Bedrock server.properties: Every Setting Explained

About server.properties

The server.properties file is the main configuration file for Bedrock Dedicated Server (BDS). It controls everything from game difficulty and world settings to network configuration and anti-cheat parameters. This file is in a simple key=value format and is loaded when the server starts.

General Settings

server-name=Dedicated Server

The name displayed in the server list. Supports most characters but avoid special formatting codes.

gamemode=survival

Default game mode for new players. Options: survival, creative, adventure.

force-gamemode=false

When true, players are forced into the default game mode each time they join, even if they changed it previously.

difficulty=easy

World difficulty. Options: peaceful, easy, normal, hard.

allow-cheats=false

Whether commands are available. Set to true if you want operators to use commands in-game.

max-players=10

Maximum number of simultaneous players. Higher values use more RAM and bandwidth.

online-mode=true

Requires Xbox Live authentication. Set to false only for LAN-only servers. Disabling this removes all account security.

World Settings

level-name=Bedrock level

The name of the world folder inside the worlds directory. Change this to load a different world.

level-seed=

World generation seed. Leave empty for random. Only used when generating a new world.

level-type=DEFAULT

World type. Options: DEFAULT (normal terrain), FLAT (superflat), LEGACY (old-style generation).

default-player-permission-level=member

Permission level for new players. Options: visitor, member, operator.

Network Settings

server-port=19132

IPv4 UDP port. Default is 19132. Change if running multiple servers on the same machine.

server-portv6=19133

IPv6 UDP port. Used for IPv6 connections.

compression-threshold=1

Minimum packet size (in bytes) before compression is applied. Lower values increase CPU usage but reduce bandwidth. Values of 256-512 work well for most connections.

compression-algorithm=zlib

Compression algorithm for network packets. Options: zlib, snappy. Snappy is faster but compresses less.

Performance Settings

view-distance=32

Maximum view distance in chunks. Lower values reduce server load. 10-16 is reasonable for most servers.

tick-distance=4

Simulation distance in chunks. Controls how far from a player the game actively simulates. Range: 4-12.

max-threads=8

Maximum worker threads. Set to the number of available CPU cores or fewer.

player-idle-timeout=0

Minutes before an idle player is kicked. 0 disables idle timeout.

Movement and Anti-Cheat

server-authoritative-movement=server-auth

Movement validation mode. Options:

• client-auth - Client controls movement (no anti-cheat).
• server-auth - Server validates movement (reduces fly/speed hacks).
• server-auth-with-rewind - Server validates and can rewind invalid movement (strictest).

player-movement-score-threshold=20

How many abnormal movement events before correction triggers. Lower values are stricter.

player-movement-action-direction-threshold=0.85

Threshold for player action direction validation. Values closer to 1.0 are stricter.

player-movement-distance-threshold=0.3

Maximum allowed discrepancy between client and server position in blocks.

correct-player-movement=false

When true, the server will correct invalid player positions by teleporting them back.

Content Settings

texturepack-required=false

Forces players to use the server's resource packs. If true, players who decline cannot join.

content-log-file-enabled=false

Enables logging for content errors. Useful for debugging add-ons and behavior packs.

Chat and Communication

chat-restriction=None

Chat filtering level. Options: None, Dropped, Disabled.

disable-player-interaction=false

When true, players cannot interact with each other (no PvP, no trading).

Tips for Optimization

• Start with a view-distance of 10 and increase if your hardware can handle it.
• Set tick-distance to 4 unless you need larger simulation areas for farms.
• Use server-auth-with-rewind for the strongest anti-cheat, but test thoroughly as it can cause rubber-banding on poor connections.
• Enable content-log-file-enabled temporarily when troubleshooting add-on issues.
• Back up server.properties before making changes. A typo can prevent the server from starting.