Pterodactyl Resource Limits Explained
Understand how Pterodactyl resource limits for CPU, memory, disk, and swap work so you can size game servers correctly and prevent overallocation.
How Pterodactyl Manages Resources
Every server you create in Pterodactyl gets its own Docker container with cgroup-enforced ceilings. Understanding pterodactyl resource limits helps you avoid overloading nodes and keeps each server running smoothly. The four main limits are CPU, memory, disk, and swap.
CPU Limits
CPU is measured in percentages where 100% equals one full core. A four-core node offers 400% total. Pterodactyl resource limits for CPU are soft by default, meaning a server can burst above its allocation if the host has idle cycles. You can pin a server to specific cores using the CPU pinning field, which is useful for latency-sensitive workloads like Minecraft.
Memory and Swap
Memory is set in megabytes. If a container exceeds its memory limit, the OOM killer terminates the main process and Pterodactyl marks the server as crashed. Swap adds overflow space on disk. Setting swap to -1 gives unlimited swap (not recommended), 0 disables it, and any positive number adds that many megabytes.
Disk
Disk limits cap the total file size inside the container's /home/container directory. Wings checks disk usage periodically and suspends the server if it exceeds the limit. Backups stored through the panel do not count toward this quota.
Allocation Planning
| Server Type | CPU (%) | RAM (MB) | Disk (MB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla Minecraft (10 players) | 200 | 2048 | 5000 |
| Modded Minecraft (10 players) | 300 | 6144 | 15000 |
| Proxy (BungeeCord/Velocity) | 100 | 512 | 1000 |
| Discord Bot | 50 | 256 | 500 |
Overallocation
Pterodactyl lets you overallocate memory and disk at the node level. This means you can sell more resources than the node physically has, banking on not every server peaking at the same time. Overallocation is expressed as a percentage above 100. We recommend no more than 120% for memory on game server nodes, and 0% (no overallocation) for mission-critical workloads.
Monitoring Usage
The panel dashboard shows live CPU and memory graphs per server. If a server consistently hits its pterodactyl resource limits ceiling, consider bumping its allocation or moving it to a node with more headroom. For automated responses to high usage, explore Pterodactyl schedules to restart servers on a timer.
Skip the panel setup entirely. Astroworld Hosting comes with a full Pterodactyl panel, file manager, console, and scheduling on every plan.
Properly tuned pterodactyl resource limits keep your nodes healthy and your players happy.