A Minecraft server panel you host yourself
Zelie is a self-hosted Minecraft server panel. It runs Vanilla, Paper, Purpur, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, the Velocity proxy and Bedrock on your own Linux machine, with a live console, a file editor, SFTP and backups.
Which kinds of Minecraft server it runs
Each kind is an egg from the Pelican repositories. Pick one when you create the server. Zelie suggests a starting size for memory and disk, and you can change both later on the Settings tab.
| Kind | What it is for | Suggested start |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla | Mojang’s own server, no changes. | 2 GB memory, 5 GB disk |
| Paper | A faster server that runs Bukkit and Spigot plugins. | The general default |
| Purpur | Paper with more settings to change. | 2 GB memory, 5 GB disk |
| Fabric | A light base for mods. | 2 GB memory, 5 GB disk |
| Forge | Mods and modpacks that load a lot of content. | 4 GB memory, 10 GB disk |
| NeoForge | The newer branch of Forge, for the same kind of mods. | 4 GB memory, 10 GB disk |
| Velocity | A proxy that passes players on to your other servers. It keeps no world. | 512 MB memory, 1 GB disk |
| Bedrock | The native server for phones, consoles and Windows. Players connect over UDP. | 1 GB memory, 2 GB disk |
Setting up a server
- Pick the kind, then set memory, CPU, disk and the Java image. The image decides the Java version.
- Choose the port. Zelie suggests one it found free on the machine, starting at 25565.
- Accept Mojang’s EULA. Zelie asks you first, because the server will not run without it.
- The egg’s install script runs once in its own container and downloads the server.
- Press Start and watch the console.
The Server page shows the address players connect to. Zelie finds it from the machine’s network cards, and you can replace it with a domain name of your own.
Editing server.properties, plugins and mods
server.properties and the other config files open in the browser editor. It colours JSON, YAML and config files as you type, and it marks broken JSON in red with the line and the reason, before you save.
Plugins and mods are files in the server’s folder. Upload them with the file manager by dragging them in, or send them over SFTP. Log in with an SSH key, or with a password made for that server and shown once. The file manager also packs a folder into a .tar.gz and unpacks .zip and .tar archives, which helps with modpacks.
Backups that do not catch the world mid-save
A backup of a running world can copy files while the server is writing them. For Minecraft, Zelie saves the world and pauses saving while the backup runs, with the same save-all and save-off commands you would type yourself, and turns saving back on afterwards.
Backups run on a schedule you choose. They are compressed and encrypted on the server, and a copy can go to any S3-compatible storage. Restoring first backs up what is there, so a bad restore can be undone. A reinstall takes a backup first too.
The console
The console shows the server’s output with its colours, keeps the last 500 lines when you open it and has a command line with history. It stays connected while Zelie updates itself. Stopping sends the egg’s stop command, and Zelie kills the server only if it has not stopped after a minute.
A schedule can send console commands at set times, for example a warning before a nightly restart.
How much memory a Minecraft server needs
Start with the suggested size and watch the memory use. The header of every server shows it, coloured green under 70 %, amber from 70 % and red from 90 %, and its metrics keep the last day.
- A Vanilla, Paper or Purpur server for a few friends is comfortable at 2 GB.
- Mods and modpacks need more. Forge and NeoForge start at 4 GB here, and a large pack may want more.
- A world grows as people explore, so leave disk to spare. Backups take space on the machine too.
- A Velocity proxy passes players along and needs little. 512 MB is the starting size.
Questions
Can I run a modded server with Forge, NeoForge or Fabric?
Yes. All three are in the list. Upload mods with the file manager or SFTP, and give Forge and NeoForge at least the 4 GB Zelie suggests.
Can Bedrock players join?
Yes, by running the Bedrock server kind. It is a separate server from Java, so Java and Bedrock players do not share a world unless you add a bridge plugin to a Java server yourself.
Do I have to accept the EULA?
Yes. Mojang’s server needs it, so the panel asks you to accept it before it creates a Minecraft server. Zelie does not accept it for you.
Does Zelie work with a Velocity proxy?
Velocity runs as its own server in Zelie and passes players on to your other Minecraft servers. You set up the forwarding in Velocity’s config file, which you can edit in the browser.
Install Zelie
Run this as root on a Debian or Ubuntu server. It checks the release’s signature, installs Zelie and asks how people will reach the panel.
curl -fsSL https://github.com/Caria-Core/zelie/releases/latest/download/install.sh | shFree on a single server. Read how the install works first if you want to know what it changes.