Crafty Controller Review, Pricing & Features

Crafty Controller is a free, self-hosted web panel for running and managing Minecraft Java and Bedrock server instances from any browser or device.

Category
Gaming & Game Servers
Pricing
Free (open source, donation-supported), from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
WindowsWeb AppOpen SourceSelf-HostedMac

Overview

Crafty Controller is a free, open-source, self-hosted web control panel for running Minecraft servers. Rather than manually starting a server jar file from a terminal, administrators use Crafty's browser-based interface to launch, stop, and monitor one or more Minecraft server instances from any device.

The project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3, with its source code maintained publicly on GitLab, and it is sustained through voluntary community donations rather than a commercial pricing model.

Key Features

Crafty Controller supports any Minecraft server that runs from a Java executable file, including vanilla, Paper, Spigot, Waterfall, and modded distributions, as well as Bedrock Edition server executables.

The web interface provides server instance management, player and permission controls, remote console command execution, a built-in file manager for editing configuration and world files, and scheduled automated tasks such as backups.

It runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, with pre-built Docker images and UnRAID templates for containerized deployments, plus a mobile-friendly progressive web app for monitoring servers on the go.

Pricing

Crafty Controller is completely free to download, install, and modify, with no paid tiers or subscription plans. As open-source software, users provide and maintain their own server hardware or hosting; Crafty is purely the management layer on top of it.

The project accepts optional donations through Ko-fi and Patreon to support ongoing development, but no financial contribution is required to use any feature of the panel.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Completely free and open source with no paid tiers or feature restrictions
  • Supports both Java and Bedrock Minecraft server executables in one panel
  • Self-hosted architecture keeps all server data and backups on the operator's own hardware
  • Docker and UnRAID support make it easy to fit into existing home-lab or self-hosting setups

Cons

  • Requires users to provide and maintain their own server or hosting infrastructure; it is not a hosting service itself
  • As a community-maintained open-source project, support relies on documentation and community channels rather than paid customer support
  • Initial setup (Python environment, Docker, or manual install) requires more technical comfort than a fully managed hosting panel
  • No official native mobile apps beyond the browser-based progressive web app

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Crafty Controller free?

Yes, Crafty Controller is completely free and open source under the GNU General Public License v3. It is supported by optional community donations, not subscriptions.

Does Crafty Controller work with Bedrock Edition servers?

Yes, in addition to any Java-executable Minecraft server (vanilla, Paper, Spigot, Waterfall, and modpacks), Crafty Controller supports Bedrock Edition server executables.

Do I need my own server to use Crafty Controller?

Yes. Crafty Controller is a management panel, not a hosting provider — you need your own server, VPS, or home hardware to run Minecraft servers, and Crafty provides the web interface to manage them.

What operating systems does Crafty Controller support?

Crafty Controller runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and also offers Docker images and UnRAID templates for containerized deployment.

Is Crafty Controller safe to expose to the internet?

Crafty Controller includes Argon2 password hashing and supports SSL/TLS certificate encryption for the web panel, though as with any self-hosted admin tool, operators should follow standard security practices like firewalling and strong credentials.

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