PocketMine-MP Server Setup Guide

What is PocketMine-MP?

PocketMine-MP (PMMP) is a free, open-source server software for Minecraft Bedrock Edition written in PHP. It offers a plugin API that allows server owners to extend and customize their server far beyond what the official Bedrock Dedicated Server supports. PocketMine-MP has been around since the early days of Pocket Edition and has a large community of developers and plugin creators.

Requirements

• PHP 8.1+ (bundled with the installer)
• 64-bit operating system: Windows, Linux, or macOS
• RAM: 512 MB minimum, 1+ GB recommended
• CPU: Any modern processor
• Network: UDP port access for player connections

Installation on Linux

The easiest way to install PocketMine-MP on Linux is using the official installer script:

mkdir pocketmine-server
cd pocketmine-server
curl -sL https://get.pmmp.io | bash

This downloads the latest stable version along with a bundled PHP binary. No separate PHP installation is required.

Installation on Windows

Download the latest release from the PocketMine-MP GitHub releases page. Extract the ZIP file and run the start.cmd batch file. The server will automatically download the PHP binary on first run.

First Run and Setup

When you start PocketMine-MP for the first time, it creates the configuration files and prompts you to set up basic settings through the console wizard. You will be asked about:

• Language selection
• Server name
• Maximum players
• Game mode and difficulty
• Port number (default: 19132)
• RCON settings

After the wizard, the server generates pocketmine.yml and server.properties files that you can edit manually.

Configuration

PocketMine uses two main config files:

• server.properties: Basic server settings (game mode, difficulty, port, etc.)
• pocketmine.yml: Advanced settings including memory limits, logging, and plugin loading.

Key pocketmine.yml settings:

settings:
  language: eng
  shutdown-message: "Server closed"
  query-plugins: true
  async-workers: auto
  enable-profiling: false

memory:
  global-limit: 0
  main-limit: 0
  hard-limit: 256
  check-rate: 20
  continuous-trigger: 30
  continuous-trigger-rate: 10

network:
  batch-threshold: 256
  compression-level: 6
  async-compression: true

Installing Plugins

PocketMine plugins are distributed as .phar files. To install a plugin:

1. Download the plugin .phar file from a trusted source (Poggit is the main plugin repository).
2. Place the .phar file in the plugins folder.
3. Restart the server.

Popular PocketMine plugins include economy systems, minigame frameworks, permissions managers, world editors, and anti-cheat solutions.

To manage plugins from the console:

plugins                     # List installed plugins
version PluginName          # Check plugin version

World Management

Worlds are stored in the worlds folder. PocketMine supports multiple worlds simultaneously. You can import worlds from single-player Bedrock by copying the world folder into the worlds directory.

PocketMine handles world generation differently from BDS. It supports flat worlds, normal generation, and custom generators through plugins.

Permissions

PocketMine has a built-in permissions system. The ops.txt file lists operator player names (one per line). For more granular control, use a permissions plugin like PurePerms or DEVirion-based permission managers.

Running as a Service

To keep PocketMine running on Linux, create a systemd service or use a terminal multiplexer like screen or tmux:

screen -S pmmp
./start.sh
# Press Ctrl+A, then D to detach
# screen -r pmmp to reattach

Advantages Over BDS

• Rich plugin API for extending server functionality
• Large community with thousands of free plugins
• Multi-world support
• Custom permission systems
• Active development with frequent updates

Limitations

• Not all vanilla features are perfectly replicated
• Redstone behavior may differ from vanilla Bedrock
• Some newer Bedrock features take time to be implemented
• Performance can vary depending on plugins and configuration