GameAP is a free, open-source, self-hosted web panel for installing, configuring and monitoring game servers such as Minecraft, Counter-Strike 2, Rust and Grand Theft Auto V.
Its roots trace to a PHP-based panel started around 2013-2014 by developer et-nik; the modern GameAP is a full Go rewrite distributed under the MIT licence, positioned as an alternative to Pterodactyl and Pelican.
Key Features
GameAP runs as a native binary without requiring containers, supporting thousands of servers per node with a REST API, WebSocket events, a file manager and an RCON-based remote console.
A WebAssembly plugin architecture lets developers extend the panel in Go, Rust, C++, Python or any WASM-compilable language, alongside granular per-server user permissions and a task scheduler for automated maintenance.
Pricing
GameAP is completely free under the MIT licence, with no tiers, seat limits, or feature gating; source code can be freely modified and redistributed, including commercially by hosting providers.
The only costs are the server hardware GameAP runs on. Development is community-supported through GitHub contributions and an optional Patreon page.
Key Features
Web-based server management — Install, start, stop and restart game servers from a browser dashboard.
Remote console access — Send RCON commands and view live console output without needing SSH access.
Built-in file manager — Edit server files and extract archives directly from the web interface.
Task scheduler — Automates restarts, updates and backups on daily, hourly or custom intervals.
Granular per-server permissions — Assigns fine-grained user access controls on a per-server basis.
REST API and WebSocket events — Provides documented API access and real-time events for building custom integrations.
WASM plugin architecture — Extends the panel using Go, Rust, C++, Python or any WASM-compilable language.
Multi-database support — Works with PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite or an in-memory database backend.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Completely free and open source under the permissive MIT license
Very lightweight; runs as a native binary without Docker overhead
Flexible WASM-based plugin architecture supporting multiple languages
Cross-platform support for Linux, Windows Server and macOS
Active development with frequent releases on GitHub
Cons
Smaller community and GitHub star count than newer competitors like Pterodactyl or Pelican
Documentation and community support historically skew toward Russian-language and Eastern European users
No official managed or hosted cloud version; self-hosting is required
Initial setup involving panel, daemon and gRPC communication is more involved than a fully managed alternative
Pricing
Self-Hosted (Open Source) Free N/A
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GameAP free?
Yes, GameAP is released under the MIT license and is free to download, run, and modify, including for commercial use.
What games does GameAP support?
GameAP supports many dedicated game servers including Minecraft, Counter-Strike 2, Rust and Grand Theft Auto V, among others configurable via its game definitions.
How is GameAP different from Pterodactyl?
GameAP runs as a native binary without requiring Docker containers, aiming for lower resource overhead, while Pterodactyl is built around per-server Docker containerization.
What tech stack powers GameAP?
GameAP's backend is written primarily in Go, its frontend uses Vue.js, and the panel communicates with a lightweight daemon over gRPC.
Can I extend GameAP with plugins?
Yes, GameAP supports a WebAssembly-based plugin system that lets developers write extensions in Go, Rust, C++, Python or other WASM-compilable languages.
Who maintains GameAP?
GameAP is maintained by an open-source community originally started by developer et-nik (Nikita Kuznetsov), with current development at the gameap organization on GitHub.