If you’re setting up a Valheim server with Docker (see our Valheim server setup guide if you haven’t yet), you’ll quickly notice there are a couple of different images floating around. Here’s how the main options compare and which one to actually pull.

lloesche/valheim-server — The Standard Choice

This is the image most guides (including ours) default to, and for good reason — it’s the most widely used, most battle-tested option for Dockerized Valheim hosting, with millions of pulls on Docker Hub.

Why it’s the go-to starter image:

• Handles SteamCMD installation and the Valheim dedicated server download automatically
• Built-in automatic updates — checks Steam periodically and updates the server when a new version is released
• Automatic scheduled world backups, with configurable retention (how many backups to keep and for how long)
• Supports BepInEx and ValheimPlus mod frameworks, so modded servers are fully supported
• Extensive environment variable configuration — server name, world name, password, public/private visibility, restart schedules, and more
• Actively maintained, with updates typically landing within days of a Valheim patch

Basic usage:

docker run -d \
  --name valheim-server \
  --cap-add=sys_nice \
  -p 2456-2457:2456-2457/udp \
  -v $HOME/valheim-server/config:/config \
  -v $HOME/valheim-server/data:/opt/valheim \
  -e SERVER_NAME="My Valheim Server" \
  -e WORLD_NAME="Midgard" \
  -e SERVER_PASS="changeme123" \
  lloesche/valheim-server

One thing to know: this image uses rolling tags rather than strict semantic versioning. For most home setups this doesn’t matter, but if you need exact reproducibility (e.g., pinning to a specific server version for consistency), pin to a specific image SHA rather than just latest.

community-valheim-tools/valheim-server-docker — The Actively-Developed Fork

This image started as a fork of lloesche/valheim-server and is designed as a drop-in replacement — meaning it supports the same configuration options and can generally be swapped in without changing your setup.

Why some users prefer this fork:

• Continues active development on top of the original image’s foundation
• Same BepInEx and ValheimPlus mod support as the original
• Same volume structure (/config for server config, /opt/valheim for the server files), making migration straightforward

Basic usage:

docker run -d \
  --name valheim-server \
  -p 2456-2457:2456-2457/udp \
  -v $HOME/valheim-server/config:/config \
  -e SERVER_NAME="My Valheim Server" \
  -e WORLD_NAME="Midgard" \
  -e SERVER_PASS="changeme123" \
  ghcr.io/community-valheim-tools/valheim-server

This is a solid alternative if you want to follow ongoing community development more closely, though for most home server needs, the difference from the original lloesche image is minor.

Which Should You Choose?

For the vast majority of home self-hosters, lloesche/valheim-server remains the safest default — it’s the most established, most documented, and what nearly every setup guide (including our own) is written around. If you run into a specific limitation or want to follow more active ongoing development, the community fork is a reasonable drop-in alternative since it shares the same configuration structure.

A Note on Hardware Requirements

Regardless of which image you choose, keep in mind Valheim’s dedicated server requires x86_64 architecture — it does not run on ARM devices like a Raspberry Pi, even with emulation. If you’re picking hardware, see our mini PC hosting guide for what to look for.

Getting Started

Ready to set up your server? Our step-by-step Valheim Docker setup guide walks through the full process using the standard lloesche/valheim-server image, from installation through port forwarding.