Deploy Minecraft 26.2 Modpack Server (Paper, Fabric, Forge)

Deploy and Host Minecraft with Railway

Run your own Minecraft Java Edition server on Railway: vanilla, Paper with plugins, Fabric, Forge or a full Modrinth/CurseForge modpack. The world lives on a persistent volume, backups go to a Railway Bucket every few hours, and a password-protected web console lets you run commands from the browser.

About Hosting Minecraft

A Minecraft server is a single Java process that needs a fixed amount of memory, a reachable TCP port, durable storage for the world and a clean shutdown so chunks are saved. This community template builds on the widely used itzg/minecraft-server image (pinned), which downloads the server type and version you choose on first start. It adds three things for Railway: a TCP proxy for players, automatic backups that pause world saves through RCON and stream compressed archives to a Railway Bucket, and a small web console that talks to the server over the private network. You must accept Mojang's EULA yourself when deploying.

Common Use Cases

• A private survival or creative server for friends and family
• A Paper server with plugins for a small community
• Modded play with Modrinth or CurseForge modpacks (Fabric, Forge, NeoForge)
• A test server for plugin or datapack development

Dependencies for Minecraft Hosting

• Minecraft: Java Edition clients (Bedrock is not supported: Railway has no UDP)
• Acceptance of the Minecraft EULA (set EULA=TRUE)
• A Railway volume for /data and a Railway Bucket for backups (both included)

Deployment Dependencies

• itzg/minecraft-server documentation: https://docker-minecraft-server.readthedocs.io/
• Image releases: https://github.com/itzg/docker-minecraft-server/releases
• Minecraft EULA: https://aka.ms/MinecraftEULA
• Railway TCP proxy: https://docs.railway.com/networking/tcp-proxy
• Railway Storage Buckets: https://docs.railway.com/storage-buckets

Implementation Details

First start

1. Set EULA to TRUE after reading the EULA. Defaults: Paper, Minecraft 26.2, 3 GB heap.
2. Wait for "Done" in the Minecraft logs, then copy the TCP proxy address from Minecraft → Settings → Networking. Players add it as {host}:{port}.
3. Open the Console URL, sign in with admin and CONSOLE_PASSWORD, and run op {YourName}.

Server types and modpacks: set TYPE to FABRIC, FORGE or NEOFORGE, or use TYPE=MODRINTH with MODRINTH_MODPACK, or TYPE=AUTO_CURSEFORGE with CF_SLUG. For modpacks, set VERSION to the pack's Minecraft version (or LATEST) and raise MEMORY to 6G-8G. Packs that need Java 21 or 17: set MC_IMAGE_TAG=2026.10.0-java21 (or -java17). Optional extras such as OPS, WHITELIST, MODRINTH_PROJECTS and CF_API_KEY can be added as variables.

Backups: every BACKUP_INTERVAL_HOURS (6) with BACKUP_RETENTION_DAYS (7) retention. Run mc-backup now or mc-backup list through railway ssh. To restore, set RESTORE_BACKUP=latest (or a file name) and redeploy. The previous data is kept in /data/.pre-restore-{time}.

Scaling: a Minecraft world runs in one process, so keep one replica and give it more memory and CPU instead (MEMORY plus your plan limit). Lower VIEW_DISTANCE / SIMULATION_DISTANCE to save resources.

Pinning and upgrades: the image is pinned through MC_IMAGE_TAG and the game through VERSION. Take a backup before changing either. Worlds can be upgraded but not downgraded.

Why Deploy Minecraft on Railway?

Railway gives you a dedicated server without managing a VPS: persistent storage, a TCP address for players, logs, SSH and usage-based billing for the RAM and CPU your world actually uses. Backups and a browser console are already wired up, so you can get from deploy to playing with friends in a few minutes.