Catalyst

What it is

Catalyst is a free, open-source game server management panel for coordinating servers across multiple nodes. It provides controls for starting and managing server lifecycles, detecting crashes and recovering automatically, viewing a live console stream, checking resource metrics, and setting alerts. Its web tools include a file editor, SFTP, validated file transfers, and automated backup and restore. Plugins can extend backend behavior, API routes, WebSocket handlers, and scheduled tasks; Catalyst also lists more than 300 REST endpoints and examples for billing integrations. Security features include role-based permissions, rate-limited API key authentication, audit logs, and TLS. Catalyst is self-hosted: its documented deployment uses Docker Compose, with a Linux host for the panel and Linux nodes running containerd and the Rust agent. The site lists 258 egg definitions spanning 167 games, including Minecraft, Counter-Strike 2, ARK, Terraria, Valheim, and Palworld. A migration job can import nodes, users, templates, servers, and files from Pterodactyl. The project warns it remains experimental and may be unstable or change incompatibly.

Good, and not so good

Who it suits

Catalyst suits communities and operators who want to manage multiple game-server nodes from a self-hosted panel. It requires Linux, Docker and Docker Compose for the panel, and Linux with containerd and the Catalyst agent for nodes.

Catalyst combines multi-node management, file and backup tools, integrations, and migration from Pterodactyl in a free self-hosted panel. Its experimental status and Linux deployment requirements are important considerations.

Plans

• CatalystNo paid tiers or feature gates · self-hosted open-source softwareFree

As catalystctl.com lists them, read 5 Oct 2026.