Skip to main content

​
What is the Next.js Egg?

The Next.js Egg is a production-ready Pterodactyl/Pelican egg that lets you host any Next.js application directly from a Git repository. Instead of manually uploading build artifacts or SSHing into a server, you point the egg at your repo, set a handful of variables in the panel, and it handles the rest: cloning, dependency installation, building, and starting your app. It is designed for Pterodactyl Panel v1.x and Pelican Panel users who want a repeatable, panel-managed workflow for Next.js hosting.

​
Key capabilities

Git-based deployment

The egg clones your repository on first start and optionally pulls the latest commits on every subsequent start with AUTO_UPDATE=1.

Production & development modes

Set NODE_RUN_ENV to production to run next build + next start, or development to run next dev with hot-reload.

Private repository support

Authenticate with a GitHub or GitLab personal access token. The egg injects credentials into the clone URL automatically — you never embed secrets in the URL itself.

.env injection

Upload a .env.pterodactyl file via the panel File Manager and the egg copies it to .env before your app starts. No secrets in panel variables.

Package manager auto-detection

Set PACKAGE_MANAGER to auto and the egg inspects your lockfile: pnpm-lock.yaml → pnpm, yarn.lock → yarn, otherwise npm. You can also pin a specific manager.

Cloudflare Tunnel

Optionally provide a CLOUDFLARE_TOKEN and the egg starts a Cloudflare Tunnel alongside your app, exposing it through your Zero Trust dashboard without opening a port.

​
Requirements

Before you create a server with this egg, make sure the following are true:
  • You are running Pterodactyl Panel v1.x or Pelican Panel.
  • Your project has a valid package.json with next listed as a dependency.
  • Your next.config.js (or next.config.ts) does not hardcode a port number. The egg injects SERVER_PORT at runtime and passes it to next start/next dev via the -p flag.
The egg sets the SERVER_PORT environment variable to the port allocated by the panel. Your Next.js config should read the port dynamically (or omit it entirely, since the egg passes -p on the command line).

​
Supported Docker images

The egg ships with Node.js images ranging from 18 LTS to 25 (latest). Node.js 24 LTS is the recommended choice for production workloads.

​
Next steps

Installation

Import the egg JSON into your panel and create your first server.

Quick Start

Get your Next.js app running in minutes with the minimum required configuration.