Sandbox · Lightweight
Host a Minetest or Luanti Server on Your Own Hardware
Deploy a lightweight Minetest or Luanti world through Swarm Hosts, seed its world and mods, edit persistent configuration, and connect over UDP.
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.
- Guided settings
- Backups
Validated public launch
Hardware and runtime
What Minetest needs
Catalog minimums are a starting point. World size, player count, content, and game settings can require more resources.
- CPU
- 1+ cores
- Memory
- 1+ GiB
- Player traffic
- UDP
- Persistent backup scope
- 1 catalog-declared path
Swarm Hosts assigns the host UDP port automatically and writes it back into SERVICEPORTUDP for the container.
- 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/<WORLDNAME>
- Mods path: /var/lib/minetest/mods
Launch workflow
From host to running server
Minecraft Java remains the recommended first-server path for new users, while Minetest/Luanti is the lightweight public alternative.
- Open Launch.
- Choose Minetest.
- Pick the swarm host.
- Set the server name, CPU limit, and memory limit.
- Adjust the built-in Minetest fields such as:
- MINETESTSERVERNAME
- MINETESTSERVERDESCRIPTION
- MINETESTMAXUSERS
Networking
How players connect
Players connect to the swarm host public IP plus the assigned UDP port:
text <SWARMHOSTPUBLICIP>:<HOSTPORT>
Use the host port shown on the Swarm Server detail page, not the container's default 30000.
Managed shared relay when the game, host, and current relay path support it.
Guide-documented tools
Tools Swarm Hosts exposes for Minetest
Availability comes from the production catalog and verified game guide. Controls stay typed and bounded to the workflow the game supports.
start, stop, and restart the Swarm Server
Documented in the verified public game guide.
inspect live and historical server logs
Documented in the verified public game guide.
edit minetest.conf through File Manager
Documented in the verified public game guide.
upload or replace trusted mods
Documented in the verified public game guide.
create a backup before world or configuration changes; and
Documented in the verified public game guide.
restore persistent game data from an available backup.
Documented in the verified public game guide.
Mods & Content status
Manifest Only
Luanti/Minetest mods are usually file-based. Track the manifest here, then upload or manage the actual files through the file manager.
The launch form supports two special uploads:
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.
- mods.zip: unpacked into mods/
- world.zip: unpacked into worlds/<worldname>
Know before launch
Current boundaries
- Production hosting supports Windows 10/11 or Linux with Docker Desktop in Linux-container mode on Windows, or Docker Engine or rootful Podman on Linux.
- Managed shared relay when the game, host, and current relay path support it.
- Restored to the public launch catalog by the product owner on 2026-08-27. Historical Luanti client login proof exists; current client behavior is queued for owner-led manual acceptance.
Windows 10/11 + Linux
Ready to host Minetest?
Connect the Windows or Linux computer you already own, then follow the game-specific launch path.