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Quick Start
the_minisip edited this page 2026-10-16 13:16:56 -03:00

Quick Start

This page provides a fast, practical guide to deploying and running the Managed Valheim server container. If you want to get up and running quickly on TrueNAS SCALE or any OCI-compatible platform, this is the place to start.


1. Pull the Container Image

Pull the desired version of the container from your registry:

gitea.theminisip.ca/mini-server-manager/managed-valheim:1.0.1.1

You may also use latest, but versioned tags are recommended for production deployments.


2. Required Volumes

The container expects two persistent volumes:

  • /config — configuration and runtime metadata
  • /backups — world backup storage

On TrueNAS SCALE, these map to datasets you select during app installation.


3. Required Ports

Valheim uses three UDP ports:

2456/udp
2457/udp
2458/udp

TrueNAS SCALE will automatically expose these based on your app configuration.


4. Core Environment Variables

At minimum, configure the following:

Variable Default Description
SERVER_NAME Valheim Server Name shown in server browser
WORLD_NAME Dedicated World save name
SERVER_PASSWORD changeme Password required to join
PUBLIC 1 Public listing toggle

5. Backup Configuration

The server includes automated world backups. Configure these variables to control timing and retention:

Variable Default Description
BACKUP_INTERVAL 21600 Backup interval (seconds). Default is 6 hours.
BACKUP_RETENTION_DAYS 7 Number of days to keep backups before pruning.

Backups are stored in the /backups volume as timestamped ZIP archives.


6. How Updates Work

The container automatically updates Valheim on each start:

  1. SteamCMD installs/updates Valheim into /opt/valheim_base.
  2. Updated files are copied into /opt/valheim.
  3. BepInEx is downloaded, validated, extracted, and patched.
  4. The managed wrapper launches the server.

This clean + modded directory separation ensures reliable updates even when mods are installed.


7. Starting the Server

Once configured, simply start or restart the TrueNAS SCALE app. The server will:

  • Update itself
  • Install BepInEx
  • Apply patches
  • Begin automated backups
  • Launch the Valheim dedicated server

Logs are visible directly in the TrueNAS SCALE UI.


8. Modding

Mods can be placed in:

/opt/valheim/BepInEx/plugins

These files persist across updates because the modded directory is preserved during the SteamCMD update cycle.


Next Steps

This Quick Start should get your server running in minutes. For deeper configuration, explore the other wiki pages.