How to Install and Configure Pterodactyl Wings – Full Guide (2025)

Pterodactyl Wings is the game server daemon responsible for running and managing game instances on your VPS. This guide will walk you through installing and configuring Wings to work with your Pterodactyl Panel, ensuring seamless game server management.

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📌 Requirements

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A Linux VPS (Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04 recommended)
• Pterodactyl Panel installed and running
• Root or sudo access
• Docker installed
• A domain/subdomain pointing to your VPS (optional but recommended)

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⚙️ Step 1: Update Your System

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

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🛠 Step 2: Install Dependencies

Wings requires Docker and other essential packages. Install them with:

sudo apt install -y curl unzip tar

Then, install Docker:

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Verify Docker is installed:

docker -v

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🛡️ Step 3: Install Pterodactyl Wings

Download and install the Wings Daemon:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/pterodactyl
cd /etc/pterodactyl
sudo curl -Lo wings https://github.com/pterodactyl/wings/releases/latest/download/wings_linux_amd64
sudo chmod +x wings

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🏢 Step 4: Configure Wings

Generate a Wings Configuration from your Pterodactyl Panel:

1. Go to Admin Panel > Nodes
2. Click Create Node
3. Set IP Address and FQDN (your domain or IP)
4. Copy the Configuration File

Then, create the Wings config file:

sudo nano /etc/pterodactyl/config.yml

Paste the configuration from the panel and save the file.

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🛡️ Step 5: Enable & Start Wings

Now, create a systemd service for Wings:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/wings.service

Paste the following:

[Unit]
Description=Pterodactyl Wings Daemon
After=docker.service
Requires=docker.service

[Service]
User=root
WorkingDirectory=/etc/pterodactyl
LimitNOFILE=4096
PIDFile=/var/run/wings.pid
ExecStart=/etc/pterodactyl/wings
Restart=on-failure
StartLimitInterval=180
StartLimitBurst=30

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save and exit, then reload systemd:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now wings

Check if Wings is running:

sudo systemctl status wings

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🌐 Step 6: Verify Connection with the Panel

Go to Pterodactyl Panel > Nodes and check if your Wings node is online. If it shows as connected, you’re all set!

If you run into issues, check the logs:

sudo journalctl -u wings --no-pager -n 50

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✅ You’re Done!

Your Wings daemon is now installed and connected to your Pterodactyl Panel. You can now start deploying game servers!

Would you like a guide on setting up game servers within Pterodactyl? Let me know! 🚀