itzg/docker-minecraft-server

This is a Docker image for running a Minecraft Java Edition server. Docker is a tool that packages software into a self-contained unit called a container, so you can start a complex server on your computer or a rented cloud machine without manually installing Java, downloading server files, or figuring out configuration. This image handles all of that automatically every time the container starts. When you launch the container, it downloads the Minecraft server software for whichever version you specify, applies your chosen settings through environment variables (plain text options you set in a configuration file or on the command line), and starts the game server. If a new version of Minecraft is released, you can update by restarting the container and pointing it at the new version number. The image also supports multiple server types beyond the official Minecraft software, including popular modded platforms like Fabric, Forge, and Paper. Mod and plugin management is built in. You can point the container at a modpack from platforms like CurseForge or Modrinth, and it will download and install everything the pack requires. This makes it practical to run a modded server for friends without tracking down individual mod files. The README notes this image only supports Minecraft Java Edition. Players on consoles or mobile devices (who use the Bedrock edition of Minecraft) cannot connect to a Java server by default, though the documentation describes a workaround. For a native Bedrock server, a separate image by the same author exists. Full documentation, including a Docker Compose quick-start, lives on the project's ReadTheDocs site rather than in the repository itself. A Discord community is available for support questions.