Michael Krause
a3cce08f25
Extensions planned: 1. Bulk Actions - Multi-server management 2. Automated Backups - Data protection + disaster recovery 3. Discord Integration - Community self-service 4. Analytics Dashboard - Fire vs Frost tracking 5. Paymenter Integration - Subscription automation Deployment after Phase 0.5 completion (Services 1-5 done) Estimated 4 weeks implementation, saves 10+ hours/week ongoing Complete cost analysis and risk mitigation documented Updated TASKS.md to reference Phase 0.6
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Pterodactyl Extensions Deployment Plan
Created: February 9, 2026
Purpose: Automation and quality-of-life improvements for 15+ server management
Priority: Deploy after Phase 0.5 completion (Services 1-5)
Status: Planning phase
Overview
Pterodactyl Panel extensions to reduce manual workload, improve community experience, and enable Fire vs Frost competitive tracking. All extensions focused on accessibility (reducing repetitive tasks for hands-limited operation).
Extension 1: Pterodactyl-Discord Integration
Priority: HIGH (deploy first)
Impact: Massive time savings for Meg (The Emissary)
Complexity: Medium
Features
- Auto-post server status updates to Discord channels
- Player-initiated commands (start/stop/restart) from Discord
- Real-time player counts in channel names/topics
- Automated restart/maintenance notifications
- Per-server webhook configuration
Benefits
- Reduces "is the server down?" DMs to staff
- Community self-service (players restart servers themselves within limits)
- Perfect integration with 15 server-specific Discord channels
- Real-time status visibility for all players
Technical Requirements
- Discord bot application created
- Webhook URLs per server (15 webhooks total)
- Permission management (who can restart, who can just view)
- Rate limiting to prevent abuse
Installation Steps
- Create Discord bot application
- Install Pterodactyl-Discord plugin
- Configure webhooks per server
- Set permission levels per Discord role
- Test with one server before rollout
- Deploy to all 15 servers
Configuration Notes
- Fire Path servers get Fire-themed bot messages
- Frost Path servers get Frost-themed bot messages
- Founder-only commands available in Nexus channels
Extension 2: Automated Backups System
Priority: HIGH (deploy first)
Impact: Critical data protection + peace of mind
Complexity: Medium
Features
- Scheduled backups per server (daily, weekly, custom)
- Retention policies (7 days, 30 days, forever)
- One-click restore from panel
- Off-site backup storage (S3, FTP, or local NAS)
- Backup compression and encryption
- Backup status monitoring
Benefits
- Automated protection against data loss
- No manual backup management (saves hands)
- Quick disaster recovery
- Player trust (data is safe)
- Compliance ready (can prove backups exist)
Technical Requirements
- Backup storage location (recommend S3 or Backblaze B2)
- Storage capacity planning (15 servers × backup size × retention)
- Backup schedule staggering (don't backup all 15 at once)
- Monitoring integration (alert if backup fails)
Installation Steps
- Set up backup storage (S3 bucket or equivalent)
- Install Pterodactyl Backups addon
- Configure storage credentials
- Set backup schedules per server
- Test restore procedure
- Document restore process for team
- Configure backup failure alerts
Backup Schedule Recommendation
- Critical servers (high player count): Daily backups, 30-day retention
- Standard servers: Daily backups, 7-day retention
- Test/development servers: Weekly backups, 7-day retention
- Off-site replication: Weekly full backups to separate provider
Extension 3: Paymenter-Pterodactyl Integration
Priority: MEDIUM (deploy before subscription launch)
Impact: Zero-touch subscription management
Complexity: High
Features
- Auto-provision server access on subscription purchase
- Auto-suspend servers on payment failure (with grace period)
- Auto-adjust resource limits on tier upgrade/downgrade
- Auto-archive servers on subscription cancellation
- Subscription status sync (active, suspended, cancelled)
Benefits
- No manual server provisioning (saves massive time)
- Fire vs Frost tier enforcement automated
- Payment failures handled automatically
- Can sleep while subscriptions process
- Reduces billing disputes (automated = consistent)
Technical Requirements
- Paymenter API access configured
- Pterodactyl API access configured
- Webhook endpoint for payment events
- Grace period configuration (7 days before suspension?)
- Tier-to-resource mapping defined
Tier Resource Mapping
The Awakened ($1):
- Access to all servers (no special resources)
Fire/Frost Elemental ($5):
- 1 home location set per server
- Priority queue position
- Path-specific channels unlocked
Fire/Frost Knight ($10):
- 2 home locations per server
- Higher priority queue
- /fly on non-PvP servers
Fire/Frost Master ($15):
- 3 home locations
- Highest priority queue
- Custom nickname colors
- Access to creative plots
Fire/Frost Legend ($20):
- 5 home locations
- Instant queue entry
- Custom particle effects
- Early access to new servers
Founder ($499 lifetime):
- Unlimited homes
- Both Fire and Frost access
- All perks from both paths
- Beta server access
Installation Steps
- Document tier-to-permission mappings (work with LuckPerms)
- Install Paymenter-Pterodactyl bridge plugin
- Configure API credentials both directions
- Set up webhook listeners
- Configure grace periods and suspension rules
- Test with dummy subscription (full lifecycle)
- Monitor first 10 real subscriptions manually
- Enable full automation after validation
Extension 4: Pterodactyl Analytics Dashboard
Priority: MEDIUM (deploy after subscriptions active)
Impact: Data-driven decisions, Fire vs Frost metrics
Complexity: Medium
Features
- CPU/RAM/Disk usage graphs per server
- Player count trends over time
- Peak hours identification
- Most popular servers ranking
- Resource allocation recommendations
- Fire vs Frost path popularity comparison
Benefits
- See which servers need resource upgrades
- Fire vs Frost competition tracking (who's winning?)
- Identify underutilized servers (candidates for shutdown)
- Capacity planning for growth
- Performance optimization opportunities
Technical Requirements
- Time-series database (InfluxDB or similar)
- Data collection agents on each node
- Dashboard framework (Grafana or custom)
- Historical data retention policy
Metrics to Track
Per Server:
- CPU usage (average, peak)
- RAM usage (average, peak)
- Disk usage and growth rate
- Player count (current, average, peak)
- Uptime percentage
- Restart frequency
Fire vs Frost Comparison:
- Total players per path
- Average session duration per path
- Server popularity rankings per path
- Subscription tier distribution per path
- Revenue attribution per path (for the competition!)
Dashboard Views
- Executive Dashboard - High-level overview, Fire vs Frost scores
- Operations Dashboard - Server health, alerts, resource usage
- Community Dashboard - Player counts, popular servers, trends
- Financial Dashboard - Subscription metrics, revenue per path
Installation Steps
- Install time-series database (InfluxDB)
- Deploy data collection agents to TX1 and NC1
- Install analytics dashboard plugin
- Configure dashboards and widgets
- Set up automated reports (weekly email to Michael/Meg)
- Create public status page (transparency for community)
Extension 5: Multi-Server Management (Bulk Actions)
Priority: HIGH (deploy early)
Impact: Massive time savings for hands-limited operation
Complexity: Low to Medium
Features
- Restart ALL servers in one click
- Update ALL mods across servers simultaneously
- Broadcast message to ALL servers at once
- Batch configuration changes (MOTD, rules, etc.)
- Selective bulk actions (all Fire servers, all Frost servers, etc.)
Benefits
- 15 servers = 1 action instead of 15
- Critical for emergency maintenance
- Mod updates across network in minutes
- Consistent configuration across servers
- Saves hands from repetitive clicking
Use Cases
Emergency Maintenance:
- Network-wide restart for host maintenance
- Emergency security patch deployment
- Broadcast warning before scheduled downtime
Regular Operations:
- Mod updates for modpacks (ATM10 updates all instances)
- Server configuration changes
- MOTD updates for events
- Rule changes across network
Fire vs Frost Events:
- Broadcast event announcements to Fire path only
- Broadcast event announcements to Frost path only
- Special events affecting all servers
Technical Requirements
- Pterodactyl API access
- Server grouping/tagging capability
- Action queuing (don't overwhelm nodes)
- Rollback capability if bulk action fails
Installation Steps
- Install bulk actions plugin or create API scripts
- Configure server groups (Fire, Frost, All, Test)
- Set up action templates (common tasks)
- Create safety confirmations (prevent accidents)
- Test with non-critical actions first
- Document common bulk action workflows
- Train Meg on bulk operations
Server Groups
- All Servers - Every game server (15 total)
- Fire Path - Servers themed for Fire path players
- Frost Path - Servers themed for Frost path players
- High Priority - Most popular servers (careful restarts)
- Test Servers - Safe to break, test updates here first
- TX1 Servers - All servers on Dallas node
- NC1 Servers - All servers on Charlotte node
Deployment Timeline
Phase 0.6: Extension Preparation (After Phase 0.5 complete)
- Research and documentation for all 5 extensions
- Create installation guides
- Test in isolated environment
Phase 0.7: Core Extensions Deployment
Week 1:
- Extension 5: Bulk Actions (fastest, highest immediate impact)
- Extension 2: Automated Backups (critical protection)
Week 2: 3. Extension 1: Discord Integration (Meg will love this)
Phase 0.8: Advanced Extensions
Week 3: 4. Extension 4: Analytics Dashboard (data-driven decisions)
Week 4: 5. Extension 3: Paymenter Integration (before subscription launch)
Success Metrics
Extension 1: Discord Integration
- ✅ 80% reduction in "is server down?" DMs
- ✅ Player-initiated restarts functioning
- ✅ Real-time player counts visible in channels
Extension 2: Automated Backups
- ✅ 100% daily backup success rate
- ✅ Successful restore test completed
- ✅ Off-site replication confirmed
Extension 3: Paymenter Integration
- ✅ Zero manual server provisioning required
- ✅ Suspension automation working (tested with expired test subscription)
- ✅ Tier upgrades processing automatically
Extension 4: Analytics Dashboard
- ✅ Fire vs Frost popularity tracked weekly
- ✅ Resource optimization recommendations generated
- ✅ Public status page live
Extension 5: Bulk Actions
- ✅ Network-wide restarts complete in <5 minutes
- ✅ Mod updates deployed to all servers in one action
- ✅ No failed bulk operations after initial testing
Cost Analysis
Extension 1: Discord Integration
Cost: Free (community plugin)
Time Investment: 8-10 hours setup + configuration
Extension 2: Automated Backups
Cost: $5-20/month (S3 storage for 15 servers)
Time Investment: 6-8 hours setup + testing
Extension 3: Paymenter Integration
Cost: Free (API-based)
Time Investment: 12-16 hours (complex mapping and testing)
Extension 4: Analytics Dashboard
Cost: Free (self-hosted Grafana) or $10-30/month (hosted)
Time Investment: 10-12 hours dashboard creation
Extension 5: Bulk Actions
Cost: Free (API scripts or community plugin)
Time Investment: 4-6 hours setup + documentation
Total Estimated Cost: $15-50/month (mostly backup storage)
Total Time Investment: 40-52 hours (spread over 4 weeks)
ROI: Saves 10+ hours/week ongoing (pays back in ~1 month)
Risk Mitigation
Risk: Bulk action accidentally affects production
Mitigation:
- Require confirmation for bulk actions
- Test on test servers first
- Implement rollback capability
- Limit bulk action permissions to Michael/Meg only
Risk: Backup failures go unnoticed
Mitigation:
- Daily backup status emails
- Integration with Uptime Kuma
- Weekly manual spot-check of random backup
- Quarterly full restore drill
Risk: Paymenter integration bugs cause service disruption
Mitigation:
- Extended testing period with dummy subscriptions
- Grace period before suspensions (7 days minimum)
- Manual override capability
- Detailed logging of all automated actions
Risk: Discord integration spammed by players
Mitigation:
- Rate limiting on bot commands
- Permission-based command access
- Cooldowns between restart requests
- Moderation logging
Risk: Analytics dashboard exposes sensitive data
Mitigation:
- Public dashboard shows only aggregated data
- Detailed metrics admin-only
- No player names or personal info in public view
- Revenue metrics completely private
Documentation Requirements
Each extension requires:
- Installation Guide - Step-by-step with screenshots
- Configuration Reference - All settings explained
- User Guide - For Meg and future staff
- Troubleshooting Guide - Common issues and solutions
- Maintenance Schedule - When to review/update
All documentation stored in BookStack after deployment.
Revision History
| Version | Date | Author | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2026-02-09 | Michael | Initial extension plan created. All 5 extensions scoped and prioritized. |
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