Minecraft Server Setup Guide

Minecraft Server Setup

This comprehensive guide will help you set up and configure your Minecraft server on GameNodePro.

Choosing Your Server Type

We support multiple Minecraft server types:

Java Edition Servers

Type	Best For
Vanilla	Pure Minecraft experience
Paper	Performance + plugin support
Spigot	Plugin compatibility
Forge	Modded servers
Fabric	Lightweight mods

Bedrock Edition Servers

Type	Best For
Vanilla Bedrock	Console/Mobile players
PocketMine	PHP plugins
Nukkit	Java-like plugins for Bedrock

Initial Server Configuration

Accessing Your Server

Log in to panel.gamenode.pro
Select your Minecraft server
You’ll see the main console view

server.properties

The main configuration file controls your server settings:

# Server name shown in server list
motd=\u00A7bMy Awesome Server\u00A7r - Welcome!

# Maximum players
max-players=20

# Game settings
gamemode=survival
difficulty=normal
pvp=true

# World settings
level-name=world
level-seed=
spawn-protection=16

# Network
server-port=25565
online-mode=true

To edit:

Go to Files in the control panel
Open server.properties
Make your changes
Save and Restart the server

Installing Plugins (Paper/Spigot)

Finding Plugins

Popular plugin sources:

Installation Steps

Download the plugin .jar file
Go to Files → plugins folder
Upload the .jar file
Restart your server
Configure the plugin in its config file

Essential Plugins

We recommend these plugins for most servers:

EssentialsX - Core commands and features
LuckPerms - Permission management
WorldGuard - Region protection
Vault - Economy API
CoreProtect - Block logging and rollbacks

Installing Mods (Forge/Fabric)

Forge Servers

Select “Forge” as your server type in Settings
Choose your Minecraft and Forge version
Restart to install Forge
Upload mods to the mods folder
Ensure clients have matching mods

Fabric Servers

Select “Fabric” as your server type
Upload mods to the mods folder
Install Fabric API mod (required by most mods)
Restart the server

Important: Server and client mod versions must match exactly!

Performance Optimization

Recommended Settings

For better performance, add these to your startup:

-XX:+UseG1GC -XX:+ParallelRefProcEnabled -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200

Paper Optimization

Edit paper.yml (Paper servers only):

# Reduce entity ticking
max-auto-save-chunks-per-tick: 8
prevent-moving-into-unloaded-chunks: true

# Optimize gameplay
use-faster-eigencraft-redstone: true
optimize-explosions: true

View Distance

Lower view distance reduces server load:

Edit server.properties
Set view-distance=8 (default is 10)
Restart the server

Connecting to Your Server

Direct Connect

Copy your server address from the control panel
In Minecraft, go to Multiplayer → Add Server
Paste the address (e.g., mc.gamenode.pro:25565)
Click Join Server

Using a Domain

Want a custom address like play.myserver.com?

Purchase a domain or use a free subdomain service
Create an SRV record pointing to your server
Players can connect using just the domain name

Backups

We automatically backup your server, but you can also:

Go to Backups in the control panel
Click Create Backup
Download or restore anytime

Common Issues

Server Not Starting

Check the console for errors
Verify you have enough RAM allocated
Remove recently added plugins/mods one by one

Players Can’t Connect

Ensure online-mode=true if using premium accounts
Check firewall settings
Verify the correct port is being used

Lag Issues

Reduce view distance
Limit entities with plugins like ClearLag
Check for poorly optimized plugins

Next Steps

Need more help? Contact our support team!

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