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Self-host virtualtabletop

monthly-2026-10

Browser-based virtual tabletop for board and card games

BetaOpen SourceGPL-3.0
Updated8 hours ago
LanguageJavaScript
Setup difficultyModerate
MobileNative app
Stars
320
Port
8272 (HTTP/WebSocket server)
Docker
arnoldsmith86/virtualtabletop
Install with Docker
Game editor interface showing widget configuration

What is virtualtabletop?

VirtualTabletop.io is a browser-based virtual tabletop that lets you play board games, card games, and dice games with friends in real time. It includes a public library of over 300 games and a powerful built-in editor for creating your own games using widgets, JSON, CSS, and a custom routines language. The platform requires no user accounts, has no ads, and synchronizes all player interactions instantly. You can self-host it via Node.js, Docker, a Linux AppImage, or even run the server directly on an Android phone for offline local-network play. The project is licensed under GPL-3.0 and has an active community on Discord and GitHub.

Should you self-host virtualtabletop?

virtualtabletop scores 49/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #10 of 14 in Gaming. It has 320 GitHub stars.

It shipped 8 stable releases in the past year. The latest, monthly-2026-10, came out on 1 October 2026. New versions land roughly every 4 weeks.

Setup is moderate: expect some configuration beyond a single command. An official Docker image is available. It is GPL-3.0-licensed and written mostly in JavaScript.

Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is The Battle for Wesnoth (70/100, 6 963 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See virtualtabletop vs The Battle for Wesnoth side by side.

Features

  • Built-in game editor
  • Card hands privacy
  • Cross-platform browser play
  • Custom game creation
  • Game library (300+ games)
  • Game variants
  • Import from PlayingCards.io
  • Import from Tabletop Simulator
  • No Accounts Required
  • Offline LAN play
  • Real-time multiplayer
  • Save/load game states
  • Sound Effects

virtualtabletop README

How to install virtualtabletop

Install virtualtabletop with Docker

Docker

docker run -p 8272:8272 arnoldsmith86/virtualtabletop

Official image on Docker Hub. Use tag 'without-public-library' for smaller image.

How to configure virtualtabletop

  • adminURLAdmin URL for administrative functions

    Admin URL for administrative functions

  • allowPublicLibraryEditsfalseAllow edits to public library games

    Allow edits to public library games

  • customTabCustom tab configuration

    Custom tab configuration

  • externalURLhttp://localhost:8272External URL for generating share links

    External URL for generating share links

  • forceTracingfalseForce tracing for debugging

    Force tracing for debugging

  • minifyJavascriptfalseWhether to minify JavaScript

    Whether to minify JavaScript

  • port8272Port the server listens on

    Port the server listens on

  • roomNamesCaseSensitivetrueWhether room names are case sensitive

    Whether room names are case sensitive

  • serverNameVirtualTabletop.ioName of the server shown in the UI

    Name of the server shown in the UI

  • simulateServerLag0Simulate server lag in milliseconds

    Simulate server lag in milliseconds

  • urlPrefixURL prefix when running behind a reverse proxy

    URL prefix when running behind a reverse proxy

virtualtabletop releases & version history

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