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Game server hosting · Fast RAM · High-speed internet · Eat lag for breakfast

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Windrose Dedicated Server Docker

A Docker container for running a Windrose dedicated server. The server binary is Windows-only and runs via Wine.

Server Requirements

2 Players 4 Players 10 Players
CPU 2 cores @ 3.2 GHz 2 cores @ 3.2 GHz 2 cores @ 3.2 GHz
RAM 8 GB 12 GB 16 GB
Storage 35 GB SSD 35 GB SSD 35 GB SSD

How to use

Copy the .env.example file to .env, fill in your values, then use either docker compose or docker run.

Docker Compose

services:
  windrose:
    image: indifferentbroccoli/windrose-server-docker
    restart: unless-stopped
    container_name: windrose
    stop_grace_period: 30s
    env_file:
      - .env
    volumes:
      - ./server-files:/home/steam/server-files
docker compose up -d

Docker Run

docker run -d \
    --restart unless-stopped \
    --name windrose \
    --stop-timeout 30 \
    --env-file .env \
    -v ./server-files:/home/steam/server-files \
    indifferentbroccoli/windrose-server-docker

Environment Variables

Variable Default Description
PUID 1000 User ID to run the server process as
PGID 1000 Group ID to run the server process as
UPDATE_ON_START true Download and validate server files on every startup. Set to false to skip.
USE_DIRECT_CONNECTION false Set to true to connect to your server via IP and port instead of invite code.
SERVER_PORT 7777 Only applies if USE_DIRECT_CONNECTION=true. Port for direct connection. Requires both TCP and UDP.
DIRECT_CONNECTION_PROXY_ADDRESS 0.0.0.0 Only applies if USE_DIRECT_CONNECTION=true. Address for the direct connection proxy.
USER_SELECTED_REGION Region for the connection service. Leave empty to auto-select. Options: SEA, CIS, EU
INVITE_CODE Invite code players use to connect if USE_DIRECT_CONNECTION=false (default). Min 6 characters, 0-9 a-z A-Z, case sensitive
SERVER_NAME Display name for your server
SERVER_PASSWORD Leave empty for a public server
MAX_PLAYERS 10 Maximum number of simultaneous players
P2P_PROXY_ADDRESS 127.0.0.1 IP address the P2P proxy binds to. Use 127.0.0.1 (default) in Docker — the proxy is an internal socket and does not need to be reachable from outside the container
GENERATE_SETTINGS true Set to false to skip all config generation and patching. The server will start using whatever is already in ServerDescription.json on disk or create a new one.

UE4SS (optional)

UE4SS is a Lua scripting and modding framework for Unreal Engine games.

Note

UE4SS_ENABLED is not needed if WINDROSE_PLUS_ENABLED=true — Windrose+ installs and manages its own compatible UE4SS version automatically.

Variable Default Description
UE4SS_ENABLED false Set to true to install UE4SS standalone. Automatically enabled by Windrose+.

Windrose+ (optional)

Windrose+ is a third-party, server-only enhancement for Windrose dedicated servers. It adds a live map, a web RCON dashboard, external server-browser query support, multipliers, 2,400+ INI overrides, and Lua mod support. No client mods are required. Enabling Windrose+ automatically installs UE4SS.

Enable by setting WINDROSE_PLUS_ENABLED=true in your .env, then start the container. The dashboard is exposed on port 8780.

Upgrading / downgrading

The image ships with the latest Windrose+ version. To use a different version, set WINDROSE_PLUS_VERSION=vX.Y.Z (must match a GitHub release tag) and restart the container. Leave WINDROSE_PLUS_VERSION empty to use the latest release.

Config changes

Edit server-files/windrose_plus.json (multipliers, feature flags) or any server-files/windrose_plus*.ini (advanced stat overrides), then restart the container — the config takes effect on the next boot. Restarts without config changes cost no extra startup time.

RCON password, admin Steam IDs, and feature flags are re-read live from windrose_plus.json while the server is running — no restart required for those.

Windrose+ environment variables

Variable Default Description
WINDROSE_PLUS_ENABLED false Set to true to enable the addon. Automatically enables UE4SS.
WINDROSE_PLUS_VERSION baked-in default GitHub release tag of Windrose+ to install. Leave empty for the image default.
WINDROSE_PLUS_DASHBOARD_PORT 8780 Port the web dashboard listens on inside the container.
WINDROSE_PLUS_RCON_PASSWORD (empty → random) Dashboard login password. Only applied when windrose_plus.json does not exist yet.

Ports

When WINDROSE_PLUS_ENABLED=true, expose the dashboard port (already in the provided docker-compose.yml):

ports:
  - '7777:7777/tcp'
  - '7777:7777/udp'
  - '8780:8780/tcp'

Lua mods

Windrose+ supports custom Lua mods that hot-reload on file change. Drop a mod folder (with mod.json and init.lua) into server-files/windrose_plus_mods/ on the host — it'll load on the next restart and hot-reload on subsequent file changes. See the upstream scripting guide for the API reference.

Caveats

  • The container needs outbound network access when installing or upgrading Windrose+.
  • Changing WINDROSE_PLUS_VERSION triggers a reinstall on the next container start; user-added Lua mods and existing windrose_plus.json / windrose_plus*.ini edits are preserved.

Server Configuration

On first start the server automatically generates two configuration files inside server-files/. The container handles this automatically — it starts the server once to generate the files, applies your settings, then starts normally.

Connecting

Players connect either via invite code (default) or IP address & port. The values for both can be set in your .env and are also visible in server-files/R5/ServerDescription.json. Invite codes use the ICE protocol to establish a P2P connection. Using your server's IP address will establish a direct connection.

Important

You can use an invite code or a direct connection via IP address, but not both.

Invite code

The code is set by INVITE_CODE in the .env file or InviteCode in ServerDescription.json. Share it with players who join via Play → Connect to Server in-game.

IP Address

This is enabled by USE_DIRECT_CONNECTION=true in the .env file or UseDirectConnection in ServerDescription.json.

LAN connections

If any players are connecting from the same local network, the default P2P_PROXY_ADDRESS=127.0.0.1 will not work. You must:

  1. Set P2P_PROXY_ADDRESS to the server machine's LAN IP address (e.g. 192.168.1.100)
  2. Add network_mode: host to your docker-compose.yml service so the container shares the host's network stack
services:
  windrose:
    image: indifferentbroccoli/windrose-server-docker
    restart: unless-stopped
    container_name: windrose
    stop_grace_period: 30s
    network_mode: host
    env_file:
      - .env
    volumes:
      - ./server-files:/home/steam/server-files

ServerDescription.json

Located at server-files/R5/ServerDescription.json. This file can only be edited while the server is stopped.

Field Description
InviteCode Invite code for players to find your server. Min 6 chars, 0-9 a-z A-Z, case sensitive
UseDirectConnection true if using direct connection via IP, or false (default) if using invite code
DirectConnectionServerPort Port when direct connection is enabled. Default is 7777
DirectConnectionServerAddress Technical field — should not be changed
DirectConnectionProxyAddress Address for the direct connection proxy. Default is 0.0.0.0
UserSelectedRegion Region for the connection service. Default is EU. Options: SEA, CIS, EU
IsPasswordProtected true or false
Password Server password
ServerName Display name of the server
WorldIslandId ID of the world to load — must match the folder name of a WorldDescription.json
MaxPlayerCount Maximum simultaneous players
P2pProxyAddress IP for listening sockets. Use 127.0.0.1 (default) — the proxy is an internal socket 
{
    "Version": 1,
    "ServerDescription_Persistent": {
        "PersistentServerId": "...",
        "InviteCode": "myfriends",
        "IsPasswordProtected": false,
        "Password": "",
        "ServerName": "My Windrose Server",
        "WorldIslandId": "...",
        "MaxPlayerCount": 10,
        "P2pProxyAddress": "127.0.0.1",
        "DirectConnectionProxyAddress": "0.0.0.0",
        "UseDirectConnection": false,
        "DirectConnectionServerPort": 7777,
        "UserSelectedRegion": "EU",
        "DirectConnectionServerAddress": ""
    }
}

WorldDescription.json

Located at server-files/R5/Saved/SaveProfiles/Default/RocksDB/<version>/Worlds/<world-id>/WorldDescription.json. One file per world. This file can only be edited while the server is stopped.

Field Description
WorldPresetType Difficulty preset: "Easy", "Medium", "Hard", or "Custom". If any WorldSettings values are present the server forces this to "Custom"
WorldName Name of the world
WorldSettings Custom parameters — leave all sections empty to use a preset

WorldSettings parameters

Only takes effect when WorldPresetType is "Custom". Leave WorldSettings empty to use a preset.

Bool parameters

Parameter key Default Description
WDS.Parameter.Coop.SharedQuests true When a player completes a co-op quest it auto-completes for all players who have it active
WDS.Parameter.EasyExplore false Hides map markers for points of interest, making exploration harder. Called "Immersive Exploration" in-game

Float parameters

Parameter key Default Range Description
WDS.Parameter.MobHealthMultiplier 1.0 0.2 – 5.0 Enemy health multiplier
WDS.Parameter.MobDamageMultiplier 1.0 0.2 – 5.0 Enemy damage multiplier
WDS.Parameter.ShipsHealthMultiplier 1.0 0.4 – 5.0 Enemy ship health multiplier
WDS.Parameter.ShipsDamageMultiplier 1.0 0.2 – 2.5 Enemy ship damage multiplier
WDS.Parameter.BoardingDifficultyMultiplier 1.0 0.2 – 5.0 How many enemy sailors must be defeated to win a boarding action
WDS.Parameter.Coop.StatsCorrectionModifier 1.0 0.0 – 2.0 Adjusts enemy health and posture loss based on player count
WDS.Parameter.Coop.ShipStatsCorrectionModifier 0.0 0.0 – 2.0 Adjusts enemy ship health based on player count

Tag parameters

Parameter key Default Options Description
WDS.Parameter.CombatDifficulty WDS.Parameter.CombatDifficulty.Normal Easy / Normal / Hard Boss encounter difficulty and general enemy aggression

Example WorldDescription.json:

{
    "Version": 1,
    "WorldDescription": {
        "IslandId": "...",
        "WorldName": "My World",
        "WorldPresetType": "Custom",
        "WorldSettings": {
            "BoolParameters": {
                "{\"TagName\": \"WDS.Parameter.Coop.SharedQuests\"}": true,
                "{\"TagName\": \"WDS.Parameter.EasyExplore\"}": false
            },
            "FloatParameters": {
                "{\"TagName\": \"WDS.Parameter.MobHealthMultiplier\"}": 1,
                "{\"TagName\": \"WDS.Parameter.MobDamageMultiplier\"}": 1,
                "{\"TagName\": \"WDS.Parameter.ShipsHealthMultiplier\"}": 1,
                "{\"TagName\": \"WDS.Parameter.ShipsDamageMultiplier\"}": 1,
                "{\"TagName\": \"WDS.Parameter.BoardingDifficultyMultiplier\"}": 1,
                "{\"TagName\": \"WDS.Parameter.Coop.StatsCorrectionModifier\"}": 1,
                "{\"TagName\": \"WDS.Parameter.Coop.ShipStatsCorrectionModifier\"}": 0
            },
            "TagParameters": {
                "{\"TagName\": \"WDS.Parameter.CombatDifficulty\"}": {
                    "TagName": "WDS.Parameter.CombatDifficulty.Normal"
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Volumes

Path Description
/home/steam/server-files Server installation files, world saves, and configuration

Proxmox

If you are hosting this server inside a Proxmox VM or LXC container, set the CPU type to host.

Proxmox's default CPU types (e.g. kvm64) omit instruction sets that Wine and the server binary may depend on. This can cause the server to fail to start, crash at runtime, or fail silently with no useful output.

About

This is a Dockerized Windrose dedicated server maintained by indifferent broccoli. We offer managed Windrose server hosting if you'd rather not self-host.

About

This is a Dockerized version of the Windrose dedicated server.

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GPL-3.0 license
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Releases 6

1.0.5 Latest
Apr 25, 2026
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