Skip to content
Get started

Pterodactyl on a VPS

Game server panel

Install on a VPSGitHub
Category
Game servers
Hosting
Game servers
Author
Pterodactyl
License
MIT
Version
1.15.1

The script is free · VPS from $13.30 per month · installs in about 10 minutes

Install over SSH

root@vps:~# bash <(curl -s https://pterodactyl-installer.se)

  • SystemUbuntu 24.04 · x86_64ok
  • Sourcegithub.com/pterodactyl/panelok
  • Version1.15.1ok
  • Port443/tcplisten
  • Port8080/tcplisten
  • Port2022/tcplisten

✓ Pterodactyl 1.15.1 installed · about 10 minutes

root@vps:~#

Install command from the library. Output is shortened and may differ on your server.

What it is

  • Game servers
  • Minecraft
  • Docker
  • Panel

Pterodactyl is a game server management panel: Minecraft, Rust, CS2, ARK, Terraria and dozens of other games via ready-made templates (eggs). Each server runs in its own Docker container with CPU, RAM and disk limits.

The panel is handy if you host several game servers for a community or sell them: each player gets their own access, console, file manager, SFTP, schedules and backups.

It has two parts: the web panel (PHP) and the Wings daemon that runs the servers. Installing both on a single VPS is handled by the popular pterodactyl-installer.se script (GPL-3.0).

  • Templates for Minecraft, Rust, CS2, ARK, Terraria and other games
  • Server isolation in Docker with resource limits
  • Web console, file manager and SFTP
  • Task schedules and backups
  • Subusers and access permissions
  • API for automation and billing

Recommended plan

For Pterodactyl: at least 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM and 150 GB NVMe.

Minimum to run
2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 30 GB disk
Systems
Ubuntu 22.04 · Ubuntu 24.04 · Debian 11 · Debian 12 · AlmaLinux 9

How to install

Three steps in the bot or one command over SSH; installation takes about 10 minutes.

  1. 01

    Choose a plan in the bot

    Open @ExpressHost_bot and pay for a VPS. The server will be ready in about 60 seconds.

  2. 02

    Add Pterodactyl

    At the “Add-ons” step pick the script from the library, or run it later: Server settings → Scripts.

  3. 03

    Finish the setup

    In the installer menu, choose to install the panel and Wings on the same machine, and enter a domain and email for the certificate

Manually over SSH

Connect to the server as root and run the command. Supported systems: Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 11, Debian 12, AlmaLinux 9.

Install command
bash <(curl -s https://pterodactyl-installer.se)

Ports

Pterodactyl ports
PortProtocolPurpose
443tcpWeb panel (and 80 for HTTP)
8080tcpWings daemon API
2022tcpSFTP for server files
25565tcpExample game port (Minecraft), allocated in the panel

After installation

  1. 1.In the installer menu, choose to install the panel and Wings on the same machine, and enter a domain and email for the certificate
  2. 2.Log in to the panel as the created admin and add a Location and a Node in the admin area
  3. 3.Copy the node configuration to /etc/pterodactyl/config.yml and restart Wings: systemctl restart wings
  4. 4.Assign ports (Allocations) and create your first game server

Pterodactyl FAQ

Didn’t find an answer? Message @ExpressHost_SupportBot.

How many servers can the plan handle?

It depends on the games. 4 vCPU and 8 GB fits 2–3 Paper Minecraft servers for small groups, or one heavy modpack.

Is the install script official?

No, it is the popular community project pterodactyl-installer. Officially, Pterodactyl is installed manually following the pterodactyl.io documentation.

Where is game server data stored?

Wings stores server files in /var/lib/pterodactyl/volumes, the panel lives in /var/www/pterodactyl.

Pterodactyl installs at checkout — in the bot.

Install PterodactylBuy in Telegram