VGSources / Best Game Server Control Panels / Pelican Panel
What it is
Pelican Panel is a free, open-source control panel for managing game servers through a web interface. It is self-hosted and runs on a webserver, with a web installer for setup. Each game server runs in its own Docker container. The site names Minecraft, Terraria, Palworld, Valheim, Enshrouded, and Factorio among supported games. Pelican lists native SSL, two-factor authentication, and AES-256 encryption, and offers an option to enable login CAPTCHA, with Cloudflare Turnstile as the default. Its APIs include one for server configuration and another for features users normally interact with. Backups can use local Wings storage or AWS S3-compatible remote storage. Supported webservers include Apache, NGINX, and Caddy, while Wings documentation lists supported versions of Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and CentOS. Wings does not work on Windows, and the setup guide recommends basic Linux familiarity. Pelican’s documentation says the project is in beta, so changes or breakage may occur between beta versions.
Good, and not so good
- Free and open source
- Game servers run in separate Docker containers
- Supports local or S3-compatible remote backups
- SSL, two-factor authentication, and AES-256 encryption
- Wings does not work on Windows
- Setup guide expects basic Linux familiarity
- Beta versions may change or break
Who it suits
Pelican suits people who want a free, self-hosted game server panel and can work with Linux setup. It may fit communities running games such as Minecraft, Terraria, or Valheim, provided they can use a supported Linux server operating system.
Pelican offers a free web panel with container isolation, backup options, and APIs for server and user-facing tasks. Its Linux requirement and beta status matter for anyone planning a stable self-hosted setup.
Plans
- Pelican PanelFree to use forever · Self-hosted game server control panelFree
As pelican.dev lists them, read 4 Oct 2026.