Server

A server provides a game environment for players to play multiplayer with others over the Internet or a local area network (LAN). Players are connected to a server using the Minecraft client software, and the server hosted using the server software, exists in Java Edition as server.jar and in Bedrock Edition as Bedrock Dedicated Server.

Archetypes

Multiple archetypes of Minecraft multiplayer servers exist, distinguished by the unique gameplay features, rules, and societal structures that they implement. Each server is unique from the others, and often, the line between archetypes is blurred or indistinguishable. Many special types of servers rely on the use of map editors or the Creative game mode to build custom maps, and some use modded server software to provide additional features outside the vanilla experience. Some of these servers are heavily competitive, involving player versus player (PvP) and unique gameplay aspects of minigames, or some just simply followed the base vanilla survival experience.

Common archetypes found in Minecraft servers may include:

• Survival, also known as Survival Multiplayer (SMP): Servers that follow the Survival mode progression. Player activities ranging from collecting resources, building bases and structures, fighting monsters, exploring the world, and reaching the End. They typically work together in order to complete some sort of objectives and reach some kind of progression. Players may also develop relationship and rivalry across different groups, such servers specialized in this field are faction servers.
• Creative: Servers that allow the freedom and control of the Creative mode. Players create and design elaborate buildings, ranging small-scale works from houses, bridges, pixel arts, player statues, to massive projects such as mansions, castles, towns, and cities. A common type of Creative server is plot servers, where players are given their own plot of lands which they can control, build, and destroy using Creative mode. They are limited only to their plots, which prevents griefing to other players' plots.
• Roleplay: Servers that are structured around narrative-driven interactions, in which players adopt fictional personas and engage in collaborative storytelling. These servers often establish original lore, scripted scenarios, and persistent worldbuilding, supported by custom maps, in-game voice support and custom content using mods, and multiple player hierarchies.
• Minigame: Servers that host multiple minigames where players compete with one another. These minigames are short games contained within Minecraft, having different gameplay elements from the main game itself. Popular minigames include spleef, capture the flag, sky wars, bed wars, and more. Usually, the last player standing wins a reward, often in the form of game currency, which lets players use and trade for cosmetics, kits, upgrades, and other types of unlockables. Players may also compete in the leaderboards, which show the top performing players of these minigames.
• Faction: Similar in concept to Survival servers, but players build organized groups and regularly play together as team, which are called factions. They typically partake in activities such as claiming lands, building bases, and farming mobs or items, while some compete and challenge other factions, such as faction wars, base raiding, player versus player (PvP), and other form of rivalries and relationships between factions.
• Anarchy: Servers that are dedicated to have no rules at all, allowing the freedom and usage of cheating and exploiting, which are prominent in these servers. Anarchy servers may also allow griefing, unmoderated user-generated contents, inappropriate language and behaviors which are frowned upon in the Minecraft community.
• Modded: Servers that provide a playing experience very different to the vanilla game (see Mod article).

Variants

Multiple variants of Minecraft server software exists, and each of them are used for different purposes and have varying level of setup and features.

• The default server software provides a stable environment for players to play a multiplayer game. Its provide free of charge by Mojang Studios for Windows, macOS, and Linux systems.
  • The Bedrock Edition equivalent is the Bedrock Dedicated Server software, available only on Windows and Linux systems.
• The game also provides an Open to LAN feature that turns your singleplayer world into a multiplayer server accessible to people on the local network. Servers using this feature automatically pop up on the server list without needing to specify the server address.
  • In Bedrock Edition, this feature is extended to the Xbox network. Players can join a singleplayer world if they are friend with the world owner on the Xbox network. The owner can also invite other people to join their world through Xbox.
• Minecraft Realms provides a multiplayer server similar to the default software. They are provided by Mojang Studios as a paid subscription-based server hosting service. Realms also provides additional features, such as automatic world backup, player management, and free minigame maps designed for multiplayer.
  • On the other side, Realms are limited in player slots. A realm server can only provide up to 10 players playing simultaneously in a multiplayer game. However, this does not apply to the realm's invite slots, e.g. a realm can have more than 10 players invited.

Related tutorials for setting up these kind of servers also exist, see Tutorials § Server setup.

Management

Servers are generally managed by administrators and operators. The administrator generally takes responsibility for the server. It may be that the server is running from their machine, or that they simply have jurisdiction over a server. Operators generally assist the administrators to moderate a server and to prevent unruly players and griefers. Both operators and administrators have access to various commands in order to ensure the smooth running of the server. On a default server, players are assigned as operator or administrator by using the /op <playername> command, or by editing the ops.json in the server directory, then restarting the server.

Servers do not strictly require access to Minecraft online services, and can be played on an isolated local network without Internet connection. They use Minecraft online services to fetch player skins and verify genuine Minecraft accounts, which prevents hackers and griefers from using false names while on such a server. These features can be configured by setting online-mode property in the server.properties.

The server saves the level in the "world" folder every 30 seconds if chunks have been modified by default.

Whitelist

Whitelist or allowlist‌ is a feature provided by the server that allows and blocks specific players from joining a multiplayer game. It works by checking UUIDs or XUID‌ of the players who have been whitelisted on a server. Its configured in whitelist.json or allowlist.json file inside the server.jar's working directory, and can be activated by setting white-list or allow-list server property.

Each entry in whitelist.json or allowlist.json is a JSON object identifying which players the server should allow access.

• [NBT List / JSON Array]: A list of objects.
  • [NBT Compound / JSON Object]: An object which contains profile of whitelisted players.
    • [String] uuid: The UUID of the player, in hyphenated hexadecimal format.‌
    • [String] xuid: The XUID of the player. XUID is the Xbox account identifier.‌
    • [String] name: The username of the player.
    • [Boolean] ignoresPlayerLimit: Whether this player can join the server even while the number of players online has reached the limit.‌ Equivalent to bypassesPlayerLimit on ops.json in Java Edition.

As well as manually editing the file, the command /whitelist can also be used by operators. When editing the file manually while the server is running, the command /whitelist reload needs to be used for the changes to take effect.

In Java Edition, server operators can always connect when the whitelist is active, even if their UUIDs do not appear in the whitelist. This differs from Bedrock Edition, where players must be whitelisted regardless of operator status.

In Java Edition servers with online-mode disabled, the whitelist checks against the offline UUID of players, converted from their usernames.

Operator list

In Java Edition, players' operator status are managed by the server in the ops.json file. Operators can execute commands, and their privileges allows control for certain aspects of the game, e.g. teleporting players, summoning entities, changing game modes, and more.

Each entry in ops.json is similar to whitelist, with uuid and name being the player's identifier.

• [NBT List / JSON Array]: A list of objects.
  • [NBT Compound / JSON Object]: An object which contains the operator's configuration.
    • [String] uuid: The UUID of the operator, in hyphenated hexadecimal format.
    • [String] name: The username of the operator.
    • [Int] level: The permission level of the operator, which may limit certain commands and abilities. By default, its specified by op-permission-level property.
    • [Boolean] bypassesPlayerLimit: Whether this player can join the server even while the number of players online has reached the limit set by the max-players property. Note that players with this setting still count toward the limit despite being exempt from join restrictions.

Commands /op and /deop can set a player's operator status.

Permission list

In Bedrock Edition, players' permissions are managed by the permissions.json file. The file contains a list of JSON objects with players' XUID and permission. Note that online-mode needs to be enabled for this feature to work since xuid requires online verification of the user account.

• [NBT List / JSON Array]: A list of objects.
  • [NBT Compound / JSON Object]: An object which contains the player's permission.
    • [String] xuid: The XUID of the player.
    • [String] permission: The permission of the player, which may limit certain commands and abilities, see below. By default, its specified by default-player-permission-level property.

There are three valid player permissions (see Player Permissions for details):

• The operator permission allows players full access to commands, and in addition to everything member could do.
• The member permission allows players to modify and interact with the world and entities, but unable to execute commands.
• The visitor permission restricts players to only view or observe the world, unable to modify or interact with it.

Commands such as /permission reload reloads the permission list while running in the server, and /permission list lists players' permissions.

Disconnect messages

Disconnect messages are texts that are displayed when an operator kicks the player, or the player has issues connecting to the server.

Server or client errors

• End Of Stream (Client message) – The server has stopped sending data to the client
• Internal Server Error:java.net.Minecraft – The server is sending unknown information to the client, usually from a server mod, this happens with a client with an outdated mod tries to join the server with the updated mod.
• Timed Out - The client has lost connection to the server, most likely due to disconnecting from the Internet or having Minecraft features blocked by a firewall.
• Internal exception: java.io.IOException: Received string length longer than the maximum allowed ([Number]>256) – A chat message that the client sent to the server exceeded the maximum character limit.
• Internal Server Error – The server generated an exception when handling the client's request.
• Illegal characters in chat – The client was denied sending certain characters, such as the § symbol
• Kicked for spamming (disconnect.spam)- The client is sending chat messages too quickly
• Read timed out – The server can't find the player's connection
• Bad login – The client is running in offline mode and can't connect to an authenticated server
• Out of memory! - This happens when 100% of memory is consumed or if one traveled past X/Z: ±34,359,738,368 in Beta 1.7.3 or lower (see Far Lands). (It shows up on the F3 Debug screen)
• Flying is not enabled on this server - The client tried to fly for longer than 5 seconds in Survival or Adventure mode, usually enabled by plugins.
• Attempting to attack an invalid entity - ??, Happens when a client tries to hit either themselves, or an entity that can't normally be attacked (e.g. Arrow, Egg, Ender Pearl, Trident). This is only possible through mods/plugins.
• Illegal stance - ??, Happens when a client is extremely high or low
• Illegal position - The client is beyond X/Z: ±30,000,000 (±32,000,000 in 1.6.4 and lower.)

Informational

• Disconnected - The player disconnected by using the disconnect button in the pause menu.
• You logged in from another location - Another client has logged in to the server the player is playing on with the player's username.
• Outdated client (Please use {version}) – The server is running a more recent version of Minecraft than the client is
• Outdated server (I'm still on {version}) – The client is running a more recent version of Minecraft than the server is
• You have died. Game over, man, it's game over! - The client is dead but tried to join in Hardcore mode.
• You have been idle for too long! - The client was idle for a longer time than allowed.
• Server closed. - The server has been shut down either by closing out of the "Minecraft server" window/pressing ALT+F4, stopping the server through the dashboard/console (for rented servers), or using the /stop command.

Operator actions

• You are banned from this server (Maybe followed by Reason: {reason} and/or Your ban will be removed on {date}) – Self-explanatory, the client is banned and remains banned until pardoned by an admin
• You have been IP banned. - The client's IP has been banned.
• Kicked by an operator. - The client has been disconnected using the /kick command. This message appears when no custom message is entered. Another message is "Kicked/Banned By " Reason: (what has been typed in after /kick or /ban)

See also

• Commands
• server.jar
• Bedrock Dedicated Server
• Realms

External links

• Minecraft server on Wikipedia.
• The official server listing for Minecraft provided by GameSafer.