Quake Server (Docker)

This repository provides a Dockerized Quake (1996) dedicated server. It runs the latest Ironwail release (v0.8.2 as of this writing) in dedicated mode, built from source into the image, with your Quake game data. Mods (-game) are supported. The image builds on lancommander/base. It supports file overlaying using OverlayFS.

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Features

• Ironwail for Linux, built from the latest Ironwail source release (or a version you pin) and run with -dedicated
• The server's name, map, game mode, limits and skill are environment variables, written into a config file the server execs at startup
• Game data copied from Windows or DOS (Id1/PAK0.PAK) works as-is: the server gets lowercase links to it
• Supports file overlaying using OverlayFS (no file copying required)

Docker Compose Example

services:
  quake:
    image: lancommander/quake:latest
    container_name: quake

    ports:
      - "26000:26000/udp"

    volumes:
      - ./config:/config

    environment:
      QUAKE_SERVER_NAME: "My Quake Server"
      QUAKE_MAP: "dm4"

    user: root
    cap_add:
      - SYS_ADMIN
    security_opt:
      - apparmor:unconfined

    restart: unless-stopped

The in-game LAN browser (Multiplayer → Join a Game → Search for local games) finds servers by broadcast. That needs the container on the LAN itself (macvlan/ipvlan, or network_mode: host); with port mapping, clients join by IP (connect <ip> in the console).

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Game Files

The image contains only the Ironwail binary. Copy the id1/ folder of a Quake install (pak0.pak and pak1.pak; pak0.pak alone is the shareware episode) into config/Server/. For a mod, copy its folder next to id1/ and set QUAKE_GAME. The server stops with an error if id1/pak0.pak is missing.

Linux Quake opens files by their lowercase names. If the copied files are uppercase, a startup hook links the game folder (id1 → Id1) and the files and folders directly inside it (pak0.pak → PAK0.PAK) to lowercase names in Overlay/. Files deeper down (for example maps/DM7.BSP) are not linked; rename those.

Clients need a NetQuake engine that speaks the server's protocol. Ironwail 0.8 uses RMQ (999) by default, which Ironwail, QuakeSpasm and FTEQW clients support. For older engines, set QUAKE_PROTOCOL=666 (FitzQuake) or 15 (original Quake, no extended limits). The Quake II/QuakeWorld protocols are not supported.

Directory Layout (Host)

.
└── config/
    ├── Server/            # Game data: id1/pak0.pak, id1/pak1.pak, mod folders
    ├── Overlay/           # Your files, layered on top of Server/ (id1/server.cfg, generated lancommander.cfg, lowercase links)
    ├── Merged/            # Overlayfs merged view (auto-created, the server runs here)
    └── Scripts/
        └── Hooks/         # PowerShell scripts run at container lifecycle hooks

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Environment Variables

These are in addition to the base image's variables. The settings are written into <QUAKE_GAME or id1>/lancommander.cfg on every start. Settings left empty are left out, so you can set them in server.cfg next to it instead.

Variable	Description	Default
QUAKE_GAME	Mod folder (-game), empty for plain Quake (id1)
QUAKE_PORT	-port (game port)	26000
QUAKE_MAX_PLAYERS	-dedicated <n>, the player slots (fixed at startup)	16
QUAKE_PROTOCOL	-protocol: 15 (original), 666 (FitzQuake) or 999 (RMQ); empty uses Ironwail's default (999)
QUAKE_SERVER_NAME	hostname	Quake Server
QUAKE_MAP	First map (dm1 to dm6, e1m1, start, ...)	dm1
QUAKE_DEATHMATCH	deathmatch: 0 off, 1 weapons respawn, 2 weapons stay	1
QUAKE_COOP	coop: 1 for co-op. Turning it on also sets deathmatch 0	0
QUAKE_TEAMPLAY	teamplay: 0 off, 1 no team damage, 2 team damage	0
QUAKE_FRAG_LIMIT	fraglimit (0 = none)	20
QUAKE_TIME_LIMIT	timelimit in minutes (0 = none)	15
QUAKE_SKILL	skill, monster difficulty for co-op: 0 easy to 3 nightmare	1
QUAKE_SAME_LEVEL	samelevel: 1 replays the current map instead of exiting
QUAKE_NO_EXIT	noexit: 1 kills players who touch an exit in deathmatch
START_EXE	Launcher	/usr/local/bin/quake-server
START_ARGS	Extra command line, inserted before +map (e.g. +sv_gravity 600)

Quake has no map rotation of its own. When the frag or time limit is reached on a deathmatch map, the stock game code restarts the same map. A map with an exit (e1m1, ...) changes to the next map when a player takes the exit. Mods can change this.

Ironwail has no remote console (rcon) or server password.

See Documentation/Docker.md for more detail.

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Building

The image is built FROM lancommander/base:latest by default. A build stage compiles Ironwail from its source release:

Build arg	Description	Default
IRONWAIL_VERSION	Ironwail release tag to build (e.g. v0.8.2), or latest for the newest release	latest
IRONWAIL_SHA256	Expected SHA256 of the source tarball (empty skips the check)
BASE_IMAGE	Runtime base image	lancommander/base:latest

Rebuilding picks up a new Ironwail release on its own: the build fetches GitHub's latest-release info, and a change there invalidates the cached compile step. The version built is in /opt/ironwail/VERSION and in the server's startup log.

docker build --build-arg BASE_IMAGE=lancommander/base:local -t lancommander/quake:local .
docker build --build-arg IRONWAIL_VERSION=v0.8.2 -t lancommander/quake:0.8.2 .

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License

Quake is a trademark of id Software. Its game data is not included and is distributed under its own license. Ironwail is GPLv2. This repository contains only Docker build logic and helper scripts licensed under MIT.