Pelican Panel review
A capable free panel for self-hosted Docker game servers, with a focused game list.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Pelican Panel is a self-hosted, web-based control panel for creating and managing game servers. It is intended for individuals, friends, families, gaming communities, and other server operators who want a central interface for administration. The project is free and open source, runs with a Linux-oriented deployment model, and uses Docker to isolate game servers. One-click installations are available through game-server eggs, reducing the amount of manual server setup required for supported titles.
Its strongest fit is practical server management rather than a broad hosted ecosystem. The panel supports Minecraft, Terraria, Palworld, Valheim, Enshrouded, and Factorio, with server provisioning and mod or plugin management included among its category capabilities. Local and S3-compatible backups, scheduled tasks, plugin installation and updates, and web-based administration give operators useful controls after deployment. These features suit communities that manage their own infrastructure and want repeatable administration across game servers.
Access control and account security add useful structure for shared operations. Admin roles and permissions help separate responsibilities, while two-factor authentication adds an additional login safeguard. The trade-off is that Pelican Panel remains a self-hosted project and is currently identified as being in beta, so it is better suited to operators comfortable managing Linux, Docker, and server administration than to buyers seeking a fully managed service. Choose it for free, open-source control over a focused set of game servers; consider an alternative if a wider verified game catalog or broader integrations are central to the decision.
Pelican Panel pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free and open source for self-hosted server operators
- Docker isolation, backups, schedules, and one-click installations
- Roles, permissions, plugins, and two-factor authentication
- Where it doesn't
- Self-hosted deployment requires Linux or Docker administration
- Supported games focus on six listed titles
- The project is currently identified as being in beta
Pelican Panel fact sheet, pricing and score →
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