Minetest (Luanti)

Public manual-acceptance release

Minetest/Luanti is available in the public launch catalog. A historical Luanti client login passed; the product owner is manually retesting the current client path after this restoration.

Minetest runs over UDP and stores persistent data in /var/lib/minetest. Swarm Hosts can also seed a Swarm Server with mods.zip and world.zip during launch.

Quick Facts

  • Game in the UI: Minetest
  • Protocol: UDP
  • Typical internal game port: 30000/udp
  • Managed default version: 5.6.1 stable
  • Older managed version: 5.6.1 stable (legacy config)
  • Persistent data: /var/lib/minetest
  • World path: /var/lib/minetest/worlds/<WORLD_NAME>
  • Mods path: /var/lib/minetest/mods

Swarm Hosts assigns the host UDP port automatically and writes it back into SERVICE_PORT_UDP for the container.

Launch

Minecraft Java remains the recommended first-server path for new users, while Minetest/Luanti is the lightweight public alternative.

  1. Open Launch.
  2. Choose Minetest.
  3. Pick the swarm host.
  4. Set the server name, CPU limit, and memory limit.
  5. Adjust the built-in Minetest fields such as:
  6. MINETEST_SERVER_NAME
  7. MINETEST_SERVER_DESCRIPTION
  8. MINETEST_MAX_USERS
  9. MINETEST_ANNOUNCE
  10. MINETEST_GAMEID
  11. Optionally add extra minetest.conf keys from the custom-config section.
  12. Optionally upload:
  13. mods.zip
  14. world.zip
  15. Click Launch Minetest.

Custom Configuration

Any extra custom field you add in the launch form is written as:

MINETEST_CONF__<key>=<value>

The image writes those values into minetest.conf on the first container start. After the file exists, File Manager edits are preserved across restarts. Delete minetest.conf if you want the container to regenerate it from the Swarm Server settings.

Examples:

MINETEST_CONF__creative_mode=true
MINETEST_CONF__enable_damage=true
MINETEST_CONF__server_password=secret

Mods & Content

The launch form supports two special uploads:

  • mods.zip: unpacked into mods/
  • world.zip: unpacked into worlds/<world_name>

This is useful when you already have a world backup or a starter mod pack.

Upload only content you trust, keep an original copy of the world, and create a platform backup before replacing an existing mod set. A changed mod set can alter or prevent an existing world from loading, so restart and review the logs before inviting players back.

Server Actions

Minetest does not currently expose game-specific typed Server Actions. The following platform controls remain available without accepting arbitrary game console commands:

  • start, stop, and restart the Swarm Server;
  • inspect live and historical server logs;
  • edit minetest.conf through File Manager;
  • upload or replace trusted mods;
  • create a backup before world or configuration changes; and
  • restore persistent game data from an available backup.

Player moderation and live chat commands must be performed through trusted in-game administration or a deliberately installed server-side mod. Swarm Hosts does not translate free-form browser text into Minetest console input.

File Manager

After Swarm Server, open File manager to work directly in /var/lib/minetest.

Common tasks:

  • back up a world directory
  • upload or replace mods
  • edit minetest.conf and restart the Swarm Server for server-startup settings
  • edit world.mt

Connect

Players connect to the swarm host public IP plus the assigned UDP port:

<SWARM_HOST_PUBLIC_IP>:<HOST_PORT>

Use the host port shown on the Swarm Server detail page, not the container's default 30000.

Common Paths

  • minetest.conf: /var/lib/minetest/minetest.conf
  • worlds: /var/lib/minetest/worlds
  • selected world config: /var/lib/minetest/worlds/<WORLD_NAME>/world.mt
  • mods: /var/lib/minetest/mods