A Pterodactyl alternative for one VPS and a few friends.
One command sets up everything on your VPS. No separate daemon, database or web server to configure.
curl -fsSL https://playkeeper.io/install | sudo sh
At a glance
| Pterodactyl | Pelican | Playkeeper | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Install | The panel, then Wings on each machine | The panel, then Wings on each machine | One command |
| Parts to run | Panel, Wings, a database and a web server | Panel and Wings, on PHP 8.3–8.5 | Playkeeper and Docker |
| Games | Many, through eggs | Many, through eggs | Minecraft: Java Edition |
| Built for | Hosting companies and big setups | The same, as a newer fork | One VPS and a few friends |
| Licence | MIT | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Status | Stable | Beta (1.0.0-beta38) | 0.4.2 |
The installs, side by side
Pterodactyl, from its install guide
Install PHP, Composer, a database and a web server
Download the panel, then set up its environment and database
Add a queue worker and a cron job
Install Docker and Wings, then add the machine as a node
Set up HTTPS for the panel and Wings
Add allocations and an egg, then create a server
Pelican's install has the same shape.
Playkeeper
$ curl -fsSL https://playkeeper.io/install | sudo sh ✓ Download matches its SHA-256 ✓ Ubuntu 26.04 · x86_64 · 4 vCPU · 8 GB · 71 GB free ✓ Ports 8443 and 25565 are free It will install Docker (docker.io) and the Playkeeper services. Continue? [y/N] y → Open https://203.0.113.7:8443/setup#code=…
It checks the server, lists every change and asks first. If Docker is missing, it comes from your system's packages or Docker's own repository.
What Pterodactyl and Pelican do better
Many games
Eggs cover hundreds of games. Playkeeper runs Minecraft: Java Edition only.
Selling servers
Users, limits and billing systems for hosting companies.
A big ecosystem
Years of eggs, themes and guides from the community.
Panel plugins
Pelican adds a plugin system to the panel itself.
What Playkeeper adds
- Guided setupA first server in a few questions, sized for your VPS.
- A free addressyourname.playkeeper.me with a real certificate. No port for friends.
- Live backupsPlayers stay online, and every copy is checked.
- Crash helpWhat went wrong, from the log, and the fix.
- InvitesA link that puts friends on the allowlist.
Move a world over
Download the world from Pterodactyl
In the file manager, archive the world folder and download the .zip. SFTP works too.
Upload it to Playkeeper
New server › A world › Another host. The upload resumes if the connection drops.
Check what's inside, then start
The version, data packs and anything left behind, before anything changes.
Questions
Is Playkeeper a Pterodactyl fork?
No. It's its own project, built for Minecraft: Java Edition on one VPS or a few.
Can it run next to Pterodactyl?
Give it its own VPS. Playkeeper never takes over another panel's servers, and both want the machine's Minecraft ports.
Does it run other games?
No. Playkeeper runs Minecraft: Java Edition servers only, with plugins, mods and modpacks one click each.
Is Playkeeper free?
Yes: free and open source (AGPL-3.0). You pay only for the VPS.
