Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Find answers to common questions about setup, configuration, and troubleshooting in PteroCA.
1. How does PteroCA work?
PteroCA (short for Pterodactyl Client Area) is a standalone hosting management panel that connects directly to your Pterodactyl panel through its API. It acts as the frontend system for your clients — handling registration, authentication, server rental, payments, and automated provisioning.
The workflow looks like this:
A customer visits your website and selects a product or server plan.
PteroCA automatically creates a matching user account in Pterodactyl.
When the customer completes payment, PteroCA creates the server in Pterodactyl and links it to their account.
The customer then manages their server entirely through the PteroCA panel (start, stop, reinstall, console, etc.).
If the customer doesn’t renew on time, PteroCA automatically suspends and later deletes the server according to your billing settings.
2. What does the name “PteroCA” mean?
The name PteroCA comes from:
“Ptero” → referring to Pterodactyl, the open-source game server management panel that PteroCA integrates with.
“CA” → meaning Client Area, the interface where your customers manage their services.
So, PteroCA = Pterodactyl Client Area — a bridge between your users and your Pterodactyl infrastructure.
3. Does it handle user management, payments, and automatic server allocation?
Yes — that’s exactly what PteroCA is built for. It acts as the user system, billing system, and server provisioning layer on top of Pterodactyl.
In other words:
It replaces the need for a separate billing or client panel (like WHMCS or Blesta).
It automatically manages user accounts and server creation in Pterodactyl.
It handles payments and renewals based on your pricing configuration.
Think of PteroCA as the “CtrlPanel++” style system — but fully open-source, Symfony-based, and integrated directly with your Pterodactyl setup.
4. What payment methods are supported?
At this stage, PteroCA (v0.5.x) natively supports Stripe for payments and renewals. Customers can pay using credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, or Google Pay through Stripe Checkout.
In future versions (v0.6+), PteroCA will introduce a plugin system, which will allow developers and hosting providers to add custom payment gateways (e.g., PayPal, Mollie, Coinbase, etc.) directly as plugins.
5. What is the PteroCA Plugin for Pterodactyl?
The PteroCA Plugin is a small integration package installed directly inside your Pterodactyl panel. It’s required for full synchronization between both systems.
It allows PteroCA to:
Automatically create user API keys in Pterodactyl when a user registers in PteroCA,
Keep account and access data synchronized between both panels,
Securely communicate between the systems during server provisioning and management.
Installation takes only one command. You can read more about the plugin here.
6. Is PteroCA similar to CtrlPanel or other client systems?
Conceptually, yes — it serves a similar purpose as panels like CtrlPanel, Dashactyl, or WISP Client Area, but:
it’s built from scratch using Symfony 7 / PHP 8.x,
fully open-source under the MIT license,
and designed for scalability, transparency, and community-driven development.
Unlike closed panels, you can host it yourself, modify the code, and contribute improvements.
7. How is PteroCA built?
PteroCA is developed on the Symfony 7 framework with EasyAdmin for administration. It communicates with Pterodactyl via API for:
user synchronization,
server creation and management,
suspension, deletion, and renewal automation.
Both the client area and admin area are rendered using Twig templates, which makes customization straightforward.
8. Is there a demo available?
Yes! You can explore the panel by visiting our demo: https://demo.pteroca.com/
9. Where can I find project updates?
Project updates and release notes are published in several places:
On the GitHub Releases page.
On our Discord server under the
#announcementschannel.In the Admin Area of your PteroCA panel, where you can check if a new version is available.
10. Is PteroCA free to use?
Yes! PteroCA is fully open-source and free to use under the MIT License. You are free to modify, self-host, and customize it according to your needs.
11. Can I contribute to the project?
Absolutely! You can:
Contribute code or translations via GitHub Pull Requests.
Help expand the documentation.
Join our developer community on Discord and discuss ideas or improvements.
All contributions are welcome and appreciated ❤️
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