jcrcomputers/helmforge repository overview

⁠HelmForge

A self-hosted, single-container control panel for running Dockerised game servers. Install one panel, manage every server from your browser: live console, file manager, scheduled backups and updates, player tracking, and one-click provisioning for thirteen built-in games.

helmforge.io⁠ . Built by JCR Computers.

⁠Supported games

Palworld, Minecraft (Java, Modded, Bedrock), Space Engineers, Empyrion, Star Rupture, VEIN, HumanitZ, Project Zomboid, Valheim, V Rising, RuneScape: Dragonwilds, plus any custom server you define with a YAML template.

⁠Quick start

You need a Linux host with Docker and the Compose plugin.

The one-command installer sets everything up in /opt/helmforge, starts the panel, prints the admin password, and can optionally provision a Cloudflare Tunnel for public HTTPS:

curl -fsSL https://helmforge.io/install.sh | sudo bash

Or do it by hand with Compose:

# 1. Grab the compose file and env template
curl -fsSLO https://helmforge.io/docker-compose.yml
curl -fsSL  https://helmforge.io/.env.example -o .env

# 2. (optional) change the port in .env if 8080 is taken

# 3. Start it
docker compose up -d

# 4. Grab the one-time admin password from the logs
docker compose logs helmforge | grep -A2 "FIRST-RUN ADMIN"

Open http://<host>:8080 and log in. The panel pulls the game base images automatically the first time you create a server of that type.

⁠Upgrading

cd /opt/helmforge
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Your data lives in the helmforge-data volume, so it survives the upgrade: log in with your existing account. Admins can also update from the panel itself (Settings, then Software Update).

Coming from the older binary install (HelmForge running as a systemd service rather than a container)? Do not run the installer over it: it would start a second panel against an empty database. Use the migration script instead, which backs up first, carries your config, database, custom templates and backups across, and puts the old service back if anything fails:

curl -fsSL https://helmforge.io/migrate-binary-to-docker.sh -o /tmp/hf-migrate.sh
sudo bash /tmp/hf-migrate.sh

⁠Tags

• latest: the current stable release.
• 1.1.6, 1.1.5, and so on: pin to a specific version for reproducible deploys.

Every release is listed at helmforge.io/changelog⁠.

⁠What's in the image

The panel binary with the React frontend and all game templates embedded. Game servers run as separate sibling containers on your host's Docker daemon; the panel manages them over the mounted Docker socket.

⁠Public access (optional)

HelmForge ships with built-in Cloudflare Tunnel support so you can reach the panel over HTTPS with no open inbound ports. Run one script, authorise in the browser, done. See the Docker guide for details.

⁠Security note

The panel manages the host Docker daemon, so the admin account is effectively root on the host. Use a strong unique password, enable 2FA, and don't expose the panel openly (use the Cloudflare Tunnel or a firewall).

⁠Licence

Proprietary. Free to use; redistribution, resale-hosting, and reverse engineering are not permitted. See the EULA shipped with the panel.

⁠Support

Questions or issues: [email protected]⁠