Local Development

This page covers all approaches for running the documentation site and building the server container locally.

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Building the Server Container

Build the Hytale server Docker image yourself on Linux.

Step 1: Clone the Repository

Copy (clone) this repository and navigate into it:

git clone https://github.com/deinfreu/hytale-server-container.git
cd hytale-server-container

Step 2: Create docker-compose.yml

Create a file named docker-compose.yml inside this folder.

nano docker-compose.yml

Add the following content to the file:

services:
  hytale:
    build:
      context: .
      dockerfile: Dockerfile.ubuntu
    container_name: hytale-server
    environment:
      SERVER_IP: "0.0.0.0"
      SERVER_PORT: "5520"
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5520:5520/udp"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/home/container
      - /etc/machine-id:/etc/machine-id:ro
    tty: true
    stdin_open: true

Step 3: Save the File

Operating System	Step 1: Write Out	Step 2: Confirm Filename	Step 3: Exit Editor
Linux / Windows (WSL)	Press Ctrl + O	Press Enter	Press Ctrl + X
macOS	Press Control + O	Press Return	Press Control + X

This data folder will be created on your host OS in the same directory as your docker-compose.yml file. Your game files, world data, and configurations are stored here and persist even if you stop or delete the Docker container. If you prefer to use volume mounts instead of bind mounts, see the volume mount example.

Step 4: Build and Run

Build the image and start the server:

docker compose up --build

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Running the Documentation Site Locally

Run the Jekyll docs site on your machine using Ruby and Bundler.

Step 1: Install Ruby

Ensure Ruby version 3.0 or higher is installed:

ruby --version

If Ruby is not installed, install it via your package manager. For example on Ubuntu/Debian (WSL2):

sudo apt update && sudo apt install ruby-full -y

Step 2: Add Gems to Your PATH

Ruby installs gems in a user directory by default, which may not be in your PATH. Add it to your shell profile so bundler is always available.

Add this line to the end of your ~/.bashrc file (WSL2) or ~/.zshrc:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/share/gem/ruby/3.3.0/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Note: If your Ruby version differs (e.g., 3.1, 3.2), adjust the path accordingly. You can find your gem home with gem env | grep -i "USER INSTALLATION DIR".

Step 3: Install Bundler

Install the Bundler gem (used to manage Jekyll dependencies):

gem install bundler
bundle --version

Verify it outputs a version number (e.g., Bundler version 2.x.x). If you still see “command not found”, confirm your PATH is set correctly by running:

echo $PATH

Step 4: Install Dependencies

Navigate to the docs folder and install all required gems:

cd docs
bundle install

The gems will be installed into vendor/bundle within the docs directory.

Step 5: Start the Jekyll Server

Run the local development server with live reload:

bundle exec jekyll serve --livereload

The site will be available at http://localhost:4000.

Press Ctrl + C in the terminal to stop the server.