Minecraft server panels
Compare Crafty, Pterodactyl, Pelican, AMP, PufferPanel and LinuxGSM.
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What is a panel?ComparisonCrafty ControllerPterodactylPelicanAMPPufferPanelLinuxGSM and a bare processWhich should I use?What is a panel?#
A panel is a management interface around one or more game server processes. It can start and stop servers, show console output, edit files, schedule jobs and manage user access. It is not the operating system or the Minecraft server software.
Comparison#
| Panel | Install difficulty | Interface | Containers | Multiple servers | Users/roles | Backups | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crafty | Easy–medium | Web | Commonly containerized | Yes | Yes | Built in | Free/open source | Beginners and home servers |
| Pterodactyl | Advanced | Web | Isolated game containers via Wings | Yes | Strong | Host-designed | Free/open source | Multi-user hosting infrastructure |
| Pelican | Advanced | Web | Wings-style architecture | Yes | Strong | Host-designed | Free/open source | Experienced users following an evolving project |
| AMP | Medium | Polished web UI | Platform-managed | Yes | Yes | Built in | Paid license | Multiple game servers with commercial support |
| PufferPanel | Medium | Web | Supported deployment patterns | Yes | Yes | Varies by template/setup | Free/open source | Lighter multi-server administration |
| LinuxGSM | Medium–advanced | Command line | Not required | Yes | OS accounts | Script/host designed | Free/open source | Linux users who prefer a CLI |
| Manual jar | Medium | Console/files | No | One process per setup | OS-level | You build it | Free | Learning and minimal systems |
Crafty Controller#
Crafty is the beginner recommendation because the normal tasks are visible. Its official documentation covers server creation, roles, file access, schedules and a backup manager with retention, compression, locations and restore options.
Do I need it? No. It is a convenience and safety layer, not a requirement for Minecraft.
Official source: Crafty documentation ↗
Pterodactyl#
Pterodactyl separates the web panel from Wings, the node daemon that runs game servers in isolated containers. It is powerful and common in hosting environments, but installation involves a web stack, database, queue/cache services, TLS, Wings and secure network design.
Beginner recommendation: do not choose it for one home SMP merely because professional hosts use it.
Official source: Pterodactyl documentation ↗
Pelican#
Pelican is related to the Pterodactyl ecosystem and uses a panel/Wings design. Its official getting-started documentation currently labels the project beta and says basic Linux familiarity is expected. It is active and worth watching, but that beta status matters for production decisions.
Official source: Pelican documentation ↗
AMP#
AMP is a paid commercial panel from CubeCoders for Minecraft and many other game servers. It offers a polished interface, instances and automation. Check the current license terms and supported platforms before buying.
Official source: CubeCoders AMP ↗
PufferPanel#
PufferPanel is an open-source panel for managing multiple game servers through templates and a web UI. It sits between the simplicity of Crafty and the hosting-company architecture of Pterodactyl/Pelican.
Official source: PufferPanel documentation ↗
LinuxGSM and a bare process#
LinuxGSM is a collection of command-line tools for installing and managing dedicated game servers on Linux. A bare process is simply java -jar server.jar plus your own service, backups, logging and updates.
These paths teach more and hide less. They also expect you to understand users, permissions, services, ports and files.
Official source: LinuxGSM ↗
Which should I use?#
- New to self-hosting: Crafty.
- Comfortable home-server admin: compare Crafty, AMP, PufferPanel and Pelican.
- Hosting many untrusted users: study Pterodactyl/Pelican architecture and isolation before deployment.
- CLI/Linux enthusiast: LinuxGSM or a manual service.
No panel is universally best. The right panel is the smallest one that gives you reliable operation and recovery.