Updating

This guide covers updating both the Hytale server (game files) and the Docker image itself.

Updating the Hytale Server (Game)

Hytale is in early access with frequent updates. By default, the container checks for game updates automatically.

Automatic Updates (Default)

With AUTO_UPDATE=true (default), simply restart the container:

docker compose restart

The container will:

Check for new server files
Download updates if available
Extract and apply the update
Start the server

Watch the logs to see update progress:

docker logs -f hytale-server

Manual Updates

If you’ve disabled auto-updates (AUTO_UPDATE=false):

# Remove old server files
rm ./hytale-data/HytaleServer.jar
rm ./hytale-data/Assets.zip

# Restart to trigger download
docker compose restart

Updating the Docker Image

When we release bug fixes or improvements to the container itself, you’ll need to update the Docker image.

From Docker Registry (Most Users)

If you’re using the pre-built image from a registry:

# Stop the container
docker compose down

# Pull the latest image
docker compose pull

# Start with the new image
docker compose up -d

Or as a single command:

docker compose down && docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

Even if you already have :latest locally, docker compose pull checks the registry for a newer version by comparing image digests.

Automatic Updates with pull_policy

To automatically check for image updates on every docker compose up, add pull_policy: always to your docker-compose.yml:

services:
  hytale:
    image: ghcr.io/terkea/hytale-server:latest
    pull_policy: always  # Always check for image updates
    # ... rest of config

With this setting, docker compose up -d will automatically pull newer images without needing docker compose pull first.

Force Update (Cache Issues)

If docker compose pull says “Image is up to date” but you know there’s a newer version:

# Stop container
docker compose down

# Remove the cached image
docker rmi ghcr.io/terkea/hytale-server:latest

# Pull fresh and start
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Building Locally (Developers)

If you cloned the repository and build locally:

# Stop container
docker compose down

# Pull latest code
git pull

# Rebuild without cache
docker compose build --no-cache

# Start with new image
docker compose up -d

Or as a single command:

docker compose down && git pull && docker compose build --no-cache && docker compose up -d

Version Pinning

For production stability, you may want to pin to a specific version instead of :latest:

services:
  hytale:
    image: ghcr.io/terkea/hytale-server:v1.2.0  # Pin to specific version

Check the releases page for available versions.

What Gets Updated

Update Type	What Changes	Data Preserved
Game Update	`HytaleServer.jar`, `Assets.zip`	Worlds, config, credentials
Image Update	Container scripts, Java version	All `/data` volume contents

Your world data, configuration, and credentials are stored in the /data volume and are never deleted during updates.

Checking Versions

Current Game Version

Check the logs during startup:

docker logs hytale-server | grep "version"

Current Image Version

docker inspect hytale-server --format ''
docker images ghcr.io/terkea/hytale-server

Check for Available Updates

# Check if a newer image exists (without pulling)
docker pull --dry-run ghcr.io/terkea/hytale-server:latest