SHSelfHostIndex

FreeCol vs papermc-docker

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FR FreeCol Open-source turn-based colonization strategy game VS PA papermc-docker Containerized Minecraft Java server image
FeatureFreeColpapermc-docker
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseGPL-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageJavaShell
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM512 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentbinary, sourcedocker, kubernetes
GitHub stars★ 704★ 14,076
First released20032014
ReplacesSid Meier's ColonizationMinecraft Realms

Why pick each one

Choose FreeCol if…

  • Released under the GPL-2.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Written in Java
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
FreeCol details

Choose papermc-docker if…

  • Extremely easy Minecraft hosting
  • Excellent documentation
papermc-docker details

Frequently asked questions

Is FreeCol or papermc-docker better?

Neither is universally better. papermc-docker has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are FreeCol and papermc-docker free and open-source?

Yes. FreeCol is licensed under GPL-2.0 and papermc-docker under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run FreeCol and papermc-docker with Docker?

FreeCol: check the project docs for container support. papermc-docker: yes.

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