Luanti

Self-Hosted

Open-source voxel game engine powering Minetest

Overview

Luanti is an open-source, cross-platform voxel game engine designed for flexible, moddable 3D games. It supports Lua scripting for customizing gameplay, assets, and worlds, and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and embedded systems. Lightweight and efficient, it enables self-hosted multiplayer servers, giving full control over game environments. Its open-source nature lets developers fork and modify the engine, making it ideal for indie devs and hobbyists building voxel-based games without proprietary constraints.

Self-Hosting Resources

Find Official Image on Docker Hub View Source & Docs

Below is a reference structure for docker-compose.yml. ⚠️ Do NOT run blindly. Replace placeholders with official values.

docker-compose.template.yml TEMPLATE


version: '3'
services:
  luanti:
    image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
    container_name: luanti
    ports:
      - "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Key Features

Lua-based modding for custom gameplay
Cross-platform compatibility (Windows/macOS/Linux)
Self-hostable multiplayer servers
Lightweight and resource-efficient design

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is Luanti hard to install?

Luanti is bundled with Minetest—install Minetest via official packages (Windows/macOS/Linux) or source code to access the engine. For self-hosting servers, use Minetest's server binaries or Docker images for simplified deployment.

? Is Luanti a good alternative to proprietary voxel engines?

Yes—its open-source flexibility makes it perfect for hobbyists/indie devs. While it lacks advanced features of Unity/Unreal, it excels at lightweight, moddable voxel games and self-hosted multiplayer experiences.

? Is Luanti completely free?

Yes—Luanti is licensed under LGPLv2.1+, so it’s free to use, modify, and distribute for personal or commercial projects with no hidden costs.

Top Alternatives

Unity (with voxel plugins) Search Google

Unreal Engine (voxel support) Search Google

Minecraft Java Edition Search Google

Tool Info

Pricing Free/Open Source

Category Games

Platform Self-Hosted

Pros

⊕ Open-source (fully modifiable engine)
⊕ No subscription or licensing fees
⊕ Extensive community-driven mod support
⊕ Low hardware requirements

Cons

⊖ Steeper learning curve for engine-level modifications
⊖ Less polished than commercial voxel engines
⊖ Smaller mainstream game library compared to proprietary alternatives