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, please note that the section below opens port 443 however you will also need to forward port 19132.

External Access

You have some choices when it comes to making your new container accessible from outside your home network, these come with different levels of security and convenience. This mini section is generic but covers the basics of getting this guide up and running and is entirely optional.

• Synology’s DDNS (Dynamic Domain Name System) with a TLS Certificate and Reverse Proxy
  This is useful if you have some family members or friends that need access to something like Overseerr or Jellyseer and is covered below.
  
  
• Tailscale or Wireguard VPN
  If just you are accessing these services, and you don’t want to expose them to the internet this would be the more secure choice. See my other separate guides.
  
  
• Cloudflare Tunnels
  I don’t currently use these, so I would recommend watching the Wundertech guide on how they work.

A note on Double NAT or CGNAT
Unfortunately more ISPs are moving to these methods of address allocation as the IPv4 address space is getting low on available addresses. If your ISP is doing this your choices are more limited.

You can test if this is the case by checking the WAN IP on your Router/Modem settings and then comparing it to the one shown on portchecker.co. If they are different you are likely Double NAT and will either need to see if you can pay your ISP for a standard IPv4 address or use Tailscale or Cloudflare Tunnels for access.

Using the built-in tools on DSM

The first step of this process is to forward port 443 on your Router to your NAS IP Address, how you do this will depend on your router model, so please refer to its manual.

Router (External):443 > NASIP (Internal):443

Next 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/ If you already have this set up move to the next step.

DDNS (Dynamic Domain Name System)

A DDNS address allows you to get external access to your container via an address provided by Synology, this is useful on home internet connections where your ISP will change your IP address on a semi-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 unique address just for you so keep the name generic. 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.

Reverse Proxy

We are going to set up a reverse proxy subdomain for the address you just register. This means you and your users can access the container without using a port number as it will route all traffic through the secure 443 port.

Go back into the Control Panel and access the ‘Login Portal’ then in the ‘Advanced’ tab click ‘Reverse Proxy’ and then click on ‘Create’.

We are now going to enter some rules, so when you or your users access the URL specified the request will automatically be sent to the containers web UI.

Use the settings below, you will need to amend the Hostname sections in line with the hostname you registered earlier, and the IP of your NAS.

Setting	Value
Reverse Proxy Name:	Give it a meaningful name in line with the container you are setting up.
Protocol:	HTTPS
Hostname:	containername.xxx.synology.me ‘containername‘ will be the name you want to use to access this container ‘.xxx.synology.me‘ will be the exact name you registered earlier
Port:	443
Protocol:	HTTP
Hostname:	‘localhost’ or your NAS IP address
Port:	The UI Port Number from the yaml in the guide you are following

On the second tab ‘Custom Header’ click on Create then WebSocket, this will add two entries for WebSockets to function correctly, you can now press save.

You should now be able to access the web UI of the container by going to the address you just set up in the reverse proxy, it will be a secure connection, and you should have no certificate errors.

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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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