Install Crafty Controller on a KVM VPS

Crafty Controller is an open-source web panel dedicated to managing Minecraft servers (Java, Bedrock, Forge, Paper, Spigot, etc.). Lighter than Pterodactyl and Minecraft-focused, it's ideal for hosting one or several servers from a single interface without configuring a separate daemon.

⚙️ Prerequisites

• A Lordhosting VPS (Debian 11/12 or Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 recommended)
• At least 2 GB of RAM dedicated to the panel (on top of the RAM allocated to your Minecraft servers)
• Port 8443 available for the web interface
• SSH access as root or a sudo user

💡 If you haven't secured your VPS yet, follow our Secure a Linux VPS guide before this install.

⚙️ 1. SSH connection to the server

Connect to your VPS:

ssh root@your_ip

⚙️ 2. Update the system

apt update && apt upgrade -y

⚙️ 3. Install Docker

Crafty Controller is installed via Docker, which simplifies updates and isolation. Install Docker using the official script:

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Verify Docker is running:

docker --version
systemctl status docker

⚙️ 4. Create a folder for Crafty

We'll isolate persistent data (backups, servers, config) in a dedicated folder:

mkdir -p /opt/crafty
cd /opt/crafty

⚙️ 5. Run the Crafty Controller container

Pull and start the latest stable image:

docker run -d \
  --name crafty_4 \
  --restart=always \
  -e TZ=Europe/Paris \
  -p 8443:8443 \
  -p 8123:8123 \
  -p 19132:19132/udp \
  -p 25500-25600:25500-25600 \
  -v /opt/crafty/backups:/crafty/backups \
  -v /opt/crafty/logs:/crafty/logs \
  -v /opt/crafty/servers:/crafty/servers \
  -v /opt/crafty/config:/crafty/app/config \
  -v /opt/crafty/import:/crafty/import \
  registry.gitlab.com/crafty-controller/crafty-4:latest

Port breakdown:

• 8443: panel HTTPS web interface
• 8123: DynMap (Minecraft web map)
• 19132/udp: Minecraft Bedrock
• 25500-25600: range reserved for Minecraft Java servers created from the panel

⚙️ 6. Open ports in UFW

If you enabled UFW (recommended):

ufw allow 8443/tcp
ufw allow 8123/tcp
ufw allow 19132/udp
ufw allow 25500:25600/tcp

⚙️ 7. Retrieve the admin password

On first boot, Crafty generates a random password for the admin user. Retrieve it:

docker logs crafty_4 | grep "password"

Write this password down — it's only displayed once.

⚙️ 8. Access the panel

Open your browser and go to:

https://your_ip:8443

Accept the SSL warning (self-signed certificate) and log in with:

• Username: admin
• Password: the one retrieved in the previous step

Change the password immediately under Panel Config → Users.

⚙️ 9. Create your first Minecraft server

From the dashboard:

1. Click Create New Server
2. Choose the type (Java Vanilla, Paper, Forge, Bedrock, etc.)
3. Select the version
4. Set the allocated RAM and port
5. Accept the Minecraft EULA
6. Launch the server in one click

⚙️ Updating Crafty Controller

To update to the latest stable version:

docker pull registry.gitlab.com/crafty-controller/crafty-4:latest
docker stop crafty_4
docker rm crafty_4

Then re-run the docker run command from step 5. Your data in /opt/crafty/ is preserved thanks to the mounted volumes.

⚙️ Crafty vs Pterodactyl

If you only manage Minecraft servers, Crafty is faster to deploy. For multi-game or multi-machine infrastructure, prefer Pterodactyl.