Dockerized Pterodactyl

This repository provides a full, production-ready Docker setup for running the Pterodactyl Panel. It is designed for reliability, security, and straightforward deployment on any VPS or cloud platform.

You can choose whether to run the panel using its own Nginx instance or behind an external reverse proxy such as Traefik, Nginx Proxy Manager, or Caddy. By default the container is configured to run without Nginx (USE_NGINX=false), which is recommended for production behind a reverse proxy.

Repository Setup

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/m4tteros/dockerized-pterodactyl
cd dockerized-pterodactyl

Directory Structure

dockerized-pterodactyl/
│
├── docker-compose.yml
├── .env.example
├── .gitignore
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
│
├── backup.sh
├── wipe.sh
│
├── panel/
│   ├── Dockerfile
│   ├── entrypoint.sh
│   ├── supervisord.conf
│   ├── nginx.conf
│   └── wipe.sh
│
├── mysql/
│   ├── Dockerfile
│   └── init.sql
│
└── data/
    ├── database/
    ├── redis/
    ├── logs/
    ├── var/
    └── certs/

Environment Configuration

Copy the environment file template:

cp .env.example .env

Then edit .env with your preferred settings.

Key Variables

• MYSQL_PASSWORD: Database password for the pterodactyl user.
• MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: Root password for MariaDB.
• APP_URL: The full URL to access your panel (for example https://panel.example.com).
• APP_TIMEZONE: Timezone for PHP and logs (for example UTC).
• USE_NGINX: true to use built-in Nginx, false if using an external reverse proxy (default false).
• TRUSTED_PROXIES: IP or CIDR of your proxy if behind one.
• MAIL_*: SMTP configuration for password resets and notifications.

Building and Running

Without Nginx (recommended for production with reverse proxy)

USE_NGINX=false
docker-compose up -d --build

With Nginx (self-contained mode)

USE_NGINX=true
docker-compose up -d --build

The first build may take several minutes.

Create the First Admin User

After containers are running:

docker-compose run --rm panel php artisan p:user:make

Follow the prompts to create your administrator account.

Access the Panel

Visit your configured APP_URL in a browser, for example:

https://panel.example.com

If you are not using HTTPS yet, use:

http://your-server-ip

Backup and Restore

Backup

Run the backup script to create a timestamped snapshot of your panel and database.

bash backup.sh

Backups are stored in ./backups/<timestamp>/.

Restore

To restore a database backup:

docker exec -i pterodactyl_db mysql -u root -p panel < backups/<timestamp>/panel.sql

You can also restore /data manually to bring back file-based data.

Reset or Clean Environment

To completely reset your installation (all data and volumes will be deleted):

bash wipe.sh

Maintenance

• Update images and restart:

  docker-compose pull
  docker-compose up -d

• View logs:

  docker-compose logs -f panel

• Rebuild after config changes:

  docker-compose down
  docker-compose up -d --build

Security and Deployment Notes

1. Always use strong passwords for all environment variables.
2. Never commit your .env file to GitHub.
3. If using Cloudflare or any reverse proxy, ensure TRUSTED_PROXIES matches its IP range.
4. Use HTTPS in production. If using the built-in Nginx, you can bind to ports 80 and 443 for SSL certificates (via your proxy or Let's Encrypt).
5. Keep your containers updated with docker-compose pull.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgements

This setup is based on the official Pterodactyl Panel Docker image and the work of the Pterodactyl community.