully
Do not assume an image’s update behavior from another image’s instructions. With Didstopia, the documented behavior is installation or updating on startup when Steam credentials are present. The morgyn image documents running update.sh interactively, while hetsh documents a fixed game version in each image build. azureowl’s documented Compose pattern includes optional mod IDs and ownership settings, but the available description does not establish its credential or update workflow.
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Troubleshoot common connection and startup problems
Players cannot connect from outside the host
- Confirm the container was started with
-p 21025:21025/tcp. - Check that the host firewall permits inbound TCP port
21025. - For Internet connections, verify that the router forwards TCP port
21025to the Docker host, not to a different machine. - Check that players are using an address reachable from their location. A port published on the host does not eliminate router or firewall restrictions.
The container stops or waits during setup
- Inspect the startup output to determine whether the image is installing or updating, or waiting for Steam authentication.
- If Steam Guard is prompted, run the container with an attached TTY and standard input using
-it; detached mode cannot receive an interactive code in the terminal. - Confirm the Steam account owns Starbound and that the credentials are valid. Do not post the password or verification code in a support request.
- Check the selected image’s README for its current startup and update contract. A different community image may require a different procedure.
The server appears to have lost its world or configuration
- Check that the container still maps the intended host directory to the image’s documented data path.
- For Didstopia, verify the host-side paths corresponding to
storage/universe,storage/starbound_server.config, andmodsbeneath the bind-mounted directory. - Check whether the container was recreated with a different mount source or without a mount. Avoid deleting the old container or data directory until you have verified where the previous files are stored.
The container cannot write to the mounted directory
Check host-directory ownership and permissions. Image behavior around non-root execution and UID/GID is not uniform: azureowl documents a Compose pattern with UID/GID ownership, but that should not be assumed for the other images. Use the ownership instructions for the specific image you selected rather than applying an arbitrary user ID.
Plan capacity from actual use
The available image documentation does not publish authoritative CPU, RAM, bandwidth, disk, or player-capacity requirements. Server demand can vary with the world and workload, so no single minimum figure is justified here. Monitor resource use on the host while people play, leave operational headroom for other services, and expand storage as the persistent universe and other files grow. If you do not want to manage a Docker host, a VPS or managed game-server host is an alternative only if it supports Docker, persistent storage, and the port and firewall controls this setup needs.
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