The easiest and recommended way to run the TeamSpeak 6 Server is with Docker. It provides an isolated, portable, and easily manageable environment, making setup and maintenance straightforward.
Prerequisites Before you begin, ensure you have Docker installed on your system:
Installation Methods Docker Run
Docker Compose
Quick Start with docker run For a quick start, you can use the docker run command. This method is ideal for testing or simple deployments.
Run the TeamSpeak 6 Server container
Execute the following command to start the server in detached mode: docker run -d \ --name teamspeak-server \ -p 9987:9987/udp \ -p 30033:30033 \ -e TSSERVER_LICENSE_ACCEPTED=accept \ -v teamspeak-data:/var/tsserver/ \ teamspeaksystems/teamspeak6-server:latest
The -d flag runs the container in detached mode (background). The volume teamspeak-data will persist your server data.
Retrieve the ServerAdmin privilege key
After starting the container, check the logs to get your ServerAdmin privilege key: docker logs -f teamspeak-server
Look for a line containing the ServerAdmin privilege key. Save this key securely - you’ll need it to configure your server. The ServerAdmin privilege key is only shown once in the logs during the first startup. Make sure to save it immediately.
Verify the server is running
Check that the container is running: docker ps | grep teamspeak-server
You should see the container listed with status “Up”. Managing the Container Use these commands to manage your TeamSpeak 6 Server container: Stop
Start
Restart
View Logs
Remove Container
docker stop teamspeak-server
Removing the container does NOT delete your data. The data is stored in the teamspeak-data volume. To permanently delete all server data, you must also remove the volume: docker volume rm teamspeak-data
Recommended: Docker Compose For persistent setups and production environments, Docker Compose is recommended. It provides better configuration management and easier deployment.
Choose your database backend
TeamSpeak 6 Server supports two database backends:
SQLite (default) - Best for small to medium servers, simpler setupMariaDB - Better for larger servers with high traffic, requires separate database container Choose the configuration that best fits your needs below.
Create a docker-compose.yaml file
SQLite (Simple)
MariaDB (Advanced)
Create a docker-compose.yaml file with the following content: services : teamspeak : image : teamspeaksystems/teamspeak6-server:latest container_name : teamspeak-server restart : unless-stopped ports : - "9987:9987/udp" # Default voice port - "30033:30033/tcp" # File transfer port # - "10022:10022/tcp" # (Optional) ServerQuery SSH port # - "10080:10080/tcp" # (Optional) WebQuery port environment : - TSSERVER_LICENSE_ACCEPTED=accept - TSSERVER_DEFAULT_PORT=9987 - TSSERVER_VOICE_IP=0.0.0.0 - TSSERVER_FILE_TRANSFER_PORT=30033 - TSSERVER_FILE_TRANSFER_IP=0.0.0.0 # - TSSERVER_QUERY_HTTP_ENABLED=true # - TSSERVER_QUERY_SSH_ENABLED=false # - TSSERVER_MACHINE_ID=my_unique_machine_id # - TSSERVER_LOG_PATH=/var/tsserver/logs # - TSSERVER_QUERY_ADMIN_PASSWORD=secretpassword volumes : - teamspeak-data:/var/tsserver volumes : teamspeak-data : name : teamspeak-data
SQLite is the default database and requires no additional configuration. It’s perfect for most use cases.
Create a docker-compose.yaml file with the following content: services : teamspeak : image : teamspeaksystems/teamspeak6-server:latest container_name : teamspeak-server restart : unless-stopped ports : - "9987:9987/udp" # Default voice port - "30033:30033/tcp" # File transfer port # - "10080:10080/tcp" # WebQuery port # - "10022:10022/tcp" # SSHQuery port environment : - TSSERVER_LICENSE_ACCEPTED=accept - TSSERVER_DEFAULT_PORT=9987 - TSSERVER_VOICE_IP=0.0.0.0 - TSSERVER_FILE_TRANSFER_PORT=30033 - TSSERVER_FILE_TRANSFER_IP=0.0.0.0 # - TSSERVER_QUERY_HTTP_ENABLED=true # - TSSERVER_QUERY_SSH_ENABLED=true # Database settings - TSSERVER_DATABASE_PLUGIN=mariadb - TSSERVER_DATABASE_SQL_CREATE_PATH=create_mariadb - TSSERVER_DATABASE_HOST=mariadb - TSSERVER_DATABASE_PORT=3306 - TSSERVER_DATABASE_NAME=teamspeak - TSSERVER_DATABASE_USERNAME=teamspeak - TSSERVER_DATABASE_PASSWORD=YourPasswordHere volumes : - teamspeak-data:/var/tsserver depends_on : mariadb : condition : service_healthy mariadb : image : mariadb:latest container_name : mariadb environment : - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=SuperSecretPassword - MYSQL_DATABASE=teamspeak - MYSQL_USER=teamspeak - MYSQL_PASSWORD=YourPasswordHere volumes : - mariadb-data:/var/lib/mysql restart : unless-stopped healthcheck : test : [ "CMD" , "healthcheck.sh" , "--connect" , "--innodb_initialized" ] start_period : 10s interval : 10s timeout : 5s retries : 3 volumes : teamspeak-data : name : teamspeak-data mariadb-data : name : mariadb-data
Change the passwords! Replace YourPasswordHere and SuperSecretPassword with strong, unique passwords before deploying.
Start the server
Run the following command in the directory containing your docker-compose.yaml file: The -d flag runs the services in detached mode (background).
Retrieve the ServerAdmin privilege key
View the logs to get your ServerAdmin privilege key: docker compose logs -f teamspeak
Save the ServerAdmin privilege key that appears in the logs during the first startup.
Verify the server is running
Check the status of your services: All services should show as “Up” or “healthy”. Managing with Docker Compose Stop
Start
Restart
View Logs
Stop and Remove
Running docker compose down removes the containers but keeps your data volumes intact.
Port Configuration The TeamSpeak 6 Server uses the following ports:
Port Protocol Purpose Required 9987 UDP Voice communication Yes 30033 TCP File transfers Yes 10080 TCP WebQuery (HTTP) Optional 10022 TCP ServerQuery (SSH) Optional
Important for Docker: When using file transfers, ensure that the internal container port matches the external host port. File transfers rely on clients connecting directly to this port - mismatches will cause connectivity issues.For example, if you map -p 30033:30033, the server will work correctly. But if you map -p 31000:30033, file transfers will fail.
Verification Steps After installation, verify your server is working correctly:
Check container status
docker ps | grep teamspeak-server
The container should be in “Up” status.
Test network connectivity
Verify the ports are accessible: # Check if voice port is listening nc -uz localhost 9987 # Check if file transfer port is listening nc -z localhost 30033
You may need to install netcat (nc) if it’s not already available on your system.
Connect with TeamSpeak 6 Client
Download the TeamSpeak 6 Client
Open the client and connect to your server using:
Address: Your server’s IP or domainPort: 9987 (or your custom port)
Use the ServerAdmin privilege key from the logs to gain admin access
Environment Variables You can customize your server using environment variables. Here are the most commonly used ones:
Variable Description Default TSSERVER_LICENSE_ACCEPTEDAccept the server license (required) - TSSERVER_DEFAULT_PORTUDP voice port for the server 9987 TSSERVER_FILE_TRANSFER_PORTTCP port for file transfers 30033 TSSERVER_VOICE_IPIP address to bind voice port to 0.0.0.0 TSSERVER_FILE_TRANSFER_IPIP address to bind file transfer port to 0.0.0.0 TSSERVER_QUERY_HTTP_ENABLEDEnable WebQuery (HTTP) interface false TSSERVER_QUERY_SSH_ENABLEDEnable ServerQuery (SSH) interface false TSSERVER_QUERY_ADMIN_PASSWORDSet a custom serveradmin password - TSSERVER_DATABASE_PLUGINDatabase backend (sqlite3 or mariadb) sqlite3
For a complete list of configuration options, see the Configuration documentation.
Troubleshooting
Container exits immediately
Cannot connect to the server
Verify the container is running: docker ps
Check if ports are properly mapped: docker port teamspeak-server
Ensure your firewall allows connections on ports 9987/udp and 30033/tcp
Verify you’re using the correct server address and port
File transfers not working
Ensure the file transfer port mapping is correct. The internal and external ports must match: # Correct -p 30033:30033 # Incorrect - will cause file transfer issues -p 31000:30033
Lost ServerAdmin privilege key
If you lost your ServerAdmin key, you can set a custom password using: -e TSSERVER_QUERY_ADMIN_PASSWORD=your_password
Then restart the container and use the ServerQuery interface to generate a new privilege key. Next Steps
Configuration Learn how to customize your server settings
Server Management Manage your server and virtual instances