How does Pelican handle security and server isolation?

Updated

Pelican runs each game server inside its own Docker container, so servers are isolated from one another by default. On top of that isolation, Pelican natively supports SSL, two-factor authentication (2FA), and AES-256 encryption. This combination is what makes it suitable both for a few friends self-hosting and for larger gaming communities that need to keep multiple servers and users separated.

Server isolation with Docker

The core of Pelican's isolation model is Docker. Every server you create is executed in its own container rather than directly on the host machine.

What this means in practice:

  • Each server is contained. One server's processes, files, and runtime environment live inside its own container, not shared with other servers.
  • Servers are isolated from each other. Because containers are separate, activity on one server does not spill into another.
  • The host stays cleaner. Since workloads are containerized, you can run Pelican on almost any machine you have available.

The practical benefit is that you can host several different game servers side by side without them interfering with one another, and you don't need a dedicated machine per game.

Built-in security features

Beyond container isolation, Pelican states that it "takes security extremely seriously" and natively supports:

Feature What it covers
SSL Encrypted connections to the panel and client area
2FA A second authentication factor for account access
AES-256 encryption Encryption of sensitive data

These are described as native capabilities, meaning they are part of Pelican itself rather than something you must bolt on separately.

Who this security model fits

The isolation and security design maps onto two common scenarios Pelican explicitly targets:

  • Small groups — a few friends who want to play together and keep their servers separate from each other.
  • Gaming communities — larger setups where multiple servers and multiple users need to coexist without cross-contamination.

Because each server is containerized, the same security and isolation approach scales from a single small server up to a community-sized deployment.

What to verify for your own setup

Pelican's documentation and community support are the right places to confirm the specifics that matter to you — for example, how to enable 2FA on your account, how SSL is configured for your panel, and how container isolation behaves on your particular machine. The panel is free to use and open source, so you can also review the code on GitHub if you want to understand the implementation directly.