Features

Comprehensive overview of Pterodactyl Panel features and capabilities

Features

Pterodactyl Panel is packed with powerful features designed to make game server management simple, secure, and scalable. Whether you’re running a single server or managing thousands, Pterodactyl has the tools you need.

Core Features

Server Management

Multi-Server Support

Manage unlimited servers from a single Panel interface

Real-Time Console

Interactive console with command history and live log streaming

File Manager

Browser-based file editor with syntax highlighting

Resource Monitoring

Live CPU, memory, disk, and network statistics

Container-Based Isolation

• Each server runs in its own Docker container
• Complete resource isolation between servers
• Prevents cross-server interference and security breaches
• Easy cleanup and server removal

Power Management

• Start, stop, restart, and kill servers
• Schedule automated restarts
• Graceful shutdown with configurable timeouts
• Emergency kill switch for unresponsive servers

Resource Controls

• CPU limit enforcement
• Memory allocation and limits
• Disk space quotas
• Network bandwidth throttling
• Database allocation limits

User Management

Pterodactyl supports multiple user types with different permission levels, making it perfect for both personal use and commercial hosting.

Account System

• Administrators: Full system access and configuration
• Server Owners: Users who own and control their servers
• Subusers: Limited access to specific servers with granular permissions

Permission System

• Over 40+ granular permissions
• Control access to console, files, databases, backups, and more
• Per-server permission assignments
• Bulk permission management

Authentication

• Secure password hashing (bcrypt)
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) support
• Session management with Redis
• API key authentication for developers
• TOTP-based 2FA using Google Authenticator or similar apps

File Management

Web-Based Editor

• Syntax highlighting for multiple languages
• In-browser file editing
• Create, rename, delete, and move files
• Archive support (zip, tar.gz)
• Bulk file operations

SFTP Access

• Full SFTP server built into Wings
• Per-server SFTP credentials
• Supports all standard SFTP clients (FileZilla, WinSCP, etc.)
• Chrooted to server directory for security
• Uses Panel authentication

File Permissions

• Read/write controls per subuser
• Download/upload restrictions
• File size limits
• Extension filtering

Database Management

Database features require a MySQL/MariaDB server. Multiple database hosts can be configured for load distribution.

• Create and manage MySQL databases
• Multiple database host support
• Per-server database allocation limits
• Remote access configuration
• Password rotation
• Database user management

Backup System

Backup Features

• Scheduled automatic backups
• Manual on-demand backups
• Compressed backup archives
• Backup retention policies
• Download backups to local machine
• Restore servers from backups

Storage Options

• Local filesystem storage
• AWS S3 compatible storage
• Custom S3-compatible endpoints
• Backup size limits
• Backup count limits per server

Network Management

Allocation System

• Port and IP allocation management
• Multiple allocations per server
• Primary and additional allocations
• Automatic port assignment
• IPv4 and IPv6 support

Security

• Firewall-friendly allocation system
• Port range management
• DDoS protection support (when configured)
• Rate limiting on API endpoints

Advanced Features

RESTful API

Full API Documentation

Comprehensive API for automation and integration

Client API

• Manage your own servers programmatically
• Access server console and logs
• File operations via API
• Server power controls
• Database management
• Backup creation and restoration

Application API

• Administrative operations
• User creation and management
• Server provisioning
• Node management
• Nest and egg configuration
• System-wide operations

API Features

• RESTful architecture
• JSON request/response format
• API key authentication
• Rate limiting
• Comprehensive error messages
• Pagination support
• Filtering and sorting

Multi-Node Support

Distribute servers across multiple physical machines or data centers for scalability and redundancy.

• Single Panel controls multiple Wings nodes
• Geographically distributed nodes
• Load balancing across nodes
• Per-node resource tracking
• Automatic node selection
• Node maintenance mode

Server Eggs & Nests

Nest System

• Organize games by category (Minecraft, Source Engine, etc.)
• Support for any game or application
• Custom nest creation
• Import/export nests

Egg System

• Pre-configured server templates
• Custom startup parameters
• Environment variable configuration
• Docker image specification
• Installation script system
• Update scripts
• File parsing and configuration

Egg Features

• Import eggs from JSON
• Export eggs for sharing
• Community egg repository
• Custom Docker images
• Multi-stage installations
• Version management

Scheduling System

1. Create Schedule

   Define when tasks should run (cron-like syntax)

2. Add Tasks

   Configure actions like backups, restarts, or commands

3. Automation

   Tasks run automatically based on schedule

Scheduled Tasks

• Server power actions (start, stop, restart)
• Send console commands
• Create backups
• Chain multiple tasks together
• Task execution delays
• Conditional task execution

Schedule Options

• Cron expression support
• Minute, hour, day, month scheduling
• Day of week selection
• Multiple schedules per server
• Active/inactive toggles

Server Variables

• Environment variable management
• Per-server configuration
• Validation and rules
• User-editable variables
• Admin-only variables
• Default values and descriptions

Activity Logging

All administrative and user actions are logged for audit purposes.

• Comprehensive activity logs
• User action tracking
• Server event logging
• IP address logging
• Searchable log interface
• Export logs for compliance

Administrative Features

Panel Administration

Dashboard

• System overview statistics
• Recent server activity
• User registration stats
• Resource usage graphs
• Quick access to common tasks

User Management

• Create, edit, and delete users
• Password reset functionality
• Email verification
• Account suspension
• Bulk user operations
• User impersonation for support

Server Management

• Create servers with custom configurations
• Modify server resources
• Transfer servers between users
• Suspend/unsuspend servers
• Server deletion and cleanup
• Bulk server operations

Node Management

• Add and configure Wings nodes
• Resource allocation tracking
• Node status monitoring
• Allocation management
• Maintenance mode
• Node deletion with server migration

Configuration Options

Email Configuration

• SMTP support
• Mailgun integration
• Postmark integration
• AWS SES support
• Email templates
• Custom mail from address

Localization

• Multiple language support via i18next
• Community translations
• Date and time formatting
• Timezone configuration
• Currency formatting (for integrations)

Themes

• Default Pterodactyl theme
• Custom theme support
• CSS/JavaScript modifications
• Logo customization
• Color scheme changes

Security Settings

• Require 2FA for administrators
• Session timeout configuration
• Password requirements
• reCAPTCHA support
• API rate limiting
• IP allowlisting/blocklisting

Integration Features

OAuth & SSO

• OAuth2 provider support (planned)
• Discord integration
• LDAP authentication support (via plugins)
• Custom authentication adapters

Webhooks

• Server event webhooks
• User action webhooks
• Custom webhook endpoints
• JSON payload delivery

Third-Party Integrations

• Billing system integration (WHMCS, Blesta, etc.)
• Monitoring tools (Grafana, Prometheus)
• Discord bots
• Analytics platforms
• Backup solutions

Performance Features

Caching

• Redis caching layer
• Query result caching
• Session storage in Redis
• API response caching
• Static asset optimization

Queue System

• Background job processing
• Email queuing
• Server installation queuing
• Backup creation queuing
• Failed job retry logic

Optimization

• Lazy loading of resources
• Database query optimization
• Asset minification and hashing
• CDN support
• HTTP/2 support

Developer Features

Modern Tech Stack

• Laravel 11: Latest PHP framework features
• React + TypeScript: Type-safe frontend development
• TailwindCSS: Utility-first CSS framework
• Webpack: Modern asset bundling

Development Tools

• Hot module replacement for frontend
• Local development environment support
• Comprehensive test suite
• Code formatting (PHP CS Fixer, ESLint)
• Static analysis (PHPStan, TypeScript)
• Docker-based development environment

Extensibility

• Event system for custom logic
• Service provider architecture
• Custom middleware support
• Database migrations for upgrades
• Plugin system (community)

Next Steps

System Requirements

Check if your server meets the requirements to run Pterodactyl

Installation

Get started with installing Pterodactyl Panel