theoriginalbrian/phvalheim-server repository overview

⁠PhValheim Server

The Valheim world and mod manager that keeps everyone in sync.

⁠The Problem

Modding Valheim is easy. Keeping mods perfectly in sync across your server and every player? Nearly impossible. Mod managers like Thunderstore work great individually, but they don't coordinate across a group — eventually someone's client drifts out of sync and the session breaks.

⁠The Solution

PhValheim is a two-part system (server + client) that locks server and client mod configurations together. Deploy worlds with any combination of Thunderstore mods, and every player automatically gets the exact same files when they connect. No more "which version do you have?" conversations.

⁠Features

⁠Screenshots

⁠Admin Dashboard

⁠World & Mod Editor

⁠Citizens Editor

⁠Log Viewer & AI Analysis

⁠Quick Start

⁠Docker Compose (Recommended)

services:
  phvalheim:
    image: theoriginalbrian/phvalheim-server:latest
    container_name: phvalheim
    ports:
      - "8080:8080/tcp"    # Public UI
      - "8081:8081/tcp"    # Admin UI (do NOT expose publicly)
      - "25000-26000:25000-26000/udp"  # Game ports
    volumes:
      - /path/to/data:/opt/stateful:Z
      - /path/to/backups:/opt/stateful/backups:Z   # ideally a separate disk
    restart: unless-stopped

That's it. Start the container and open http://your-host:8081 — the Setup Wizard will walk you through configuration.

⁠Docker CLI

docker create \
  --name phvalheim \
  -p 8080:8080/tcp \
  -p 8081:8081/tcp \
  -p 25000-26000:25000-26000/udp \
  -v /path/to/data:/opt/stateful:Z \
  -v /path/to/backups:/opt/stateful/backups:Z \
  theoriginalbrian/phvalheim-server:latest

docker start phvalheim

⁠Unraid

Search for PhValheim in the Community Apps store.

⁠Configuration

All settings are configured through the Admin UI after first launch. No environment variables are needed for new installations.

⁠Server Settings

⁠AI Helper (Optional)

Configure one or more AI providers in Server Settings to enable the built-in log analysis assistant.

⁠Volumes

⁠Ports

⁠PhValheim Client

The server is only half the equation. PhValheim Client is a companion Windows app that registers a custom phvalheim:// URL protocol. When a player clicks a launch link:

1. The client compares the remote world's checksum against the local copy.
2. If outdated, it downloads the new payload (mods, configs, dependencies).
3. It launches Valheim, connecting to the correct server and world automatically.

Client files install to %appdata%/PhValheim and add the BepInEx bootstrap to your Valheim Steam directory.

⁠Architecture

⁠High Level

⁠Authentication & Authorization

Access to each world is controlled by the PhValheim database. Steam IDs are associated with each world, gating both the web UI (world visibility) and the game server allow-list.

⁠Reverse Proxy (Optional)

Example NGINX config for TLS termination:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name phvalheim.example.com;
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name phvalheim.example.com;

    ssl_certificate     /path/to/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /path/to/privkey.pem;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8080;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection $connection_upgrade;
        proxy_read_timeout 1200s;
        client_max_body_size 0;
    }
}

⁠Custom Config Folders

⁠PSA: Mods & Stability

PhValheim makes mod management effortless, but not all mods play well together. If you're experiencing crashes or unexpected behavior, deploy a vanilla world (no mods) first to rule out mod conflicts. Most mod issues occur after major Valheim updates.

Join the Discord⁠ · Report an Issue⁠ · PhValheim Client⁠