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Vikinger Panel — Free Valheim Server Manager (Docker)

Vikinger Panel — Valheim Server Manager

Host a Valheim dedicated server at home with VKP (Vikinger Panel) — a modern web panel, no coding required. Manage worlds, passwords, BepInEx mods, Thunderstore installs, backups, and player lists from your browser.

License: Polyform Shield Version Sponsor

Self-hosted Valheim · Docker one-click setup · Modded & vanilla · English UI · Free for personal use

Looking for a step-by-step guide? → Documentation for beginners (install Docker, download, connect friends)

Table of contents

Who is this for?

  • First-time server hosts who want Valheim with friends without reading wiki threads
  • Home lab / VPS owners who prefer Docker over manual SteamCMD setup
  • Modded communities using Thunderstore, BepInEx, and scheduled backups
  • Not for commercial hosting providers reselling the panel (see licensing)

Documentation

Guide Description
Getting started Full walkthrough — Docker, .env, first boot, connect in-game
Port forwarding Router, firewall, VPS — let friends join from the internet
Installing mods Thunderstore, BepInEx, what players need on their PC
Discord alerts Channel webhooks — joins, server lifecycle, mods, high load
Troubleshooting Permissions, ports, slow first boot, common errors
FAQ Quick answers (same topics as the in-panel Help tab)

Quick start (recommended — GitHub Release)

Best for server owners who just want to run the panel — no git clone required.

1. Requirements

  • Linux with Docker and Docker Compose v2
  • UDP ports 2456–2458 open on your firewall (for external players)
  • ~4 GB RAM (Valheim + BepInEx + panel)
  • Your user in the docker group (DOCKER_GID)

2. Download the release

Go to GitHub Releases and download:

vikinger-panel-X.Y.Z-dist.zip

3. Extract and configure

unzip vikinger-panel-*-dist.zip
cd vikinger-panel-*/
cp .env.example .env
nano .env   # or your preferred editor
Variable What to set
HOST_PROJECT_DIR Absolute path to this folder (e.g. /home/you/vikinger-panel)
DOCKER_GID Docker group GID: getent group docker | cut -d: -f3
SERVER_NAME Server name shown in the server list
WORLD_NAME Active world name on first boot
SERVER_PASS Server password (min. 5 characters; empty = open)
PANEL_PORT Panel HTTP port (default 8080)

4. Start everything

chmod +x scripts/*.sh
./scripts/start.sh

The script loads the bundled Docker image and starts two containers: valheim-server (game) and vikinger-panel (web UI).

5. Open the panel

Browse to http://localhost:8080 (or your PANEL_PORT).

On the first boot, Valheim downloads the game and installs BepInEx — this can take several minutes. Watch progress on the Overview tab (live console).

6. Connect in-game

In Valheim, use Join IP and enter YOUR_IP:2456 (default port). Enter the server password if set. The current address is shown on the Overview tab under “How to connect”.

Troubleshooting

See docs/troubleshooting.md for detailed fixes. Quick reference:

Issue Fix
Permission errors on folders Ensure config/ and data/ are owned by UID 1000
Players cannot connect Forward UDP 2456–2458 to the host — port forwarding guide
Panel looks stale after update Hard refresh: Ctrl+Shift+R
DOCKER_GID wrong Run getent group docker and update .env
First boot very slow Normal — Valheim downloads ~2–3 GB; watch Overview console

Install from source

For contributors or anyone who wants to build the image locally:

git clone https://github.com/viniciuspetrachin/vikinger-panel.git
cd vikinger-panel
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env: SERVER_NAME, WORLD_NAME, SERVER_PASS, HOST_PROJECT_DIR, DOCKER_GID
docker compose up -d --build

Open http://localhost:8080. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full dev workflow.

Valheim only (no panel)

docker compose --project-directory . -f server/docker-compose.standalone.yml up -d

Updating

From a release ZIP

  1. Download the new release from GitHub Releases
  2. Extract over the existing folder (or migrate config/, data/, panel-data/)
  3. Run:
./scripts/reload-panel.sh --load-image

Your worlds, mods, and settings in config/, data/, and panel-data/ are preserved.

Pull image from GHCR (alternative)

docker pull ghcr.io/viniciuspetrachin/vikinger-panel:X.Y.Z
docker compose up -d

Features

Area What you can do
Overview Server status, online players, live console, quick controls
Discord Webhook alerts — player join/leave, server start/stop/restart, mods, backups, high load
Server Name, password, port, admin/ban/allow lists, extra args (-crossplay)
Worlds Create, switch, presets (Easy → Hardcore), .fwl editor, import worlds
Mods & Config Install via Thunderstore/URL/upload, enable/disable, edit BepInEx .cfg, game & mod updates
Backups Cron scheduling, manual backup, download and restore
Resources (advanced) Container RAM limit, real-time CPU/network charts
Files (advanced) File browser with CodeMirror editor
Logs / Audit (advanced) Sanitized Docker logs, audit trail of all panel actions

Advanced mode in the sidebar reveals Resources, Files, Logs, and Audit — for experienced admins.

Requirements

  • Linux with Docker and Docker Compose v2
  • UDP ports 2456–2458 open (for external players)
  • ~4 GB RAM recommended (Valheim + BepInEx + panel)
  • Access to docker.sock (the panel container controls the game server)

GitHub Sponsors

If Vikinger Panel helps you, consider becoming a sponsor:

github.com/sponsors/viniciuspetrachin/dashboard

  • Sponsorship helps keep the project maintained — new features, bug fixes, and releases
  • Sponsors at $1 USD/month or more get direct support from the author (install help, configuration questions, etc.)
  • Sponsorship is voluntary and does not replace a commercial license for hosting providers reselling the panel

You can also use the Support the Project tab inside the panel.

Licensing

This project uses Polyform Shield 1.0.0 — a source-available license for open community use without allowing resale.

Free for self-hosters

  • Run on your own Valheim server (home, VPS, community)
  • Modify the code for personal use
  • Contribute PRs, issues, and documentation
  • Distribute forks under the same license terms

Commercial license for hosting providers

  • Hosting providers offering the panel to paying customers
  • Resale or white-label as a paid product
  • Any service competing with Vikinger Panel as a commercial offering

Contact for commercial licensing: vr.petrachin@gmail.com

See COMMERCIAL-LICENSE.md for details.

Support

Channel Purpose
GitHub Issues Bugs and feature requests
GitHub Sponsors ($1+/month) Direct support from the author
Panel Help tab Built-in FAQ
vr.petrachin@gmail.com Commercial licensing

Development

Dev mode with hot-reload

./scripts/dev.sh
  • Backend: uvicorn --reload — edit panel/*.py and it reloads
  • Frontend: Tailwind + esbuild watcher — edit panel/frontend/** and refresh with F5
  • No image rebuild needed in dev mode

Production deploy (embedded assets)

./scripts/reload-panel.sh           # rebuild + restart panel container
./scripts/reload-panel.sh --tests   # pytest unit + e2e before deploy

Manual tests and build

cd panel
python -m venv .venv && .venv/bin/pip install -r requirements.txt
.venv/bin/pytest tests/unit -q
.venv/bin/playwright install chromium
.venv/bin/pytest tests/e2e -q
npm install && npm run build

CI/CD and releases

Every merge to main automatically:

  1. Runs tests (unit + E2E with Playwright)
  2. Bumps version — patch auto-increment (2.1.0 → 2.1.1; edit panel/version.py manually for major/minor)
  3. Creates git tag vX.Y.Z and GitHub Release with:
    • Ready-to-use ZIP (no source code)
    • Docker image .tar file
  4. Publishes image to GHCR: ghcr.io/viniciuspetrachin/vikinger-panel:X.Y.Z

Pull requests to main run the same tests via GitHub Actions. Enable branch protection requiring the test check before merge — see CONTRIBUTING.md.

Monorepo layout

vikinger-panel/
├─ panel/                     # web panel (FastAPI + Alpine.js)
├─ server/                    # standalone game server compose
├─ scripts/                   # dev.sh, reload-panel.sh, release scripts
├─ docker-compose.yml         # PRODUCTION: valheim-server + vikinger-panel
├─ docker-compose.dev.yml     # DEV: hot-reload override
├─ config/                    # server config (gitignored)
├─ data/                      # game data: worlds, steamapps (gitignored)
└─ panel-data/                # panel data: audit, mod registry (gitignored)

Important environment variables

Variable Description
SERVER_NAME Name shown in the Valheim server list
WORLD_NAME Active world on first boot
SERVER_PASS Server password (min. 5 characters)
HOST_PROJECT_DIR Absolute project path on the host
DOCKER_GID GID of the docker group (getent group docker)
PANEL_PORT Panel HTTP port (default 8080)
UPDATE_CRON Cron for game update checks (empty = disabled)
UPDATE_IF_IDLE Only update when no players online (true/false)

Credits

© 2026 Vinicius Petrachin · Polyform Shield 1.0.0

About

Free web panel to self-host a Valheim dedicated server at home with Docker — worlds, mods, backups, no coding required.

github.com/viniciuspetrachin/vikinger-panel#readme

Topics

bepinexdockerdocker-composegame-serverhomelablinuxself-hostedthunderstorevalheimvalheim-dedicated-servervalheim-server

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