Minecraft server wiki
Short, practical definitions of the terms you run into when hosting a Minecraft server — from server.properties to MSPT.
Basics
Chunk
A 16 by 16 block column of the world, reaching from the bottom to the top of the build height. Worlds are loaded, saved and ticked chunk by chunk.
EULA
The Minecraft End User License Agreement. A server only starts after you accept it by setting eula=true in eula.txt.
Seed
The number the world generator starts from. The same seed on the same Minecraft version produces the same terrain.
Tick
One step of the Minecraft game loop. The server runs 20 ticks per second, so one tick lasts 50 milliseconds.
Server software
Bukkit
The original plugin API for Minecraft Java servers; Spigot and Paper still implement it, so Bukkit plugins run on them.
BungeeCord
A proxy from the SpigotMC project that connects several Minecraft Java servers into one network behind a single address.
Fabric
A lightweight mod loader for Minecraft Java Edition, made up of Fabric Loader and the separate Fabric API mod.
Forge
A long-standing mod loader for Minecraft Java Edition that runs many of the large, content-heavy modpacks.
NeoForge
A Minecraft mod loader forked from Forge in 2023; many newer modpacks and mods target it instead of Forge.
Paper
A high-performance Minecraft server software, forked from Spigot, that runs Bukkit and Spigot plugins.
Purpur
A fork of Paper that adds a large set of extra gameplay and configuration options while staying compatible with Paper plugins.
Quilt
A community-driven fork of the Fabric mod loader that can load most Fabric mods alongside its own.
Spigot
A modified Minecraft Java server based on CraftBukkit that runs Bukkit plugins and adds its own performance settings.
Velocity
A modern proxy by the PaperMC team that connects several Minecraft Java servers into one network players join through a single address.
Performance
JVM flags
Start options for the Java Virtual Machine that runs the server, such as -Xmx for the maximum memory and settings for the garbage collector.
MSPT (milliseconds per tick)
Milliseconds per tick: how long the server needs to process one game tick. Above 50 ms, TPS drops below 20.
Simulation distance
The server.properties setting that controls how many chunks around each player are actively ticked: mobs, crops, redstone and other game logic.
Single-thread performance
How fast one CPU core can execute work. It matters for Minecraft servers because the main game loop runs largely on a single thread.
TPS (ticks per second)
Ticks per second: how many game updates the server completes each second. The target and maximum is 20.
View distance
The server.properties setting that controls how many chunks around each player the server loads and sends, measured as a radius in chunks.
Configuration
Op (operator)
A server operator: a player allowed to use admin commands. Minecraft has four op levels, from bypassing spawn protection to full control.
server.properties
The main configuration file of a Minecraft Java server: plain key=value lines for game mode, difficulty, port, whitelist, view distance and more.
Whitelist
A list of approved players. With the whitelist enabled, only players on it can join the server.
Networking
DDoS
Distributed denial of service: an attack that floods a server with traffic or connections from many sources until real players cannot connect.
Port and SRV record
The port is the network number a server listens on (25565 for Java by default). An SRV record lets players join via a domain without typing the port.
RCON
Remote console: a protocol for sending console commands to a running server over the network, protected only by a password.
SFTP
SSH File Transfer Protocol: an encrypted way to upload, download and edit files on a server, for example worlds, plugins, mods and configs.
Plugins & mods
CurseForge vs Modrinth
The two main platforms for downloading Minecraft mods and modpacks. Both host server-compatible files, but use different modpack formats.
Datapack vs plugin vs mod
Three ways to customise a server: datapacks use vanilla features, plugins run on Paper-type servers only, mods change the game itself and usually need a client install.
EssentialsX
A widely used plugin suite for Paper and Spigot that adds everyday commands such as homes, warps, teleport requests, kits and a basic economy.
Floodgate
A companion to Geyser that lets Bedrock players join a Java server using only their Microsoft/Xbox account, without a Java Edition account.
Geyser
A translation layer that lets Minecraft Bedrock Edition players (console, mobile, Windows) join a Java Edition server.
LuckPerms
A permissions plugin that controls which players and groups may use which commands and features, on servers and proxies alike.
ViaVersion
A plugin that lets players on newer Minecraft Java versions join a server running an older version by translating the protocol.
WorldEdit
An in-game map editing tool for changing large areas of blocks at once with selections, commands, brushes and schematics.