LinuxGSM

A command-line tool that installs, updates, monitors and backs up more than 100 kinds of dedicated game servers on Linux.

4.9k stars, 869 forks Shell On GitHub since August 2013

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

LinuxGSM at a glance

Open sourceYes, MITNo paid parts in the repository
Health71 of 100Actively developed
Self-hostingDocker imageSteps in the README
InterfaceEnglish onlyNo translation files found
Release rhythmEvery ~13 days6 releases in 12 months; latest v26.6.0

What is LinuxGSM?

LinuxGSM is a set of shell commands for running dedicated game servers on a Linux machine without a hosting provider. It covers over a hundred games, and each one gets the same toolkit: an installer, a monitor that checks the server is up, alerts, an updater, a backup command, a console and a summary of server details. Dependencies differ per game and are listed on the installation page for each server. The tool targets Ubuntu, Debian and CentOS; other distributions will probably work but are not fully tested.

Good fit if

  • You rent a VPS or keep a spare Linux box and want to host a game server for friends instead of paying a game hosting company.
  • You run servers for several different games and want one consistent set of commands for all of them.
  • You are comfortable in a terminal and prefer it to a web panel.

Look elsewhere if

  • You want a browser-based panel that lets several users manage servers: Pterodactyl.
  • You want to stream games from your own PC to other devices rather than host multiplayer servers: Sunshine.

Before you adopt it

LinuxGSM is MIT-licensed and contains no paid parts; the README asks for support through GitHub Sponsors and PayPal. The project has been developed since 2012 and is busy, with 174 commits in the last 90 days, but about nine in ten of them come from one developer. There is no Docker image or compose file in the repository; you install it directly on the host, following the per-game requirements.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 7 November 2026. Report a correction

How to run LinuxGSM yourself

One-click install

Not listed in the app catalogs of Umbrel, YunoHost, TrueNAS, Unraid, CasaOS, Runtipi, Proxmox VE Helper-Scripts and Coolify.

Ways to install

Docker files
None in the repository
Docker image
gameservermanagers/linuxgsm: 119k pulls · x86-64 · 330 MB downloadAlso ghcr.io/gameservermanagers/linuxgsm
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
English only

Install instructions: linuxgsm.com or the README on GitHub. Docker images and packages are checked weekly.

LinuxGSM health: is it still maintained?

71 of 100, actively developed

Release rhythmEvery ~13 days6 releases in 12 months; latest v26.6.0
Issue repliesNot measuredToo few recent issues from outside the team
Bus factorHigh riskThe most active of 7 authors wrote 83% of recent commits
  • Activity
    207 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 8 November 2026.
    28 / 30
  • Contributors
    7 people wrote the latest 100 commits; the most active wrote 83% of them.
    12 / 20
  • Releases
    6 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v26.6.0, on 8 November 2026.
    17 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Too few recent issues from outside the team to measure, so this part gets a neutral score.
    10 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 4.4 of 10.
    4 / 10

Read from GitHub on 12 November 2026. How the score works

LinuxGSM security

Security advisories are the vulnerabilities the maintainers disclosed on GitHub, with the versions that fix them; many advisories can mean careful disclosure as much as weak code. OpenSSF Scorecard checks how a project is developed and released: reviews, protected branches, pinned dependencies, signed releases. It does not audit the code itself.

Security advisoriesNone publishedNo advisories in the repository’s Security tab
OpenSSF Scorecard4.4 of 10How the project is built and released
Security policyNoNo SECURITY.md or similar

What each Scorecard check found

  • Binary files10 / 10No compiled binaries checked into the repository
  • Dangerous workflows10 / 10No risky patterns in GitHub Actions
  • Maintained10 / 10Steady commits and issue activity in the last 90 days
  • License file9 / 10A license file is present, but not where tools look for it
  • Branch protection3 / 10Rules on the main branch are partly enforced
  • Code review3 / 10Some changes are merged without review
  • Best-practices badge0 / 10No OpenSSF Best Practices badge
  • Fuzzing0 / 10No fuzz testing found
  • Pinned dependencies0 / 10Dependencies are not pinned to fixed versions
  • Security policy0 / 10No security policy
  • Static analysis0 / 10No static analysis found
  • Token permissions0 / 10CI tokens have broad write rights

Advisories read from GitHub on 12 November 2026. From the OpenSSF Scorecard of 9 November 2026; checks that do not apply to LinuxGSM are left out.

LinuxGSM license: is it open source?

LinuxGSM uses MIT, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. August 2013First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayMIT.

LinuxGSM for developers

Written in

  • Shell 99%
  • Python <1%

Getting involved

Contributing guideYesCONTRIBUTING.mdOpen issues174On GitHub
Authors, 90 days7Of the latest 100 commits
Donations2 waysGitHub Sponsors, Patreon

Language shares are GitHub’s count of the code in the repository.

Alternatives to LinuxGSM

  • PterodactylPterodactyl® is a free, open-source game server management panel built with PHP, React, and Go. Designed… 56 health · MIT · 9.5k stars
  • SunshineSelf-hosted game stream host for Moonlight. 84 health · GPL-3.0 · 43.3k stars
  • RomMA beautiful, powerful, self-hosted ROM manager and player. 74 health · AGPL-3.0 · 14.3k stars

All 7 projects in Games & game servers

Questions about LinuxGSM

Is LinuxGSM open source?

Yes. LinuxGSM is published under MIT, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is LinuxGSM still maintained?

Its health score is 71 of 100 (actively developed). It had 207 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 8 November 2026, and its latest release came out on 8 November 2026.

How do I run LinuxGSM?

You can run it with the Docker image gameservermanagers/linuxgsm. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What is LinuxGSM written in?

LinuxGSM is written mainly in Shell (99% of the code), by GitHub’s count of the repository.

What are the alternatives to LinuxGSM?

Close alternatives in the Games & game servers category include Pterodactyl, Sunshine, RomM.