The easiest way to run a Minecraft server on a Synology NAS is to pull the itzg/minecraft-server image in Docker and create a container from it.
In August 2024 I ran a Minecraft 1.20.1 Forge server with Docker on DSM 6 and played on it with friends. This post turns the setup notes and mod list I kept in Notion at the time into a guide.
At a glance
- Server: Synology DSM 6 (Xpenology) Docker + the
itzg/minecraft-serverimage - Version: Minecraft Java Edition 1.20.1, Forge 47.3.0
- Key settings:
EULA=TRUE,TYPE=FORGE,VERSION=1.20.1,FORGE_VERSION=47.3.0, port 25565, a folder mounted to/data - Access from outside: forward port 25565 on the router and point a domain name at the NAS
- For friends: Minecraft Launcher → install Forge → add the server → copy in the mod files
- Mods: 40+ for convenience, performance, content and shaders, updated five times during August
Why I ran a Minecraft server on my NAS
My home NAS is an Intel NUC running Xpenology. (I explain why I moved my blog to it in this post, in Korean.) Running only a blog left plenty of resources unused, so I opened a Minecraft server for my friends and me.
These were the server specs.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel i7 |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon |
| Memory | 16GB |
| Connection | KT 1Gbps |
| Uptime | 24 hours (occasional maintenance) |
I wrote the server announcement for my friends as a parody of a spam text I had received, in the style of “Gentlemen, I put off sleep for days to build you a playground.”
Creating a Minecraft server with Docker on Synology DSM 6
These steps are for DSM 6. From DSM 7.2 the Docker package became Container Manager, but the settings are almost the same.
1. Install Docker and download the image
- Install Docker from Package Center.
- In Docker → Registry, search for
itzg/minecraft-serverand download it. - When asked for a tag, choose
java17. The default tag uses the latest Java, and some 1.20.1 Forge mods throw errors unless they run on Java 17.
2. Create the container
In the Image tab, select the image you downloaded, then Launch → Advanced Settings.
- Auto-restart: turn it on so the server comes back after the NAS reboots.
- Volume: create a folder such as
docker/minecraftand mount it to/datain the container. The world, config files and themodsfolder all end up here. - Port settings: local port 25565 → container port 25565 (TCP)
- Environment variables:
| Variable | Value | What it does |
|---|---|---|
EULA | TRUE | Accepts the Minecraft EULA. The server won’t start without it |
TYPE | FORGE | Forge server |
VERSION | 1.20.1 | Minecraft version |
FORGE_VERSION | 47.3.0 | Forge version |
MEMORY | e.g. 6G | Memory for the server. Set it to suit your NAS |
The first start takes a while because the container downloads the Forge server files. When Done appears in the log, the server is up.
3. Add server mods
Put the server mod .jar files in the mods folder inside the mounted folder and restart the container. With Forge, the server and client mods often have to match before you can connect, so the mod lists below note whether each one goes on the server, the client, or both.
4. Allow connections from outside
- On your router, forward TCP port 25565 to the NAS’s internal IP.
- So friends could use an address instead of an IP, I pointed a subdomain of my blog’s domain at the NAS.
- If you use the DSM firewall, open port 25565.
How friends connect (client setup)
This is what I sent my friends (Windows).
1. Install the Minecraft Launcher
Install Minecraft Launcher from the Microsoft Store and sign in.
Click Minecraft: Java Edition on the left of the launcher, choose the latest release and press Play once to install it.
2. Install Forge
Download the 47.3.0 installer from the Forge 1.20.1 download page.
Double-click the installer, choose Install client and click OK.
When you reopen the launcher, Forge shows up as an installation.
3. Add the server and the mods
- Launch Forge from the launcher → Multiplayer → Add Server. Name it whatever you like and enter the server address.
- Put the mod files (.jar) in
C:\Users\<your user name>\AppData\Roaming\.minecraft\modsand shader packs (.zip) inshaderpacksin the same folder, without unzipping them. - Add the mods before you join. Without them you can connect, but the game won’t play properly.
4. Turn on shaders
In game, go to Options → Video Settings, click Oculus / Shader Packs on the left, pick a shader and apply it.
On a Mac, installing the launcher and running the same Forge installer should work, but I haven’t tried it myself.
I shared the mod files through a folder in the NAS’s File Station. For updates, I uploaded only the newly added mods into a folder per version (V1.0.1, V1.0.3 …).
The Minecraft mods we used
Convenience mods
| Mod | Side | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| AppleSkin | Client | Shows how much hunger and health food will restore |
| Jade | Client | Shows the name, health and other info of the block or mob you are looking at |
| Just Enough Items (JEI) | Client | Shows the recipe for every item |
| Just Enough Resources (JER) | Client | Adds dungeon loot, mob drops, villager trades and ore distribution to JEI |
| Mouse Tweaks | Client | Drag to pick up only matching items, Shift+drag to move them |
| Xaero’s World Map + Minimap | Both | Minimap and full world map |
| Elytra Slot (+ Curios API, Caelus) | Both | Wear a chestplate and an elytra at the same time |
| Polymorph | Both | Choose the result when recipes conflict |
| Traveler’s Backpack | Both | Backpack items for more inventory |
| Legendary Tooltips | Client | Nicer-looking item tooltips |
| CaramelChat | Client | Fixes broken IME input (such as Korean) in chat |
| Shulker Box Tooltip | Client | See what is inside a shulker box without opening it |
| Double Doors | Server | Double doors open together |
| Waystones | Both | Teleport between waypoints |
| Carry On | Both | Shift+right-click with an empty hand to pick up and carry a chest |
| GUI Clock | Client | Shows the time on screen while you carry a clock |
If you chat in Korean (or another language that uses an input method editor), CaramelChat is especially useful. Java Edition scrambles characters typed through an IME in chat, and this mod fixes it.
Fun and quality-of-life mods
| Mod | Side | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Sound Physics Remastered | Client | Realistic sound, such as echoes in caves |
| Presence Footsteps | Client | Different footstep sounds for each block |
| Falling Leaves | Client | Leaves fall from trees |
| Blossom | Client | Trees grow apples when bees are nearby |
| Current Game Music Track | Client | Shows the name of the music track playing |
| Cycle Paintings | Server | Right-click a painting to switch to another one |
| Snowballs Freeze Mobs | Server | Mobs hit by a snowball are briefly stunned |
| Your Items Are Safe | Server | When you die, your items go into a chest and armor stand if you have them |
| Bottled Air | Server | Right-click an empty bottle underwater to restore air |
| Bottle Your Xp | Server | Sneak and right-click an empty bottle to bottle XP (costs a little health) |
| Harvest with ease | Server | Right-click crops to harvest and replant |
| Companion | Server | Better pet AI |
| Torch Hit, Soul Fire’d | Server | Hitting with a torch or soul fire sets mobs on fire |
| Fish On The Line | Server | Plays a sound when a fish bites |
| Healing Campfire | Server | Heals you near a campfire |
| Aquaculture 2 | Both | More fish species |
| Farmer’s Delight | Both | Cooking recipes and farming/cooking tools |
| Aquaculture Delight | Both | Fish dish recipes |
| Charm of Undying | Both | Wear the Totem of Undying as a charm |
| Diagonal Fences · Windows · Walls | Both | Place fences, glass panes and walls diagonally |
World and structure mods
| Mod | Side | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| ChoiceTheorem’s Overhauled Village | Server | 23 new villages and 14 pillager outposts for different terrain and biomes |
| Towns and Towers | Server | About 50 new villages, outposts and ships |
Performance mods
| Mod | Side | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Clumps | Both | Merges XP orbs to reduce lag |
| Get It Together, Drops! | Server | Better merging of dropped items |
| Structure Essentials | Server | Fixes structure generation errors and dungeon chest lag |
| Saturn | Both | Fixes memory leaks |
| Embeddium | Client | Client performance |
Shaders
Shaders need the Oculus mod. I included Sildur’s Vibrant, BSL, Complementary Unbound, Bliss, Photon and Kappa so everyone could pick one they liked.
Some mods, such as Collective, Cloth Config API, Puzzles Lib, Cobweb, Lithostitched and Cristel Lib, are libraries that other mods need. Always download the dependencies listed on each mod’s page.
What happened while running the server
- Five updates in August: I added mods on 9 August (V1.0.1, V1.0.2), 12 August (V1.0.3), 13 August (V1.0.4) and 27 August (V1.0.5), including mods friends recommended (Presence Footsteps, Carry On).
- The fall: a friend falling from a height got kicked with “Flying is not enabled on this server”. It was a server setting, and I fixed it right away. On modded servers this message usually goes away when you set
allow-flighttotrueinserver.properties(with the itzg image, the environment variableALLOW_FLIGHT=TRUE). - NAS IP block: a friend logging in to the NAS to download mods got the password wrong several times and was caught by DSM Auto Block. I removed the IP from the block list in Control Panel → Security → Account → Auto Block.
- In-game voice chat: I also thought about adding the Simple Voice Chat mod.
If you give friends NAS accounts to download mods, give them read-only access, use long passwords and keep Auto Block on. You are exposing the DSM login page to the internet, so take security seriously.
If your friends play on Nintendo Switch: the Switch version is Bedrock Edition, so it can’t join a Java Edition Forge server like this one.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Synology NAS run a Minecraft server?
Yes. Any model that supports Docker (Container Manager on DSM 7) can run a server with the itzg/minecraft-server image. Lots of mods use a lot of memory, so the NAS needs plenty of RAM.
How do I set up Forge with the itzg Minecraft server image?
Set the environment variables, for example TYPE=FORGE, VERSION=1.20.1 and FORGE_VERSION=47.3.0. EULA=TRUE is required, and if 1.20.1 Forge mods throw errors, switch the image tag to java17.
Do mods go on the server, the client, or both?
It depends on the mod. Some, like minimaps and shaders, go only on the client; some, like extra villages, only on the server; and some must be on both before you can connect. See the Side column in the tables above.
References: itzg/docker-minecraft-server (GitHub), Docker Minecraft Server docs – Forge
This is a translation of my original Korean article: 시놀로지 도커로 마인크래프트 포지 서버 열기 – DSM 6·모드 목록. Last checked: October 2026.
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