Palworld Dedicated Server

intermediate

Palworld dedicated server with RCON management and automatic backups.

Overview

Palworld is a multiplayer survival crafting game that combines creature collection with base building and combat mechanics. Running a dedicated Palworld server allows players to create persistent worlds where friends can join and play together without requiring the host player to be online constantly. The dedicated server provides better performance, 24/7 availability, and the ability to customize server settings for optimal gameplay experiences. This Docker stack combines the thijsvanloef/palworld-server-docker container with itzg/rcon for remote server administration. The Palworld server handles all game logic, world persistence, and player connections, while RCON provides command-line access for server management tasks like player moderation, world saves, and configuration changes without requiring direct server access. The configuration includes automatic backup functionality to prevent world data loss. This setup is ideal for gaming communities, friend groups wanting private servers, and content creators who need reliable Palworld hosting. The combination offers both the game server itself and administrative tools necessary for proper server management, making it valuable for anyone serious about hosting multiplayer Palworld sessions with proper oversight and data protection.

Key Features

Supports up to 32 concurrent players with configurable player limits
RCON integration for remote server administration and command execution
Automatic hourly world backups with configurable cron scheduling
Multithreading support for improved server performance under load
Steam update detection and automatic game updates on container restart
Configurable server privacy settings including password protection
Persistent world data storage with proper file permissions handling
Community server listing opt-out for private gaming sessions

Common Use Cases

1Private gaming servers for friend groups and gaming communities
2Content creator streaming servers with controlled player access
3Gaming clan dedicated servers with administrative oversight
4Development and testing environments for Palworld mods and configurations
5Educational gaming environments for schools and organizations
624/7 community servers with scheduled maintenance and backups
7Regional gaming servers for reduced latency in specific geographic areas

Prerequisites

Minimum 8GB RAM and 4GB free disk space for world data and backups
UDP ports 8211 and 27015 available and forwarded through firewall/router
TCP port 25575 accessible for RCON administration (internal network recommended)
Steam account ownership of Palworld for dedicated server access
Basic understanding of game server administration and player management
Docker Compose version 1.28+ for profiles support

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  palworld: 
3    image: thijsvanloef/palworld-server-docker:latest
4    environment: 
5      - PUID=1000
6      - PGID=1000
7      - PORT=8211
8      - PLAYERS=32
9      - MULTITHREADING=true
10      - RCON_ENABLED=true
11      - RCON_PORT=25575
12      - ADMIN_PASSWORD=${ADMIN_PASSWORD}
13      - COMMUNITY=false
14      - SERVER_NAME=${SERVER_NAME:-Palworld Server}
15      - SERVER_PASSWORD=${SERVER_PASSWORD}
16      - UPDATE_ON_BOOT=true
17      - BACKUP_ENABLED=true
18      - BACKUP_CRON_EXPRESSION=0 * * * *
19    volumes: 
20      - palworld-data:/palworld
21    ports: 
22      - "8211:8211/udp"
23      - "27015:27015/udp"
24      - "25575:25575"
25    networks: 
26      - palworld-network
27    restart: unless-stopped
28
29  rcon: 
30    image: itzg/rcon:latest
31    environment: 
32      - RCON_HOST=palworld
33      - RCON_PORT=25575
34      - RCON_PASSWORD=${ADMIN_PASSWORD}
35    depends_on: 
36      - palworld
37    networks: 
38      - palworld-network
39    profiles: 
40      - tools
41
42volumes: 
43  palworld-data: 
44
45networks: 
46  palworld-network: 
47    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env

1# Palworld Server
2SERVER_NAME=Palworld Server
3SERVER_PASSWORD=secure_password
4ADMIN_PASSWORD=admin_rcon_password

Usage Notes

1Game server on UDP 8211
2RCON management on port 25575
3Automatic updates on boot
4Hourly backups enabled
5Use 'docker compose --profile tools run rcon' for RCON

Individual Services(2 services)

Copy individual services to mix and match with your existing compose files.

palworld

palworld:
  image: thijsvanloef/palworld-server-docker:latest
  environment:
    - PUID=1000
    - PGID=1000
    - PORT=8211
    - PLAYERS=32
    - MULTITHREADING=true
    - RCON_ENABLED=true
    - RCON_PORT=25575
    - ADMIN_PASSWORD=${ADMIN_PASSWORD}
    - COMMUNITY=false
    - SERVER_NAME=${SERVER_NAME:-Palworld Server}
    - SERVER_PASSWORD=${SERVER_PASSWORD}
    - UPDATE_ON_BOOT=true
    - BACKUP_ENABLED=true
    - BACKUP_CRON_EXPRESSION=0 * * * *
  volumes:
    - palworld-data:/palworld
  ports:
    - 8211:8211/udp
    - 27015:27015/udp
    - "25575:25575"
  networks:
    - palworld-network
  restart: unless-stopped

rcon

rcon:
  image: itzg/rcon:latest
  environment:
    - RCON_HOST=palworld
    - RCON_PORT=25575
    - RCON_PASSWORD=${ADMIN_PASSWORD}
  depends_on:
    - palworld
  networks:
    - palworld-network
  profiles:
    - tools

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  palworld:
5    image: thijsvanloef/palworld-server-docker:latest
6    environment:
7      - PUID=1000
8      - PGID=1000
9      - PORT=8211
10      - PLAYERS=32
11      - MULTITHREADING=true
12      - RCON_ENABLED=true
13      - RCON_PORT=25575
14      - ADMIN_PASSWORD=${ADMIN_PASSWORD}
15      - COMMUNITY=false
16      - SERVER_NAME=${SERVER_NAME:-Palworld Server}
17      - SERVER_PASSWORD=${SERVER_PASSWORD}
18      - UPDATE_ON_BOOT=true
19      - BACKUP_ENABLED=true
20      - BACKUP_CRON_EXPRESSION=0 * * * *
21    volumes:
22      - palworld-data:/palworld
23    ports:
24      - "8211:8211/udp"
25      - "27015:27015/udp"
26      - "25575:25575"
27    networks:
28      - palworld-network
29    restart: unless-stopped
30
31  rcon:
32    image: itzg/rcon:latest
33    environment:
34      - RCON_HOST=palworld
35      - RCON_PORT=25575
36      - RCON_PASSWORD=${ADMIN_PASSWORD}
37    depends_on:
38      - palworld
39    networks:
40      - palworld-network
41    profiles:
42      - tools
43
44volumes:
45  palworld-data:
46
47networks:
48  palworld-network:
49    driver: bridge
50EOF
51
52# 2. Create the .env file
53cat > .env << 'EOF'
54# Palworld Server
55SERVER_NAME=Palworld Server
56SERVER_PASSWORD=secure_password
57ADMIN_PASSWORD=admin_rcon_password
58EOF
59
60# 3. Start the services
61docker compose up -d
62
63# 4. View logs
64docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/palworld-server/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Players cannot connect to server: Verify UDP port 8211 is properly forwarded and firewall allows traffic
RCON connection refused: Ensure ADMIN_PASSWORD environment variable is set and matches between palworld and rcon services
Server crashes on startup with memory errors: Increase Docker container memory limits and verify host has sufficient RAM
World data lost after container restart: Check palworld-data volume mounting and verify PUID/PGID permissions match host filesystem
Steam update failures during boot: Ensure container has internet access and Steam servers are reachable
Backup creation fails: Verify palworld-data volume has write permissions and sufficient disk space for backup storage

Community Notes

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Includes docker-compose.yml, .env template, README, and license

Components

palworld-serverrcon-cli

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