What Are Cores

Cores are portable snapshots of a game deployment: containers, volumes, templates, and specs wrapped up as a single JSON package.

A core is a portable snapshot of a game server deployment. It captures everything needed to run a game (containers, volumes, config templates, branch settings, and the deployment spec) in a single JSON package.

You use cores to:

  • Seed a new workspace: import a public core to get a working game in minutes instead of building from scratch

  • Share configurations: publish your cores so other brands can use them

  • Back up known-good setups: create a core before making risky changes

  • Replicate across environments: export from staging, import into production

Where to find cores

Two locations in the sidebar under Games:

  • My Cores (/mygames/cores): cores you have created in your workspace

  • Browse Cores (/mygames/cores/browse): public cores shared by other brands across the platform

Core anatomy

A core bundles these layers:

  • Game: name, player counts, memory/CPU limits, supported platforms, FTP settings

  • Branch: platform, RCON adapter, data source (CDN), mod provider

  • Template Set: config file templates plus their fields

  • Storage: PVCs and ephemeral volumes

  • Containers: images, env vars, volume mounts, ports, resource limits

  • Deployment Spec: resource type, port/env mappings, node selectors

  • Log Files: tracked file paths for the server console

Every core has a coreVersion that identifies the schema version used when exporting.

Creating a core

Cores are always created from an existing deployment spec.

  1. Go to Games > Games and open any game

  2. Navigate to the Deployment tab

  3. Click Create Core on the deployment spec you want to snapshot

  4. Give the core a name and optional description

  5. Click Create Core

PingCore walks the spec's dependencies and packages them. The resulting core lands in My Cores, private by default.

Requires the cores.create permission.

Publishing a core

Make a core public so other brands can import it:

  1. Go to Games > My Cores

  2. Click the globe icon on any private core

  3. Confirm in the dialog

Public cores appear in every workspace's Browse Cores page. Switch back to private at any time with the same button. The core stops appearing for other brands, but any brand that already imported it keeps their copy.

Requires cores.set-public. Public cores reference the container images and CDN sources used in the snapshot. If those resources are private, importing brands will see warnings (see below).

Importing a core

Two ways to start an import:

  • From Browse Cores: click the upload icon next to a public core

  • From My Cores: click the upload icon to re-import one of your own cores

  • Manually paste JSON: go to Browse Cores > Import Core and paste the JSON from a file or another source

The import flow has two steps:

  1. Paste / load: PingCore validates that the JSON has a coreVersion and a game.name

  2. Preview: visual breakdown of what will be created, plus warnings for any unavailable resources

Click Import Core to commit. You are redirected to the new game's overview page.

Requires cores.import.

Partial imports

During the preview step, PingCore checks that every container image and CDN source referenced by the core is still available to your brand. If any are missing or private, you see a Partial import warning listing exactly what's affected.

When you confirm a partial import:

  • Layers with missing container images are skipped. The game, branch, template set, and storage are still created, but the containers and deployment spec are not.

  • If the CDN source is missing or private, the branch is imported with no data source. You can attach one manually afterwards.

Partial imports give you a head start. You get most of the configuration for free and only need to rebuild the missing pieces.

Managing existing cores

On the My Cores page, each row has action icons:

  • View: open the full core JSON in a read-only editor (copy to clipboard supported)

  • Import: re-import the core into your workspace as a new game

  • Toggle Public / Private: change visibility

  • Rename: change the display name

  • Delete: remove permanently (cannot be undone)

Deleting a core does not affect any games that were previously imported from it. The imported game remains in your workspace.

Permissions

  • cores.view: see the My Cores list and view core JSON

  • cores.browse-public: browse and view public cores from other brands

  • cores.create: create and rename cores from deployment specs

  • cores.delete: delete cores

  • cores.import: import any core (public or your own) as a new game

  • cores.set-public: toggle public visibility

Brand owners have all of these automatically.