Minecraft (Bedrock / Console Edition) Server in Docker on a Synology NAS

Please note if you are using DSM7.2 or higher you should use the Container Manager version of this guide from the menu.

This guide has reached the end of its updates as most people are now on the latest DSM update - This guide is correct as of 08/12/2023 however no further updates will be added.

Update	Date
Due to an upstream issue/change the method to add people to the allow list has changed – guide updated to reflect this (See the compose and notes below) Also added a new section on how to open up Remote Play using your own address.	20/08/2023

In this guide I am going to take you through the steps to get a Minecraft Bedrock server up and running in Docker on a Synology NAS.

What is the Bedrock Edition?

The Bedrock edition is the version used by all consoles such as the Nintendo Switch, Android, iPhone, and the Windows store edition. If you are looking for a JAVA edition see my other guide.

In order for you to successfully use this guide please complete the two additional steps below

• Step 2: Setting up a restricted Docker user
• Step 3: Setting up a Docker Bridge Network

Downloading the Container

Open up Docker within DSM and navigate to the ‘Registry’ tab and search for ITZG in the keyword box.

Within the results right click and download the ‘ITZG|Minecraft-Bedrock-Server’, When it asks which version number to download select ‘Latest’

Setting up the container

Now we have downloaded the container and got hold of our user IDs we can move onto the next stage.

Go back into Docker and click on the ‘Image’ tab, in the list of your containers select the ITZG minecraft bedrock server, and click on ‘Launch’

You will be greeted with the Network screen, we will be using the bridge network, this allows us to specify the ports we want to use.

Next you will be greeted with the General Settings screen, this is where you can start specifying some of your preferences.

You can change the name of the container to anything you like, and you may want to enable Auto Restart as this will ensure the server starts automatically if you reboot your NAS.

We won’t be change any of the other settings.

Next up we are going to click on the ‘Advanced Settings’ button, this will take you to a new window with a number of tabs which we are going to work through.

Environment

We are now going to set up the specific options for the server some of these will be set based on your preference.

Add each of the values below by clicking the ‘Add’ button at the top of the screen and then entering each of the values below.

These are the minimum settings I would use, you can see a full list on ITZG’s GitHub including how to give permissions to your users. Take note that some items are UPPERCASE and some are lowercase. This is how they should be set.

Variable	Value	Comment/options
UID	YOURUID	UID you obtained earlier
GID	YOURGID	GID you obtained earlier
EULA	true	This accepts the Minecraft EULA, without this the server will not run
VERSION	latest	This keeps the server updated to the latest release. You can also change this to a specific version such as 1.18.10 which is useful if Microsoft updates the server version before releasing new clients!
SERVER_NAME		Give your server a name
SERVER_PORT	19132	don’t change this
GAMEMODE		creative, survival, adventure
DIFFICULTY		peaceful, easy, normal, hard
ONLINE_MODE		true or false (true will require you to be signed in to Xbox Live when playing)
OPS	yourxuid	In order to get your xuid you will need to visit this site enter your xbox/microsoft gamertag and select decimal (DEC) in the options
WHITE_LIST	true / false	see the section further on in the guide for the steps to add people to the White List

Links / Execution Command

You do not need to set up anything on these tabs.

Press ‘Save’ to go back to the initial setup screen, then press ‘Next’

Port Settings

On this screen enter 19132 in the left-hand side of the page in the Local Port section and then click Next

Volume Settings

We can now specify the directory where Minecraft will store its configuration files.

Click on Add Folder, click on the docker folder and create a new sub-folder called ‘minecraftbedrock’ select this folder and click ‘select’

Now we need to specify where this folder will be mounted inside the container. As per the screenshot/table below, enter /data into the ‘Mount path’.

File/Folder	Mount path
docker/minecraftbedrock	/data

Click on Next and you will be taken to an overall summary screen, just do a quick sanity check to make sure they are correct. If you want to launch the server immediately check the box and click on Done.

Adding People to the White List

We can now add additional people to the White List otherwise you will get errors when they attempt to connect

Open up Docker and within the Container list select the Bedrock Server and click Details.

On the Terminal that appears type allowlist add then the exact name of the Friend you want to add including any Capital letters and press Enter.

Connecting to the Server

There are two ways to connect to the server, either via the Friends tab or by adding it manually to the Servers tab in Minecraft. Using your NAS IP:19132

(Optional Extra for Remote Play)

So your friends have an easy way to play remotely lets set up an address for them to connect to!

Before we start, make sure you have registered for a Synology Account as we are going to be using their DDNS service. https://account.synology.com/en-uk/register/

DDNS (Dynamic Domain Name System)

A DDNS address allows you to get external access to Minecraft via an address provided by Synology, this is useful on home internet connections where your ISP will change your IP address on a regular basis.

In the DSM Control panel go to ‘External Access’ and then to the ‘DDNS’ tab

Click on ‘Add’, then fill out the following sections.

Section	Value
Service Provider	Synology
Hostname	This will be the address used to identify your NAS so make it personal to you not specific to this guide. minecraft.synology.me = BAD myawesomenas.synology,me =GOOD
Email:	Log into your Synology account
External Address (IPv4)	This should be filled in automatically
External Address (IPv6)	This should be filled in automatically if your ISP is using IPv6
Get a Cert from Let’s Encrypt	Tick this box
Enable Heartbeat	Tick this box

Now press OK, DSM will apply your settings. It can take a few moments to set up and the DSM interface will refresh. You will likely receive a certificate error which you will need to accept to get back into DSM.

The final step will be to forward port 19132 on your Router to your NAS IP. You will need to refer to your Routers manual on how to do this. As we are using the default Minecraft Bedrock port other players just need to use the address you set up to connect.

You are now all setup and ready to play…

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Historic Updates	Date
New guide released	23/02/2022
DSM7.1 Update with new screenshots and steps	27/05/2022
Added some other useful variables to get the basics setup on a server	23/06/2022
Added new port settings and Docker Bridge Network	23/07/2022
Compose version number removed and small wording amendments	09/04/2023

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