Deploy Railpowered

Deploy and Host Railpowered on Railway

Railpowered runs one Minecraft: Java Edition server for you and your friends. It sleeps when nobody is online and wakes up when a friend joins, so the Java process only runs while people are playing. Everything is managed from a web dashboard: no SSH, no config files, no mod-loader installers.

About Hosting Railpowered

The template creates one service built from the repository's Dockerfile, with a volume at /server/data for worlds, backups and settings, a TCP proxy on port 25565 for players, and an HTTPS domain for the dashboard. Your dashboard password is ADMIN_KEY: a random one is generated for you and shown in the service's Variables. The dashboard comes up within seconds and the first Minecraft download runs in the background. Share the join address the dashboard shows. The first friend who joins wakes the server, and after 10 minutes with nobody online it saves the world and goes back to sleep. A redeploy saves the world before the container stops.

Common Use Cases

• A private survival server for a group of friends that only costs resources while people play
• Trying different Minecraft versions, Fabric or Forge, or a Modrinth modpack, each as a saved setup with its own world
• Running an old version (back to 1.2.5) with the right Java picked automatically

Dependencies for Railpowered Hosting

• A Railway volume (the template requests 5 GB) mounted at /server/data
• A TCP proxy on port 25565 (added by the template)

Implementation Details

• The manager (sleep proxy, dashboard, installer) is Python with only the standard library.
• The image ships Eclipse Temurin 8, 17, 21 and 25; Railpowered reads each version's Java requirement from Mojang's metadata.
• Backups of a running world use save-off / save-all flush, so the server stays online. Restore, download or upload backups from the dashboard.
• Whitelist, operators and server settings are edited in the dashboard. Joins from players who aren't whitelisted don't wake the server.
• Optional variables: MINECRAFT_VERSION and SERVER_TYPE pick the first setup, IDLE_TIMEOUT sets the sleep timer, MC_MAX_MEMORY sets the Java heap.

Source, docs and issues: https://github.com/rndaom/Railpowered

By deploying, you agree to the Minecraft EULA (https://www.minecraft.net/eula). Railpowered accepts it for you so the server can start. Railpowered is not affiliated with Mojang or Microsoft.

Why Deploy Railpowered on Railway?

Railway is a singular platform to deploy your infrastructure stack. Railway will host your infrastructure so you don't have to deal with configuration, while allowing you to vertically and horizontally scale it.

By deploying Railpowered on Railway, you are one step closer to supporting a complete full-stack application with minimal burden. Host your servers, databases, AI agents, and more on Railway.