Swarm Hosts / Guides

Swarm Hosts vs Crafty Controller, AMP, and Pterodactyl

Last reviewed: September 26, 2026. External product details were checked against the official pages linked below. Products change, so confirm a current requirement with the vendor before migrating an important server.

There is no single best game server panel. The useful question is which parts of the system you want to operate yourself.

  • Choose Swarm Hosts when you want a hosted browser control plane while the game servers and world data run on Windows or Linux hardware you control.
  • Choose Crafty Controller when you want a free, open-source, fully self-hosted panel focused on Minecraft.
  • Choose AMP when you want a paid, self-hosted panel with Windows and Linux support and a broad application library.
  • Choose Pterodactyl when you want an open-source, multi-game platform and are prepared to operate its Linux web and Docker infrastructure.

This is a decision guide, not a feature scorecard. A missing mention does not mean that a product lacks a feature.

Start With The Ownership Decision

Swarm Hosts separates the system into two parts. Swarm Hosts operates the web control plane; you install an agent on your own machine. The game containers, worlds, and local backups stay on that machine. The host needs outbound access to Swarm Hosts, but you do not install the control-plane website, database, or TLS endpoint yourself. See hosted control plane or self-installed panel for the practical tradeoffs.

Crafty Controller, AMP, and Pterodactyl are self-installed panels. You run the management software as well as the game workloads. That gives you more direct control over the management layer, but it also makes its installation, updates, security, backups, and remote access your responsibility.

Swarm Hosts

Swarm Hosts fits a home user or small group that wants to bring an existing PC, mini PC, home server, or VPS without also building and publishing a management website.

The public service currently provides:

  • a hosted browser interface and account;
  • an agent for Windows 10/11 or Linux;
  • Docker Engine or rootful Podman support on Linux, and Docker Desktop in Linux-container mode on Windows;
  • a curated game catalog with managed launch settings;
  • files, local backups, monitoring, sharing, and supported Server Actions; and
  • managed relay access for supported deployments, or direct access through your own network configuration.

The main tradeoff is dependence on the Swarm Hosts account and hosted control plane for management. It also uses a curated public catalog rather than asking users to define arbitrary workloads. If keeping the entire management service under your administration or freely extending the panel is a requirement, a self-installed product is a better fit.

Start with the Swarm Host installation guide, review relay and port-forwarding choices, or check the current public game guides.

Crafty Controller

Crafty describes itself as a free and open-source, fully self-hosted Minecraft launcher and manager. Its official site says it manages Minecraft Java servers that use a JAR file and can also run Bedrock executables. It offers Linux, Windows, Docker, macOS, and Unraid installation paths.

Crafty is a strong fit when Minecraft is the central requirement and you want the panel and its data on your own machine. Its documented tools include server creation, player and command management, files, backups, roles, and scheduling.

You are also responsible for reaching and securing the Crafty web interface. Crafty's remote-access guidance notes that access outside the home can require port forwarding and a reverse proxy; its mobile web app requires a certificate trusted by users' browsers for full functionality.

Official sources:

AMP

AMP is a proprietary, self-hosted game server control panel from CubeCoders. The official product page documents Windows and Linux support, a large library of game and application templates, graphical settings, files and SFTP, scheduling, and mod or plugin workflows. Its installers bundle the panel rather than requiring the separate PHP, database, and queue-worker setup used by Pterodactyl.

AMP is a strong fit when broad game coverage, Windows support, and deep self-hosted customization matter more than using a free or open-source panel. Its personal editions use one-time licences with limits on the number of configured server instances. Some capabilities depend on the edition, and commercial server reselling requires Enterprise Edition. Check the live edition comparison before buying rather than relying on an old price or limit.

Because AMP runs on your system, you operate its web access. CubeCoders' official remote-access guide says home users connecting from outside their network may need router port forwarding and should configure HTTPS.

Official sources:

Pterodactyl

Pterodactyl describes itself as an open-source game server management panel. Its architecture separates the web Panel from Wings, the service that controls Docker-backed game servers on nodes. Its official game list includes Minecraft, Rust, Terraria, Team Fortress 2, Garry's Mod, and ARK: Survival Evolved, with additional community-provided game definitions.

Pterodactyl is a strong fit when you want an open-source, multi-user platform, Linux nodes, container isolation, and the ability to administer the complete stack. Its documented installation is intended for administrators comfortable with multiple infrastructure components: a web server, PHP, MySQL or MariaDB, Redis, a queue worker, scheduled tasks, and TLS configuration. Wings requires Linux and Docker. The project explicitly says the panel expects basic Linux system-administration knowledge.

Official sources:

Questions That Usually Decide It

Do you want to operate the management website?

If no, start with Swarm Hosts. If yes, continue based on game scope, operating system, licensing, and how much infrastructure you want to maintain.

Is the panel itself required to be open source?

Start with Crafty for a Minecraft-focused installation or Pterodactyl for a broader Linux/Docker platform. Among these choices, those are the products whose official sites advertise the panel itself as open source.

Does the management stack need to run on Windows?

Swarm Hosts supports a Windows 10/11 agent with Docker Desktop, while AMP and Crafty document Windows panel installations. Pterodactyl Wings explicitly does not support Windows.

Do you want a broad catalog or a Minecraft-focused tool?

Crafty is deliberately Minecraft-focused. AMP and Pterodactyl document broad game libraries. Swarm Hosts supports a curated and smaller public catalog, with each game integrated and documented by the platform.

Do you need browser management without exposing a home panel?

Swarm Hosts is designed for this split: the browser control plane is already hosted and the agent connects outward. With a self-installed panel, decide whether to keep access local, use a private VPN, or operate a securely exposed HTTPS service. Player connections are separate and still need a reachable game endpoint.

Before You Migrate

Whichever panel you choose:

  1. Make a separate backup of the world, configuration, and allowlists.
  2. Record the game version, mod loader, mods, ports, and startup settings.
  3. Test a restore into a disposable server before moving the live server.
  4. Verify local and remote player connections independently.
  5. Keep the previous installation available until the new server survives a restart and a restore test.