raykrueger/valheim repository overview

⁠raykrueger/valheim

A Valheim dedicated server in a container — up and running in one command.

Run a persistent Valheim world on your own hardware without wrestling with SteamCMD, libraries, or restart scripts. This image installs the server at build time, updates it from Steam at every start, and handles server naming, password, and admin list for you. Tested with Valheim 1.0.17.

docker run -d -p 2456:2456/udp -p 2457:2457/udp -v valheim_world:/root/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim raykrueger/valheim

⁠Ports

The server uses two UDP ports (per Iron Gate's official guide): 2456 for game traffic and 2457 (port + 1) for the Steam server list/query. Forward both, or your server will accept players but never appear in the server list.

⁠Configuration

All configuration is done with environment variables at run time.

If you don't set SERVER_PASSWORD, one is generated at startup and printed to the container logs (docker logs <container>).

docker run -d -p 2456:2456/udp -p 2457:2457/udp -v valheim_world:/root/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim -e SERVER_NAME="My Valheim Server" -e SERVER_PASSWORD=BooshBooshBoosh -e ADMINLIST=1234,5678 raykrueger/valheim

⁠Persistence

World saves, adminlist.txt, and friends are written to /root/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim inside the container. Mount a volume there to keep them across container starts and stops:

-v valheim_world:/root/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim

If you pass a name (like valheim_world), Docker stores the volume where it stores all volumes (usually /var/lib/docker/volumes). If you pass a fully-qualified path, Docker mounts that path directly.

⁠Building

To build the image locally:

docker build -t valheim .
docker run -d -p 2456:2456/udp -p 2457:2457/udp -v valheim_world:/root/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim valheim

A Makefile with build, run, and shell targets is included for local development.

⁠Running on AWS

If you'd rather not run this on your own hardware, the @raykrueger/cdk-valheim-server⁠ AWS Cloud Development Kit library builds an Amazon ECS cluster that runs this container on AWS Fargate. Note that AWS costs apply — this is not free.

⁠I was here

Note that I built this in my free time. This has nothing to do with Iron Gate AB, Coffee Stain Publishing, or my employer.

Enjoy! -Ray

⁠License

Apache License 2.0⁠