What is docker-spigot?

docker-spigot is a Docker image that builds and runs a Spigot Minecraft server on Ubuntu 20.04 with Eclipse Adoptium Java (versions 8 through 21). On first launch it downloads BuildTools and compiles the Spigot JAR for the chosen Minecraft version (defaulting to latest). Users can pick specific Minecraft versions via SPIGOT_VER, switch versions in a running container, configure memory limits (MC_MAXMEM, MC_MINMEM), set extra Java options, and control the server through docker exec commands (mc_start, mc_stop, mc_restart, mc_send, mc_log). The image handles EULA acceptance via an environment variable, auto-detects the timezone, changes the minecraft user's UID to match mounted volume ownership, and performs graceful shutdown on docker stop. It supports Minecraft versions from 1.8.3 through 1.20+ with appropriate Java versions selected automatically.

Should you self-host docker-spigot?

docker-spigot scores 43/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #48 of 62 in Game Servers. It has 173 GitHub stars.

There was no stable release in the past 12 months, so check the repository's recent activity before you rely on it.

Setup is easy: most people get it running in one sitting. An official Docker image is available. It is written mostly in Shell.

Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is minecraft (78/100, 14 491 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See docker-spigot vs minecraft side by side.