Let players reach your machine

Players connect straight to your machine. Each game server gets an address such as smp.godapple.gs.aptr.sh that points at your machine’s public IPv4 address, and follows it within a minute when the address changes. Minecraft Java players type just the name; for other games the panel shows the address with its port.

Your router has to pass each game’s ports to the machine. Open the server in your panel: it lists the exact ports and protocols, and the machine’s address on your home network (for example 192.168.1.20). In the router’s settings page (often http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.0.1), find Port forwarding (also called Virtual server or NAT) and add one rule per port. Reserve the machine’s home address in the router’s DHCP settings so the rules keep working.

A VPS has its own public address, so there’s no router. If your provider has a firewall (often called a security group), allow the same ports there.

Docker opens each game server’s ports on the machine itself, so a firewall like ufw doesn’t usually block them. If you’ve added your own rules for Docker, allow the ports the panel lists, for example sudo ufw allow 2456:2458/udp.

Some internet providers share one public address between many customers (carrier-grade NAT). Port forwarding can’t work then. To check, look up your router’s internet (WAN) address: if it differs from the public address on your panel’s Machines page, or it starts with 100.64 to 100.127, you’re probably behind CGNAT. A tunnel gets around it for free: see Can’t open ports? Use a tunnel. Asking your provider for a public IPv4 address works too, and so does running Aperture on a small VPS.

Once a server is running, Aperture tries its public address from the internet every few minutes, using the game’s own query where it has one. The server page then says Players can join or Players can’t reach it, with the steps to fix it and a Check again button. Some games have no quick check; for those, ask a friend to join. The Machines page shows whether your machine has its own public address, sits behind a router or looks like it’s behind CGNAT.

If friends still can’t connect, work through Players can’t join.

An already-running game keeps running while your host, Docker and the game stay healthy. Players keep connecting to your machine; browser management returns when the panel does.