SERVER

Set up and manage Bedrock Dedicated Servers, PocketMine, and Nukkit.

5 guides in this category

How to Set Up a Bedrock Dedicated Server

Step-by-step guide to downloading, configuring, and running an official Minecraft Bedrock Dedicated Server on Windows or Linux.

10 min read

Bedrock server.properties: Every Setting Explained

Complete reference for all server.properties settings in Bedrock Dedicated Server, with descriptions, default values, and recommendations.

9 min read

PocketMine-MP Server Setup Guide

Install and configure PocketMine-MP, a community-built server software for Minecraft Bedrock Edition with plugin support.

8 min read

Nukkit Server Setup for Bedrock Edition

Set up a Nukkit or Nukkit-MOT server for Minecraft Bedrock Edition with Java-based plugin support.

7 min read

Bedrock Server Hosting: How to Choose a Provider

Guide to choosing a Bedrock Edition server hosting provider, covering pricing, features, locations, and what to look for in a good host.

7 min read

Choosing server software

Bedrock Dedicated Server: Mojang's official server software, with builds for Windows and Linux.
PocketMine-MP: An independent server written in PHP, with its own plugin system.
Nukkit: An independent server written in Java, with forks such as PowerNukkitX and Nukkit-MOT.

What BDS does not do

Console players: Xbox, PlayStation and Switch players can only reach it through a custom DNS setup or over LAN.
Invites: There is no invite system, so friends cannot join from the friends list the way they join a Realm.
RCON: Not supported, so commands cannot be sent to the server from other programs.
SRV records: Not supported, so players always enter the port next to the address.
Reloading: The /reload command does not reload the server, so changed settings need a restart.

Files to know

server.properties: Ports (19132 for IPv4 and 19133 for IPv6, both UDP), the world name, the player limit and more. Out of the box it allows 10 players, uses a tick distance of 4 and keeps cheats off.
allowlist.json: The players allowed in when the allowlist is switched on.
permissions.json: Permission levels per player, such as operator.
config/default/permissions.json: The scripting modules that packs on the server may use.

Settings to look at first

tick-distance: How many chunks around each player keep running, from 4 to 12. It starts at 4, so a farm further than that from every player stops. Each step up costs performance.
view-distance: The furthest a player may render, in chunks. The default is 32 and it cannot go below 5.
player-idle-timeout: Players who idle this many minutes get kicked, 30 by default. Set it to 0 if people leave AFK farms running.
default-player-permission-level: What a player gets on the first join: visitor, member or operator. Member is the default.
online-mode: On by default, so every player has to sign in with Xbox Live. Anyone connecting from outside the LAN needs that sign-in regardless.
allow-list: Off by default. Switched on, only the players in allowlist.json can join.
max-threads: 8 by default. At 0 the server uses as many threads as it can.

Running it on your own machine

BDS runs on Windows 10 version 1703 or later, on Windows Server 2016 or later and on Ubuntu, the only Linux distribution Mojang supports. On Ubuntu you start it with LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./bedrock_server, and with the firewall on you open both ports, 19132 and 19133.

Playing on the same Windows PC that runs the server doesn't work out of the box. Windows blocks that loopback connection until you run the CheckNetIsolation.exe LoopbackExempt command from Mojang's setup guide, and a Preview build of the server only accepts Preview clients.

Setting up a Bedrock Dedicated Server goes from download to port forwarding, and every server.properties setting is explained separately. For plugins, see PocketMine-MP or Nukkit. Choosing a host helps if you would rather not run the machine yourself.

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