# minecraft.how — Full content index for LLMs

> Long-form extract of recent blog content. For a structured route map, see /llms.txt.

## Recent blog posts (full text)

### How to Use the Minecraft Smithing Table
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/smithing-table-netherite-upgrade
Published: 2026-04-26
Author: ice

The smithing table is how you upgrade diamond gear to netherite, the game's most durable material. It's a simple but essential crafting station that transforms your best diamond tools into something even tougher. Here's exactly what you need to know. What Does the Smithing Table Actually Do? There are two types of smithing tables in Minecraft 26.1.2: the regular smithing table (for upgrades and tool repairs) and the netherite smithing table in the Nether. The regular one sits in your base and handles diamond-to-netherite conversions. It takes a diamond item and a netherite scrap, combines them, and spits out a netherite version with all the same enchantments you had. Why does this matter? Netherite doesn't burn in lava. It won't despawn when you die. It's also harder to break than diamond, which is the real reason you're here. The biggest detail people miss: enchantments transfer over. Your flame bow, your mending boots, your silk touch pickaxe - they all keep their magic when upgraded. How to Find or Craft Your Smithing Table You can't craft a smithing table from scratch in survival mode. Instead, you loot them from villages. Every village has a toolsmith's workplace, which contains a smithing table you can break and grab. It takes a pickaxe (any tier) and drops itself as an item. If you're playing on a server with limited villages nearby, that old crafting recipe doesn't work anymore. Actually, let me correct that: in modern versions, you find them in villages or use creative mode. The crafting recipe was removed years ago. Easiest move? Find a village. Break it from the toolsmith's area. Done. The Actual Upgrade Process: Diamond to Netherite Now for the core mechanic. Place your smithing table in your base (or keep one portable in the Nether). Open it. You'll see two input slots and one output slot. Put your diamond tool or armor in the left slot Put a netherite scrap in the right slot The upgraded netherite item appears on the right Take it and repeat That's literally it. One diamond item plus one netherite scrap equals one netherite item. The process is instant, no XP cost, no fuel needed. One caveat: the smithing table doesn't combine partial stacks or multiple items at once. You're upgrading one piece of gear at a time. If you've a full diamond set (helmet, chestplate, leggings, boots, sword, pickaxe, axe, shovel), that's eight separate upgrade operations. Where to Find Ancient Debris and Netherite Scrap This is the bottleneck. Netherite doesn't exist as an ore block. Instead, you hunt ancient debris in the Nether, smelt it into netherite scrap, then combine four scraps with four gold ingots in a crafting table to get one netherite ingot. Two ingots craft into netherite blocks, or you can use them directly in the smithing table. Ancient debris spawns between Y-level 8 and 119 in the Nether, but it's rarest around Y-level 15. The best strategy is branch mining at Y-level 15, clearing 2x1 tunnels in a grid pattern. You'll find clusters of 1-3 blocks scattered around. Expect to mine for 20-30 minutes to collect enough for a full diamond set upgrade (8 ingots needed, so 32 ancient debris blocks minimum). Take a Fortune III pickaxe if you've one - it doesn't increase ancient debris drops, but it helps with efficiency. Here's a tip: bring a water bucket and wear fire resistance gear. The Nether has lava everywhere, and ancient debris often sits next to it. Pro Tips for Efficient Upgrades Save your ancient debris runs for when you have a full diamond kit ready. Mining for single scraps is tedious. Gather enough for 8-10 ingots before heading back to your smithing table. You'll feel the progress better that way. Stock multiple smithing tables if you're in a multiplayer server. One table can only do so much, and upgrades are instantaneous, so there's no performance cost to having extras lying around. If you're hunting for ancient debris locations, use the Minecraft Block Search tool to track spawns if you're playing on a server with it available. For vanilla survival, just branch mine like normal. Netherite is permanent. Once you upgrade, you're not going back. So don't rush upgrades for PvP gear or stuff you're still testing. Prioritize your main tools: pickaxe, sword, and armor set first. Common Mistakes That Cost You Time Don't smelt ancient debris without a clear plan. If you're grinding for upgrades, stockpile the raw blocks first, then smelt in batches. Some players waste focus by smelting one at a time and forgetting what they're upgrading. Ancient debris smelting requires a furnace or blast furnace (blast furnace is faster). It yields one netherite scrap per block. You then combine four scraps with four gold ingots to make one netherite ingot. This two-step process trips people up. And here's the real one: don't lose your gear before upgrading it. A lot of players die in the Nether carrying ancient debris because they're impatient. Get home, process it, upgrade it safely, then take the netherite back out if you need it for mining more. Server Admin Quick Note If you're running a server and need to manage DNS records for your Minecraft server, check out the Free Minecraft DNS tool. It's handy for keeping your server accessible without paying extra hosting fees. Netherite upgrades are a late-game achievement. Getting a full set means you've already survived the Nether multiple times, gathered tons of ancient debris, and earned it. That's the point. There's no shortcut to netherite (except creative mode), and that's by design.

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### Epic Fight Mod: How to Add Soulslike Combat to Minecraft
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/epicfight-soulslike-minecraft-mod
Published: 2026-04-26
Author: ice

GitHub · Minecraft community project epicfight (Antikythera-Studios/epicfight) Epic Fight - A soulslike minecraft mod, adding lots of game mechanics, features, and game changing things for you to discover in your adventures ! Star on GitHub ↗ .0 Tired of vanilla Minecraft combat feeling too simple? Epic Fight transforms every encounter into a skill-based duel with dodges, special attacks, and fluid animations that'll make you rethink how to play survival mode. What This Project Does Epic Fight is a Java mod that rewrites how Minecraft's combat system works. Instead of the vanilla click-and-wait pattern, you get dynamic fighting styles, timing-based attacks, and enemy mechanics that actually react to what you're doing. Enemies don't just stand there soaking damage anymore. They dodge. Most counter. The adapt. The mod draws inspiration from soulslike games - think Dark Souls dodge rolls and attack recovery windows - but keeps the core Minecraft experience intact. You can toggle Epic Fight's mechanics on or off if you want to fall back to vanilla combat for specific situations (mining, casual building). It's a major overhaul, but one that gives you control. Why You'd Use It If vanilla survival feels stale, this is the fix. Combat becomes the centerpiece of gameplay again instead of just an interrupt between mining sessions. Mobs become genuinely dangerous, which means resource gathering matters more, planning routes around hostile spawns becomes tactical, and defeating even basic skeletons requires actual attention. For servers, it creates natural difficulty progression without turning up a simple difficulty slider. New players get challenged, veterans get entertained. And if you're someone who loves Minecraft's combat balance but wanted just a little more depth, Epic Fight adds that without turning things into a rhythm game. Server owners often pair this with listing on a Minecraft server list to attract players looking for a more engaging experience. The added combat depth becomes a selling point. How to Install Epic Fight requires Forge (the mod loader) and works with recent Java editions. Here's the basic process: Step 1: Install ForgeHead to forgemc.net and download the Forge installer for your Minecraft version. Run it and select "Install client." This sets up the mod loading infrastructure. Step 2: Get the Mod FileDownload Epic Fight from CurseForge or Modrinth - both host the latest versions. Grab the version matching your Minecraft edition. Step 3: Place It in Your Mods FolderDrop the downloaded.jar file into your .minecraft/mods/ folder. On Windows, that's usually %appdata%\.minecraft\mods\. On Mac, ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/mods/. On Linux, ~/.minecraft/mods/. Step 4: Launch and Check DependenciesStart the game through the Forge launcher profile. Epic Fight might ask for additional mods (dependencies) on first load. Follow the prompts and restart. This usually just means grabbing a library mod that Epic Fight needs to function. That's it. If you're not sure whether it's working, press R in-game (the default toggle key) and you'll see an indicator showing whether Epic Fight mode is active. Key Features in Action Dynamic Attack AnimationsThis is what makes Epic Fight feel different. Attacks aren't instant. When you swing, there's a wind-up, a strike, and recovery. You can't just spam-click your way to victory. Timing matters. Stamina matters. You'll notice mobs don't just ragdoll either - skeletons actually recoil from hits, creepers shuffle closer, and armored mobs block effectively. Dodging and MobilityHold Left Alt (configurable) and a direction to dodge out of harm's way. Unlike vanilla Minecraft, this actually consumes a resource (stamina) and has a cooldown, so you can't just spam invulnerability. Combat becomes about reading attack patterns and choosing when to dodge. Weapon-Based Fighting StylesDifferent weapons handle differently. Swords are fast and precise. Axes are slow but heavy-hitting. Spears have longer reach. This gives you reason to actually think about what to carry, not just grab whatever has the best damage number. Some weapons get special abilities too - charged attacks, ground pounds - depending on what you're holding. Enemy AI OverhaulVanilla mobs get new brains. Zombies don't just shuffle straight at you anymore; they dodge your attacks. Skeletons back away when you close in. Wither skeletons are legitimately threatening because they'll block and counter. This sounds simple, but it changes how you approach every fight. Health and Armor RebalancingThe mod adjusts health pools and armor effectiveness to match the new combat pacing. Fights take longer, but feel more dynamic. You're not one-shotting things anymore. That means every engagement needs strategy. Tips and Common Gotchas The biggest learning curve is just understanding the pacing. If you jump in expecting vanilla combat, you'll die to the first skeleton and think something's broken. It's not - you're just playing differently now. Take fights slow. Learn enemy patterns. Use your dodges. Stamina management trips people up. You've a stamina bar that depletes when attacking, dodging, or sprinting. If it empties mid-combat, you're slow and vulnerable for a moment. Don't go all-in every fight. Some players find the animations feel clunky at first. That's normal. Give it a dozen fights and it'll click. The animations exist because timing is now part of the system, not just visual fluff. If you're running on a lower-end machine, Epic Fight can impact performance because all those animations and AI improvements have overhead. You might need to adjust render distance or chunk loading distance if you notice frame drops. One common mistake: forgetting that Epic Fight mode can be toggled. If you want vanilla combat temporarily (maybe for mining or building), press R. Some players disable it entirely for creative mode or casual building sessions, then turn it back on for survival. Similar Mods Worth Knowing About Spartan Weaponry adds a ton of new weapon types with their own animation sets. Pairs well with Epic Fight - more weapons means more fighting variety. You can use them together or stick with vanilla weapons alongside Epic Fight's system. Mekanism doesn't change combat directly, but its tools and armor progression give you more targets to work toward, which makes the harder combat feel more purposeful. Axles and Create add mechanical depth to mining and building, which pairs nicely with a more challenging combat environment. If combat is harder, automation becomes more valuable. Some players combine Epic Fight with difficulty modifiers like Scaling Health (ramps mob stats as you progress) for a complete overhaul. Just be aware that stacking too many combat overhauls can make things brutally hard if you're not careful. For multiplayer servers, check your server's votifier settings if you're running mods - some server vote systems interact oddly with mod-heavy setups, so verify it's working after you install. Support the project epicfight is maintained by the open-source community. If it saved you time or powered something cool, leave a ⭐ on the repo, report bugs, or contribute back. Small actions keep tools like this alive.

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### JSPrismarine: The Modern Way to Host Minecraft Bedrock
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/jsprismarine-minecraft-bedrock
Published: 2026-04-26
Author: ice

GitHub · Minecraft community project JSPrismarine (JSPrismarine/JSPrismarine) Dedicated Minecraft Bedrock Edition server written in TypeScript. Star on GitHub ↗ .0 Ever wanted to host your own Minecraft Bedrock server without renting from a third party? JSPrismarine gives you exactly that, and it's built with modern tools. No Java. No mods. Just TypeScript, plugins, and full control over your server. What JSPrismarine Actually Does JSPrismarine is an open-source server implementation for Minecraft Bedrock Edition, written in TypeScript. It's a complete Bedrock server you can run on your own hardware instead of paying for a hosted server somewhere. The project has 308 stars on GitHub and is actively maintained, which matters because Bedrock updates constantly and the protocol changes frequently. Here's the thing that makes it different from just renting a server: you own the whole thing. You decide what plugins run, what rules apply, who gets in, and how you want players to interact with your world. It's also built for extensibility, so if you know JavaScript or TypeScript (or something that compiles to it), you can build custom plugins instead of waiting for someone else to build what you need. The project is licensed under MPL-2.0, which is permissive. You can use it commercially, modify it, redistribute it. No weird restrictions. Why You'd Actually Want to Run Your Own Bedrock Server First, there's the cost angle. Paid Bedrock servers aren't cheap if you have a lot of players. You pay per month, and it adds up. If you've got decent hardware sitting around, running JSPrismarine yourself could actually be free after the initial setup. Then there's control. Want to run a private server for you and friends? Want to build a specific game mode that no one else offers? Want to restrict crossplay or lock down specific features? With JSPrismarine, you just do it. No waiting for feature requests or server provider approvals. Community hosting is another use case entirely. If you're running a Minecraft community or guild, having your own dedicated Bedrock server with custom plugins means you can create unique experiences that keep players coming back. You could build custom minigames, create progression systems, or implement economy plugins that work exactly how you want them. Plus, you control the backups and data. Getting JSPrismarine Running The installation isn't as simple as clicking a button, but it's straightforward if you're comfortable with a terminal. You need Node.js v21 or newer and pnpm installed (which comes with modern Node setups). Start here: bashgit clone - recursive-submodules https://github.com/JSPrismarine/JSPrismarine.git cd JSPrismarine corepack enable pnpm install pnpm run build pnpm run start The key thing: don't forget the ` - recursive-submodules` flag when cloning. This project has submodules, and without that flag you'll end up with incomplete code and a frustrating debugging session. Building takes a bit of time on first run since it's compiling TypeScript. Once it's running, your server will be accessible on localhost by default. To make it visible to other players, you'll want to configure networking and probably punch through your firewall, which gets into port forwarding territory. The documentation at jsprismarine.org/docs covers this, but fair warning: firewall configuration varies wildly depending on your setup. Development mode is also an option with `pnpm run dev` if you're planning to write plugins or contribute to the project itself. What Sets JSPrismarine Apart The plugin system is TypeScript-first, which is genuinely interesting. Most Minecraft servers are Java-based, so you write plugins in Java. JSPrismarine lets you write plugins in TypeScript directly, which means better tooling, clearer syntax, and the ability to use npm packages in your plugins. You can also write plugins in Kotlin, CoffeeScript, or anything that compiles to JavaScript. Actually, that last part only works if someone maintains bindings for it, so in practice you're looking at TypeScript or vanilla JavaScript. Performance is another angle. Since it's not running on the JVM, memory footprint is different, and you get JavaScript's event-driven architecture. For smaller communities, this can be noticeably snappier than Java servers. The project is under active development. Consider using the Minecraft Text Generator if you want to create formatted messages for your server's MOTD (message of the day) or broadcast system. Many JSPrismarine setups use custom formatted text to make server announcements stand out. Configuration and Customization JSPrismarine stores its configuration in YAML files, which is readable and editable without special tools. You can tweak difficulty, enable/disable features, configure spawn points, and set up basic rules. It's not as granular as some Java servers, but it covers the essentials. The real power comes from plugins. Since you're writing in TypeScript against documented APIs, you can build custom behavior. Someone running a creative server might write a plugin that limits building to certain zones. Someone running a survival server might build an economy plugin using a database backend. The possibilities depend on how much time you want to invest. If you're planning to list your server publicly, you'll probably want to integrate with server listing sites. Tools like the Minecraft Votifier Tester can help you verify that your server's voting integration is working properly if you decide to set that up. Common Pitfalls and Tips First gotcha: the protocol changes with each Minecraft Bedrock update, sometimes in breaking ways. JSPrismarine has to update to match. If you don't update JSPrismarine itself, your server will eventually fall out of sync with the latest Bedrock clients and players won't be able to join. This is different from Java servers, where a 1.20 client can often still join a 1.20.1 server. Bedrock is stricter. Second thing: this is pre-1.0 software. Version 0.13.1 is the latest release. That means the API could change between versions. If you write plugins, expect to maintain them as JSPrismarine evolves. It's not necessarily unstable, but it's not locked down yet. Crossplay complications matter too. Bedrock runs on Windows, Android, iOS, and console versions (with some workarounds). Making sure your server works smoothly across all those platforms requires testing on multiple devices, which takes time. Performance tuning isn't always obvious. If you're unfamiliar with Node.js ecosystems, the npm/pnpm dependency management can feel like a lot. JSPrismarine has quite a few dependencies, which is normal for TypeScript projects but worth being aware of for security updates and maintenance. How JSPrismarine Compares PocketMine-MP is the most popular alternative for Bedrock servers. It's PHP-based, been around longer, and has a larger plugin ecosystem. The downside? PHP is slower than JavaScript for game logic, and you're locked into PHP for plugin development. NukkitX is another option, written in Java. If you already know Java and the Java Minecraft ecosystem, it might feel more familiar. JSPrismarine's advantage is the TypeScript approach and the JavaScript ecosystem. If you already work in JavaScript, or you want something that's less established than PocketMine, JSPrismarine is worth looking at. But if you just want something that works with a large plugin library, PocketMine-MP is probably the safer choice. Support the project JSPrismarine is maintained by the open-source community. If it saved you time or powered something cool, leave a ⭐ on the repo, report bugs, or contribute back. Small actions keep tools like this alive.

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### Beginner's Guide to Minecraft Survival Mode 2026
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/minecraft-survival-beginners-guide
Published: 2026-04-26
Author: ice

What You're Actually Getting Into Survival mode is Minecraft with the training wheels off. You spawn in a world with nothing but your fists and a whole lot of decisions to make within the next hour. Unlike Creative mode where blocks fall from the sky, here you gather, craft, mine, build, and fight mobs that spawn in darkness specifically to ruin your day. But here's the thing: survival mode is actually less intimidating once you know the first 10 hours matter infinitely more than the next 100. The First Five Minutes: The Wood Rush Punch trees. I know it sounds absurd, but this is it. Walk up to any tree, hold down left-click on a wooden log, and wait. Your fist is hilariously ineffective, taking about 10 seconds per log, but after you've collected 12-15 logs you'll open your inventory (E key) and convert them into planks. Each log becomes four planks. This is the most important moment in your survival experience, so don't skip it. With your planks, craft a crafting table. Place it on the ground in front of you. Now interact with it. Inside, craft wooden tools: a pickaxe first (three planks in a T-shape), then an axe, shovel, and sword. The pickaxe is everything. Without it, you cannot access stone ore. Without stone ore, you'll never reach iron. The progression is locked. Still holding nothing but stone age tools? Good. You're actually ahead of most beginners. Minutes 5 to 30: Build or Die Find flat ground, preferably near water. Using your wooden pickaxe, mine stone blocks (the gray speckled ones). Your goal is a minimum 4x4 room with a door, interior torches, and a roof. This isn't a masterpiece. It's a panic box. It's ugly. It's functional. That's all that matters when the sun is setting. While mining stone, look for coal ore (black speckles on stone). If you find any, grab it. If you don't find coal before dark, you have a backup: craft a furnace from stone, throw some wood planks in it as fuel, and burn a wooden pickaxe to get charcoal. Charcoal works identically to coal for crafting torches, though it sounds deeply wrong. Place your crafting table and furnace inside your box. Make torches from coal (or charcoal) plus sticks. Place torches everywhere inside - on walls, on the floor, above the door. Mobs spawn in darkness, not in lit areas. An interior bristling with torches is safe. Find or craft a bed. Wool comes from sheep (break it by hand), combine it with planks in a crafting table, and boom: bed. Place the bed somewhere inside. When it's night, right-click the bed and you'll skip the entire dark phase. You wake up to daylight and about 6 hours of safety. This single item removes approximately 90% of first-night panic. If you don't find sheep before nightfall, you're sleeping on the ground like an animal, listening to zombies and skeletons clack around outside. Not ideal, but survivable. Your First Night: When Everything Tries to Kill You Night lasts roughly 7 in-game minutes. Stay inside. Seriously. Creepers (green explosive things) are silent and will end you. Skeletons shoot arrows through walls sometimes. Zombies are weak but come in groups. Spiders are fast and terrifying the first time you see one. None of this matters if you've four walls, a door, and torches inside. The worst part about night isn't the danger - it's the boredom. You're trapped inside listening to ambient cave sounds and mob groans. This is when most beginners either panic-mine straight down (fatal mistake), build weird holes in their walls, or make desperate runs outside. Don't. You're safe. The mobs vanish at sunrise. Just wait. Day Two: Mining Starts Here You now have stone tools. Stone pickaxes can mine iron ore. Here's the target: get 12-15 iron ore, smelt it, craft iron tools. Iron tools open the mid-game. Mining strategy: dig down in a staircase pattern at a 45-degree angle. Every 10 blocks you descend, place a torch on your right-hand side. This creates a light-breadcrumb trail back to the surface. When you need to escape fast (lava, unexpected creeper), just look for torches on your right and follow them up. Ignore ore below you. Ever. Straight-down mining leads to lava pools underneath that fall on your head. Angle-mining (digging ahead and below) lets you see the danger before it kills you. Once you've smelted iron ore (charcoal in furnace, ore on top, wait ~10 seconds), craft an iron pickaxe. Now you can mine diamonds. Diamond Mining: The Right Way Diamonds are the gateway to serious endgame progression. PCGamesN's ore research confirms that in Minecraft 26.1.2, diamonds spawn increasingly commonly the deeper you go below Y-level 16, with the sweet spot around Y-level -53. But this keeps you away from the worst lava pools that form specifically at Y-level -54. To check your Y-level in-game, open your debug screen (F3 on Java, or check your coordinates in the top-left). Dig down to Y-level around -30 to -50, then mine horizontally, checking stone for blue diamond ore. Bring supplies: wood (to craft emergency items), a crafting table, a furnace, charcoal, and food. Do not bring everything - your inventory will fill instantly. Mine, collect diamonds, and return to the surface. Smelting and crafting happen later in your base, not underground in a panic. A single diamond pickaxe opens gates to obsidian, the Nether, and everything beyond. Most new players view diamonds as the "win" point. They're not. They're just the beginning. Food Before You Starve Hunger depletes as you move, sprint, and take damage. Three visual options exist early-game: Kill animals. Cows and pigs drop raw meat. Cook the meat in a furnace (charcoal as fuel) and eat it. Each cooked meat restores 4 hunger points. Break tall grass in grassland biomes. Grass drops seeds. Plant seeds on farmland (dirt block with a hoe, next to water) and wait. Mature wheat crops drop seeds and wheat. Seeds fill hunger minimally, but wheat is renewable. Find chickens and breed them. Two chickens fed seeds will produce baby chickens. Adults drop raw chicken and feathers. Cooked chicken restores 6 hunger points. Farming sounds tedious, but renewable food means never starving again. Set up a small farm near your base with a water channel running through planted rows. It's not glamorous, but it works. Building Beyond the Panic Box Once you've got food, water, a bed, and basic tools, you've breathing room. Your panic box served its purpose. Now rebuild something you actually want to log into. Think cottage. Central room for crafting/smelting, side rooms for storage and sleeping, a loft for additional storage. Use varied blocks: stone, wood, dirt, gravel. Add windows. A roof that's not flat. Something with a tiny bit of personality. New players often skip this because they're worried about the next threat, but your base becomes your anchor - the place you're excited to return to after mining. After you've got a solid base, the path splits completely. Some players hunt multiplayer survival servers to experience community gameplay. Others go deep into mining for Netherite (the true endgame ore, found in the Nether dimension). Some focus on building massive projects - castles, farms, entire cities. Survival mode doesn't have a goal; it has directions. First 10 Hours: Quick Checklist Hours 0-0.5: Collect 12-15 logs, craft table, wooden tools, find coal. Hours 0.5-1: Build basic shelter, craft torches, secure interior, locate sheep for bed. Hour 1-2: Sleep through first night, wake to daylight, begin stone mining. Hours 2-4: Gather stone, craft stone tools, begin mining down for iron ore, establish basic farm. Hours 4-6: Smelt iron, craft iron tools and armor, begin safer deeper mining. Hours 6-10: Locate diamonds at proper Y-levels, gather resources for mid-game progression. Common Early Mistakes (Don't Do These) Mining straight down: Lava pools lurk beneath. Angle-mine instead. Ignoring darkness: Mobs spawn in unlit areas. Torches are free sanity. Playing on Hard mode: You're new. Play Normal. Hard mode is for people who want to experience despair. Hoarding useless items: Your inventory fills fast. Keep tools, food, torches. Drop dirt and gravel later. Building near water at night: Mobs swim. Build on elevated ground or surround with walls. Exploring caves unprepared: Caves are dark, confusing, and full of mobs. Wait until you've iron armor and a clear head. Next Steps: Server Experimentation Once you're comfortable with solo survival, multiplayer completely changes the game. Playing on a server with other people brings cooperation, competition, trading, and usually someone doing something hilarious that becomes server legend within hours. Check out the Minecraft Server List to find communities ranging from vanilla purist servers (no mods, pure Minecraft) to heavily modded survival experiences. If you're curious about eventually hosting your own server, the Server Properties Generator makes configuration painless. Survival mode sounds overwhelming in abstract, but broken into the first 10 hours, it's a series of simple tasks: get wood, build shelter, get food, get tools, mine carefully, repeat. Your first base will be hideous. Your second will be better. By your tenth, you'll wonder why you spent 50 hours building dirt paths to nowhere. That's survival mode. Get started.

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### InvUI: Building Custom Minecraft Server GUIs Like a Pro
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/invui-custom-minecraft-guis
Published: 2026-04-26
Author: ice

NichtStudioCode/InvUI A paper library for creating custom inventory-based GUIs. If you're running a Paper server and want your plugins to feel polished instead of janky, custom inventory-based GUIs are non-negotiable. InvUI is a Java library that lets you build them without drowning in boilerplate or wrestling with Minecraft's raw inventory API. You get clean, reusable components, event handling that actually makes sense, and support for animations and complex layouts. What This Project Does InvUI is a Paper server library designed to handle one specific problem: inventory-based GUIs for plugins. Instead of registering raw inventory listeners and doing half your logic inside click handlers, InvUI gives you a structure. You define a GUI window, add items and buttons with callbacks, and the library handles the repetitive stuff underneath. It supports a wide range of inventory types beyond the basic chest. You're looking at chests, anvils, brewers, cartography tables, crafters, furnaces, grindstones, merchants, smithing tables, and stonecutters. Different games need different tools, and InvUI lets you pick the right container for what you're building. What sets this apart from writing GUIs manually is the abstraction layer. Instead of thinking about slot numbers and click events, you think about components: buttons, inventories with special behavior, multi-page layouts. The library handles mapping that to Minecraft's constraints. Why Server Developers Actually Use This Building a GUI the hard way means manually tracking item positions, writing click listeners, managing your own state, and dealing with all the edge cases Minecraft throws at you. You end up with spaghetti code that's hard to extend. InvUI trades that mess for a declarative approach. The event system is where things get genuinely useful. You can define what happens on item clicks, set constraints on which items can go into specific slots (only allow certain item types), customize stack sizes per slot, and handle pre-update events. But this unlocks GUIs that feel responsive and intuitive instead of fighting the player. Animation support is another win. You can create visual polish without writing frame-by-frame update logic. For anything from a simple loading spinner to animated menu transitions, InvUI handles the timing. Plus, the library supports paged layouts for long lists, tabbed interfaces for organizing content, and scrollable areas. If you've tried building any of these manually in Minecraft plugins, you know it's tedious. Here it's built in. Getting InvUI Into Your Project Setup assumes you've got a Maven-based plugin project. First, add the XenonDevs repository to your `pom.xml`: xml<repository> <id>xenondevs</id> <url>https://repo.xenondevs.xyz/releases</url> </repository> Then add the dependency. Version 2.0.x supports Paper 26.1.2, and that's what you'll want if you're starting fresh. If you're stuck on older Minecraft versions (back to 1.14), version 1.49 has you covered. xml<dependency> <groupId>xyz.xenondevs.invui</groupId> <artifactId>invui</artifactId> <version>2.0.0</version> </dependency> If you're using Gradle instead (fair choice), the equivalent is obvious. Once you've got the dependency building, you're ready to start defining windows and items. Core Features That Matter GUI Types. InvUI ships with several layout patterns built in. A normal GUI is just a fixed grid. Paged GUIs let you chunk content across multiple screens with navigation buttons handled automatically. Scroll GUIs work like a vertical scrollbar for large lists. Tab GUIs organize content into separate views. Pick the one that matches what you're trying to build instead of reinventing pagination logic every time. MiniMessage Support. Color codes in Minecraft plugins are a pain. InvUI has first-class support for MiniMessage, which means you can use clean syntax like `Hello` instead of Minecraft's legacy ampersand codes. Your item names and lore stay readable in code. ItemBuilder for Localization. If your server runs in multiple languages (or you're planning to eventually), InvUI's ItemBuilder handles language swaps cleanly. Instead of hardcoding item names, you define them once and let the library handle translations. Thinking ahead on this stuff saves refactoring pain later. Powerful Event System. You can attach click handlers to specific items, validate input before it lands in a slot, customize stack size limits per slot, and respond to pre-update events. This means your GUI can actually enforce rules instead of just looking pretty and letting players break everything. Embeddable Inventories. This is one of those features that sounds boring until you actually need it. You can embed an inventory inside a GUI window and use it like a normal container. Want a crafting bench inside a larger menu? A player storage area? Now it works naturally. Common Gotchas and How to Dodge Them Version 2.0 is a breaking change from 1.49. It's a complete rewrite optimized for modern Paper, which means your old code won't compile. If you've got an existing plugin on 1.49, upgrading isn't trivial. But if you're starting fresh, just use 2.0. The biggest surprise people run into: slot indexing. InvUI abstracts most of this, but you still need to understand how Minecraft maps inventory slots to a 9-column grid. The documentation covers it, but getting this wrong means buttons and items end up in weird places. Event ordering matters. Item pre-update events fire before clicks are processed, and that distinction changes how you validate input. Read the docs carefully before you assume your event handler will always see the final state. Animation performance can get weird if you're animating too many items at once or running update logic that's expensive. Keep animation callbacks lightweight and test on lower-end machines (or at least simulate it mentally). Alternatives Worth Knowing About There are other options out there. Some developers hand-roll GUIs using Minecraft's raw inventory listeners and skip the library entirely. That works if you want minimal dependencies, but you'll write a lot more code. Conversely, there are other GUI libraries for Paper, though InvUI's documentation and active maintenance make it a solid pick for new projects. If you're building something super simple (a single chest menu with 5 buttons), the overhead of InvUI might feel overkill. For anything more complex, it pays for itself. One note: if you're building GUIs for a network of servers with a custom protocol, you might want to look elsewhere. InvUI is firmly focused on single-server Paper plugins. It doesn't handle cross-server communication or proxy integration. Beyond Basic Menus Once you've got simple menus working, InvUI lets you build surprisingly sophisticated interfaces. Combine paged layouts with animations. Use tab GUIs to organize different sections of your plugin's configuration. Leverage the event system to build interactive tools (search menus, crafting benches, equipment managers). The Minecraft Text Generator can help you craft fancy item names and lore formatting to use inside your GUIs. If you're serving multiple regions or languages, combine it with InvUI's ItemBuilder to localize everything consistently. And if you're running a public server with multiple sites and game modes, you might also be managing DNS. The Free Minecraft DNS tool handles that side of things, so your players can connect to your server with a custom domain instead of an IP address. The library is genuinely well-documented. That team maintains a full guide at xenondevs.xyz with examples, and the GitHub discussions channel is active. If you get stuck, you're not staring at skeleton code - you've got reference material. Ready to try InvUI? Grab the source, read the full documentation, or open an issue on GitHub. Star the repo if you find it useful. It helps the maintainers and surfaces the project for other Minecraft players. Visit NichtStudioCode/InvUI on GitHub ↗

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### Vane: Immersive Minecraft Without Abandoning Vanilla
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/vane-vanilla-enhancement
Published: 2026-04-26
Author: ice

GitHub · Minecraft community project vane (oddlama/vane) Immersive and lore friendly enhancements for vanilla Minecraft Star on GitHub ↗ If you're running a PaperMC server and want to enrich vanilla without replacing it, Vane is worth your attention. It's a modular plugin suite that layers lore-friendly additions on top of the game you already know, from quality-of-life improvements to custom items and grief protection. What Vane Actually Does Vane is a plugin suite for PaperMC servers that adds thoughtful enhancements designed to feel like they belong in vanilla Minecraft. The philosophy here's important: instead of introducing radical new mechanics or replacing core systems, Vane augments what's already there. You're getting custom items, new enchantments, better portals, and grief protection - but players shouldn't feel like they're running a modded server. The project has 380 stars on GitHub and is built in Java. This distinction matters. Most server plugins either go vanilla-lite (barely adding anything) or swing hard into total conversion territory. Vane sits in the middle, which is the sweet spot for communities that want something more without losing that vanilla magic. Each feature is configurable, so you're not forced to enable anything that doesn't fit your server's vibe. Why You'd Actually Want This Let's say you're managing a survival server for friends. Players want longer-distance travel options beyond just walking or boats. They want some basic grief protection without running a massive region system. They're interested in custom tools that don't feel like they're from a totally different game. This is Vane's lane - filling practical gaps in vanilla. The portal system is the most impressive feature here. Actually, I'll come back to that. Beyond portals, you get a region system for grief protection (it's simple, not overcomplicated), custom items carefully designed to fit vanilla aesthetics, enchantments for tools you actually use, and integration with map mods like BlueMap and Dynmap. Each of these solves a real problem server owners face without making the world feel foreign to new players. Quality-of-life improvements that don't break vanilla balance Custom items and enchantments that fit the Minecraft art style Long-distance travel via Vane's portal system (expensive to create, expensive to use) Grief protection without the learning curve of complex systems Full configurability to disable anything you don't want Getting Vane Running Installation is straightforward if you're already familiar with PaperMC. The latest version (1.21.1) removed the ProtocolLib dependency, which simplified setup significantly. Grab the JAR files and drop them into your plugins folder. Here's the basic process: bash# Download the latest release from GitHub # https://github.com/oddlama/vane/releases # Extract the plugin JARs into your plugins directory cd your-server-directory/plugins wget https://github.com/oddlama/vane/releases/download/v1.21.1/vane-core-1.21.1.jar wget https://github.com/oddlama/vane/releases/download/v1.21.1/vane-admin-1.21.1.jar # Restart your server # The plugins will generate config files on first run Vane is modular, so you can download individual feature JAR files instead of grabbing everything. If you only want custom items and not portals, you don't have to install the portal module. So this keeps your plugin folder clean and only loads what you're actually using. One thing to note: Vane requires PaperMC. It won't work on vanilla servers or most other server software. After restarting, check your logs for any warnings. Config files appear in the plugins/Vane folder. You'll want to read through these to understand which features are enabled and how they're tuned. The defaults are reasonable, but every server's different. The Standout Features Portals for Real Travel Vane's portal system is actually impressive. Creating a portal is expensive (requires significant resources), using it's expensive (consumes items per trip), and they're beautiful. These aren't cheap teleportation gimmicks. They feel like something you'd genuinely invest in on a long-term server, and they support all entities including minecarts. I wasn't expecting the minecart support - that's the kind of detail that shows someone thought about how the feature actually works in survival gameplay. GitHub project card for oddlama/vane Custom Enchantments Beyond the vanilla enchantments, Vane adds new ones for tools you actually use regularly. These are properly balanced and don't trivialize the game. You're not getting god-tier enchantments that make everything instant; you're getting tweaks that make specific tasks less tedious in ways that fit the vanilla progression. The Region System Grief protection gets complicated fast. Most systems require players to memorize commands and understand complex claim hierarchies. Vane's approach is simpler. You define regions and set who can build in them. It's powerful enough for survival multiplayer without making someone spend an hour reading docs. Custom Items Done Right Several carefully designed custom items fit Minecraft's visual language. These aren't neon weapons or anime swords; they're things like a golden sickle for harvesting crops faster. They look like they belong. Map Integration If you're running BlueMap, Dynmap, or Pl3xMap, Vane integrates with them. Your map viewer stays updated with the latest changes, and features like regions can display on the map. It's a nice quality-of-life touch if you're already maintaining a map for your players. What You Should Know Before Starting Vane is fully configurable, which is great - but it also means you need to actually read the config files. Don't just drop the plugin and assume the defaults are perfect for your server. Also, this is a plugin. That means it runs on PaperMC servers. If you want the features on a vanilla client, that's not happening. Your players connect to your server and experience the features there - but they don't need to install anything on their client. If you're running other plugins, check for conflicts. Most survival plugins play nice with each other, but it's worth testing. The Discord community can help if something breaks. Actually, one more thing - custom items and enchantments require players to interact with them through normal Minecraft progression. If you're playing pure survival, you'll actually have to find and craft them. That's intentional and good, but I wanted to mention it in case you expected instant access. Where to Find Vane Skins and Server Status If you're running a Vane server, you might want to check out the Browse Minecraft Skins page to find custom skins that match your server's theme. And if you're testing your server's stability, the Minecraft Server Status Checker is helpful for monitoring uptime. Similar Projects Worth Knowing About If Vane doesn't quite fit your needs, there are alternatives. Fabric server mods offer similar vanilla-plus experiences but require client-side installation. For pure plugin solutions, some communities use combinations of smaller plugins (like WorldGuard for grief protection) stacked together. The difference is that Vane is cohesive - everything works together by design rather than being bolted on. Some servers run both Vane and other plugins. It's modular enough that you can mix and match if needed, though most people find the suite does what they want out of the box. Support the project vane is maintained by the open-source community. If it saved you time or powered something cool, leave a ⭐ on the repo, report bugs, or contribute back. Small actions keep tools like this alive.

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### Lazymc: How to Auto-Wake Your Minecraft Server
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/lazymc-minecraft-server-idle
Published: 2026-04-26
Author: ice

timvisee/lazymc 💤 Put your Minecraft server to rest when idle. .0 If you run a Minecraft server that sits empty most of the day, lazymc might be the solution you didn't know you needed. It automatically puts your server to sleep when no one's playing and wakes it the moment a player shows up - all without them noticing a thing. What Lazymc Does (and Who It's For) Lazymc is a proxy that sits between your players and your actual Minecraft server. Think of it as a bouncer at the door. When the real server is running, lazymc just gets out of the way and lets traffic through. But when you tell it to, lazymc can respond to connection attempts on its own, holding or kicking players with a custom message while it spins up the actual server in the background. The genius part? Once the real server is ready, lazymc transparently relays everything. Players don't know they were talking to a proxy the whole time. This is built in Rust and weighs about 3KB of RAM. For a self-hosted server running on limited hardware - a Raspberry Pi, an old laptop, a VPS with tight resource limits - this changes the economics completely. You're looking at lazymc if you run a modded server (which devour resources), a semi-public server where friends drop in unpredictably, or anything where "always on" costs more than you'd like to pay. Why Your Server Needs This Most Minecraft servers, especially modded ones, burn resources even when empty. A heavily modded setup can sit at 2-4GB of RAM usage just waiting. If you're paying per hour or month on a host, that's wasted money. If you're running it at home, that's your electricity bill and hardware wear. Lazymc solves this by actually stopping the server process when it's idle. Not suspending it - actually stopping it. Your RAM drops to nearly nothing. Your CPU load vanishes. Then the second someone tries to join, lazymc wakes the server back up and gets out of the way. The catch? There's a startup delay. If your server takes 30 seconds to boot, players will wait 30 seconds before they can join. Lazymc can tell them what's happening (with a custom MOTD showing "Server is starting..."), or it can kick them with a friendly message. For casual servers or friend groups, that's fine. Getting Started: Installation and Setup On Linux or macOS, grab the binary from the latest release. Download the right build for your system - aarch64 for ARM, x64 for standard Intel/AMD. On Windows, there's a pre-built.exe. bash# Download for Linux x64 wget https://github.com/timvisee/lazymc/releases/download/v0.2.11/lazymc-v0.2.11-linux-x64 # Make it executable chmod a+x lazymc-v0.2.11-linux-x64 # Rename for convenience (optional) mv lazymc-v0.2.11-linux-x64 lazymc Put the binary in your server directory. Test it works: bash./lazymc - help Now generate the config file: bash./lazymc config generate This creates a `lazymc.toml` file. You'll need to edit it - mainly pointing lazymc at your actual server's address and telling it how to start the server. If your server starts with `java -jar server.jar nogui`, you'll put that in the config. Then start lazymc: bash./lazymc start Update your server's DNS or your launcher's server IP to point to the lazymc proxy instead of the real server. From now on, lazymc is the front door. How the Join Methods Work Lazymc gives you choices for how to handle players joining while the server starts. Each has trade-offs. GitHub project card for timvisee/lazymc Hold is transparent but requires patience. Players connect to lazymc, and lazymc holds them in a queue. Once the real server boots, lazymc relays them in without them losing connection. They don't see a disconnect. Best for players who don't mind a delay. Kick is simpler but less elegant. When a player tries to join and the server's booting, lazymc kicks them with a custom message like "Server is starting, try again in 30 seconds!" Players have to manually rejoin. Works fine for small groups. Forward is clever if you run a lobby. It redirects players to a different IP (like a lobby server) while the main server boots. They play mini-games or hang out until it's ready, then you teleport them over. Lobby mode (still experimental) creates an emulated Minecraft server world while the real one starts. Players can move around in a small sandbox. When the real server's ready, they teleport over automatically. Features That Actually Matter Beyond the core sleep-and-wake idea, lazymc handles the admin stuff you'd do manually. It automatically manages your `server.properties` file - keeping the right host and port settings, configuring RCON if you need it. You don't have to fiddle with those by hand. If your server crashes, lazymc can restart it automatically. And it respects ban lists from your server, blocking banned IPs before they even reach the server process. One useful feature: you can send a `SIGTERM` to lazymc or hit it with RCON to gracefully shut down the server. Useful for updates or maintenance without yanking the power cord. There's also a proxy header option if you want the real server to know the actual player IP instead of seeing lazymc's IP as the client. That's essential if you use IP-based authentication or logging. Tips, Gotchas, and What to Watch For First: lazymc requires you to have direct system access. If you're on a shared hosting provider with a control panel dashboard, you probably can't run it. You need SSH or shell access to start the binary. Second: startup times matter. If your server takes two minutes to boot (looking at you, heavily modded setups with 200+ mods), players will wait. Plan accordingly and make sure your MOTD is clear. Nobody likes silent loading screens. Version support goes back to Java Edition 1.6, which is ancient. Recent versions like 26.1.2 work fine. But it's worth double-checking the GitHub if you're running something truly latest. One surprising thing: lazymc config can be finicky if you're on Windows because of how RCON works. The project has separate Windows docs covering this. Read them. If you're running a voting system (maybe you want people testing your server on sites like that), just make sure your lazymc MOTD is accurate. If you've used the Minecraft Votifier Tester to verify voting, be aware that lazymc's proxy response might differ from your live server's. When Lazymc Isn't the Right Fit Lazymc works great for modded servers or low-traffic setups. But if you're running a bustling community server that's online 12 hours a day, the boot delays become annoying. And if you need real-time uptime guarantees, the sleep/wake cycle isn't reliable enough - someone will join, wait for startup, and get frustrated. Also: plugins that hook into server lifecycle events (startup, shutdown) might behave oddly if you're constantly cycling the server on and off. Test thoroughly before running this on a production server with delicate plugin chains. If you're just trying to reduce your server cost a little and don't want to manage a proxy, consider asking your host if they offer auto-shutdown features. Some do. But most hosts don't, and that's where lazymc shines. Support the project lazymc is maintained by the open-source community. If it saved you time or powered something cool, leave a ⭐ on the repo, report bugs, or contribute back. Small actions keep tools like this alive.

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### How to Build a Cohesive Minecraft Network with ValioBungee
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/valiobungee-minecraft-proxy-sync
Published: 2026-04-26
Author: ice

GitHub · Minecraft community project ValioBungee (ProxioDev/ValioBungee) Synchronize players data between BungeeCord / Velocity proxies Star on GitHub ↗ .0 Running a Minecraft network across multiple servers sounds great until you realize players expect to carry their data everywhere. If your friend joins with 50 emeralds and switches to a different proxy server, they shouldn't lose them. That's what ValioBungee solves - it keeps player data synchronized across all your BungeeCord and Velocity instances using Redis. What's ValioBungee? ValioBungee is a fork of the long-abandoned RedisBungee project, updated and maintained by ProxioDev. It's a Java plugin that syncs player information (inventory, location, experience, and custom data) across multiple proxy servers through a central Redis database. If you're running a distributed Minecraft network, this plugin bridges the gap between independent proxy instances so players experience a smooth network no matter which server they connect to. The original RedisBungee hasn't been updated in years, and the creator moved on. Rather than let server admins scramble with outdated code, ProxioDev revived the project as ValioBungee (the name change was necessary due to trademark restrictions, though the internals remain largely the same). It's a genuinely useful example of community maintenance - someone saw a problem and fixed it. Why You'd Actually Need This Most single-server Minecraft setups don't need this. It's when you start building a proper network that things get complicated. Say you're running a hub server and three game servers (survival, creative, pvp). Players should be able to jump between them without losing progress. BungeeCord and Velocity already handle getting players from the proxy to individual servers, but they don't share data about who's online, what items they're holding, or custom data your plugins have stored. ValioBungee fills that gap. But it uses Redis as a shared data layer, so all your proxies can ask "is player Bob online?" and get the same answer regardless of which proxy answers. Common use cases include: Networks with multiple hub/lobby servers where players should see who's online across the whole network Hub-and-spoke architectures where players join a hub first, then pick which game server to play on Custom cosmetics or ranks that should follow players between servers Shared leaderboards or statistics Preventing duplicate logins if a player connects to multiple proxies simultaneously You don't need this if you're running a single server or a small proxy network. If you're operating at scale or want your network to feel like one cohesive system instead of separate servers, it becomes valuable. Getting Started with ValioBungee First, you'll need a running Redis server. If you don't have one, that's your actual first step (not part of ValioBungee itself). Then, grab the plugin. Download the latest release from GitHub: bashwget https://github.com/ProxioDev/ValioBungee/releases/download/0.12.6/RedisBungee-Proxy-Bungee-0.12.6-all.jar Move it to your BungeeCord plugins folder: bashmv RedisBungee-Proxy-Bungee-0.12.6-all.jar /path/to/bungeecord/plugins/ Restart BungeeCord. It'll generate a configuration file with defaults. Edit config.yml (usually in the plugins/RedisBungee folder) to point to your Redis server: yamlredis: host: localhost port: 6379 Restart again, and the plugin starts syncing player data. Simple in theory, but there's a recent gotcha worth knowing about (see the troubleshooting section below). How It Actually Works ValioBungee uses a Java Redis client called Jedis to connect to Redis and store player information. When a player joins, the proxy publishes their data to Redis. Other proxies subscribe to these updates, so they know who's connected across the entire network. You can query this data through the RedisBungeeAPI. If you're developing a plugin that needs to know "is player X online right now across the entire network?" instead of just on this server, that's what the API is for. Behind the scenes, it's storing player names, UUIDs, and connection state. Custom plugins can store their own data too, which is why it's useful for things like shared cosmetics or network-wide achievements. Known Issues and Quirks Here's where ValioBungee gets interesting (and slightly frustrating). The Adventure API relocation issue: Version 0.12.6 was released as a hotfix specifically because BungeeCord and ValioBungee were using different versions of the Adventure text library, causing conflicts. If you're using Adventure API in your plugins that also use RedisBungeeAPI, you'll need to recompile them after updating. This is annoying, but it's a real problem with Java dependency management and not unique to this project. Older plugins expecting the old API: The maintainer notes that version 0.13.0 (coming soon) will include a compatibility layer for plugins written for the original RedisBungee. If you're sitting on old plugins, you might hit this, but it's being addressed. Redis connectivity: If Redis goes down, your proxies can't sync. But this isn't ValioBungee's fault, but it's worth knowing. You should monitor your Redis instance separately. Configuration varies by use case: There's a wiki with setup instructions, but buried in the details are context-specific decisions about what data to sync and how to handle conflicts. It's not a one-size-fits-all plugin. Comparing to Alternatives ValioBungee isn't the only way to sync player data across proxies. Custom solutions exist, but they require development work and ongoing maintenance. Built-in proxy features in Velocity and BungeeCord have some player tracking, but it's limited to immediate network awareness without persistent data sync. Other Redis-based solutions are out there, but ValioBungee is actively maintained and has real community weight behind it. For most networks, it's the practical choice without requiring you to build infrastructure from scratch. Making Your Network Feel Cohesive Once ValioBungee is running, your network starts to feel like a single system. Players see their friends online, rankings follow them between servers, and custom items don't get lost when they switch servers. That cohesion matters more than you'd think. If you've ever played on a poorly-connected network where you lose items when changing servers or your rank resets, you know how jarring it's. ValioBungee removes that friction. As you build out your network, you might want to browse Minecraft skins to find cosmetics to offer your players, or check out the free DNS tool if you're setting up custom domains for your network.ProxioDev/ValioBungee - EPL-1.0, ★247 Where to go from here Read the source on GitHub (docs, examples, and the issue tracker) Browse open issues to see what the community is working on Check recent releases for the latest build or changelog

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### Running Multiple Minecraft Servers on One IP with mc-router
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/mc-router-multiple-servers-one-ip
Published: 2026-04-26
Author: ice

"Routes Minecraft client connections to backend servers based upon the requested server address" itzg/mc-router · github.com Want to run multiple Minecraft servers on one public IP and port? mc-router lets you host several servers behind a single address, automatically directing players to the right backend based on the hostname they use to connect. No expensive hosting plans or additional IPs required. The Port 25565 Problem Here's the reality of home server setups: port 25565 is the standard Minecraft port, and most internet providers give you one public IP address. Want to run a survival world, a creative realm, and a competitive PvP server simultaneously? You're usually stuck buying multiple public IPs (expensive and often unavailable) or paying hosting companies for separate server subscriptions (which adds up fast). mc-router solves this by sitting in front of all your backends and acting as an intelligent traffic router. A player connects to `survival.example.com` and gets routed to Server A. Another connects to `creative.example.com` and hits Server B. Same IP, same port, completely different backends. Why This Matters More Than It Sounds Home server enthusiasts finally get multiple worlds without enterprise pricing. Community servers can consolidate infrastructure. And because it's written in Go, mc-router runs on minimal resources - less CPU and memory than a single idle Minecraft server. It'll happily run on older hardware or a Raspberry Pi. Honest take though: you don't need this unless you're already comfortable with Docker or Linux networking. Running one casual server for friends? Skip it. Building something more complex? This saves enormous amounts of money and headache. Security is another underrated benefit. mc-router blocks Minecraft port scanners that don't specify a valid hostname. Random internet traffic can't easily discover and crash into your setup. It's a free security layer that comes built in. Getting It Running Most people use Docker. Pull the image: bashdocker pull itzg/mc-router:latest Then run it with routes defined: bashdocker run -d \ - name mc-router \ -p 25565:25565 \ -e ROUTES=survival=backend-survival:25565,creative=backend-creative:25565 \ itzg/mc-router:latest Breaking this down: `-p 25565:25565` exposes the Minecraft port to the outside world. The `ROUTES` variable tells mc-router to send connections asking for "survival" to a Docker container named `backend-survival`, and "creative" connections to `backend-creative`. That's the entire concept. In a real setup, you'd use Docker Compose so your backends and router start together. Everything stays readable and shuts down cleanly. Running Kubernetes? mc-router auto-discovers backend servers from service labels. You don't manually list routes. For larger operations, this is genuinely the killer feature. Features That Actually Help Auto-scaling is the one that sounds made-up until you use it. Backend servers can automatically shut down when idle and wake up when someone connects. Idle servers drain resources and cost money. Players just see a loading message while their server boots. (This only works with Kubernetes StatefulSets or Docker containers, not VMs on cloud hosts.) GitHub project card for itzg/mc-router Metrics and monitoring mean you get Prometheus/InfluxDB integration out of the box. Track player connections, which servers get traffic, latency between router and backends. If you're already monitoring infrastructure, you get instant visibility. IP filtering and rate limiting block basic DDoS attacks and let you allowlist/denylist IP ranges. Not a substitute for real DDoS protection, but it keeps casual attackers away. Webhook integration notifies other systems when players connect and disconnect. Graceful fallback is small but valuable. When a backend goes down, show a custom MOTD instead of timing out. Auto-scaled servers booting up can show "Server starting..." instead of making players wait confused. Gotchas and How to Avoid Them DNS is non-negotiable. mc-router routes based on hostname, so players must connect to `survival.example.com`, not just the raw IP. If you don't have DNS sorted, our Free Minecraft DNS tool can help you get started. Once you've got that working, you might also bookmark our Nether Portal Calculator for other infrastructure work. Backend servers see all connections coming from mc-router itself, not original players. Your server logs lose real player IPs unless you configure proxy protocol support. It's possible, but easy to miss on first setup. mc-router adds almost no latency, but it becomes a single point of failure. If the router crashes, nobody reaches any backend. Proper monitoring and restart procedures matter. Configuration formatting is picky. Spaces around equals signs in environment variables silently break routing. Typos in container names fail quietly. Always validate configuration before wondering why traffic isn't flowing. Similar Tools Worth Knowing About Bungeecord and Velocity are Java-based Minecraft proxies designed specifically for routing players across servers. They handle cross-server data synchronization, but consume more resources and require managing a separate Java application. Use these if shared player data across worlds matters to you. Waterfall is a Bungeecord fork with slightly different management philosophy. Commercial hosting like AWS and DigitalOcean handles multiple servers without juggling ports. You're paying for convenience instead of building infrastructure yourself. mc-router wins when you want lightweight, hands-on control with minimal overhead. It's doing one thing really well rather than trying to be everything. Current State The project stays actively maintained with regular releases improving the Routes API and logging controls. With 840 GitHub stars and an active Discord community, this isn't experimental. It's a real tool people depend on. Where to go from here Read the source on GitHub (docs, examples, and the issue tracker) Browse open issues to see what the community is working on Check recent releases for the latest build or changelog

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### AuraSkills: The RPG Skills Plugin Minecraft Servers Have Been Waiting For
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/auraskills-minecraft-rpg-plugin-guide
Published: 2026-04-26
Author: ice

Archy-X/AuraSkills The ultra-versatile RPG skills plugin .0 If you've ever played a Minecraft server and thought "wouldn't it be cool if my pickaxe got better the more I mined?" or "I want actual skill progression like an RPG," then AuraSkills is what you've been looking for. This plugin turns vanilla Minecraft into a progression system where nearly everything you do feeds into character development, stat boosts, and special abilities. What AuraSkills Actually Does At its core, AuraSkills is a framework for turning Minecraft activities into an RPG progression system. You mine? Folks who try this gain Mining XP. Folks who try this fish? Fishing XP. Farm crops, slay mobs, brew potions, enchant items - each action feeds into a corresponding skill. The plugin tracks all of this and levels you up in those skills, which then unlock stat bonuses, passive abilities, and active abilities you can trigger in combat or out. What makes this different from other progression plugins is the flexibility. AuraSkills isn't locked into one specific vision of what an RPG should look like. It's a platform. You can turn it into a hardcore PvP server where stats directly affect combat, a survival server where skills unlock convenience features, or a creative realm where abilities add new mechanics entirely. The plugin ships with sensible defaults, but almost every number, name, and reward is configurable. According to the project's stats, it's pulled in 338 stars on GitHub and is actively maintained. The latest release supports Paper 26.1.1, which means it's keeping up with current Minecraft server software. The RPG Features That Set It Apart Skills are the foundation. AuraSkills ships with a default set - things like Mining, Farming, Fishing, Combat, Magic, Alchemy - but you can add custom ones. Each skill tracks XP, levels, and can be configured to reward items, run commands, or apply stat modifiers when you level up. Stats are where the RPG mechanics actually hit players. Leveling up in Strength gives health and damage boosts. Charisma increases loot drops. Intelligence boosts potion potency and spell damage. Unlike mods that hard-code these, AuraSkills lets you decide which stats exist, what they do, and how much each skill contributes to them. You could make Constitution the only stat that matters, or create a 20-stat system with esoteric bonuses. It's entirely up to you. Abilities are the flashy part. Each skill can have passive abilities (always active) and active abilities (triggered with a command or item). Imagine passive lifesteal from Combat, or active abilities that let you Phase through blocks if you've leveled Magic high enough. These aren't built-in - you configure what abilities exist and what they do. Some servers use them as quality-of-life bonuses. Others build entire gameplay loops around them. There's also a mana system and custom loot tables for fishing, blocks, and mob drops. You can create entirely new item drops tied to your skills. A high-level farmer gets better crop yields. A high-level fisherman catches rare items. These little touches are what turn AuraSkills from a stat sheet into actual gameplay. Getting It Running On Your Server Installation is straightforward if you're comfortable with Bukkit-style plugins. Grab the latest JAR from the official releases page and drop it into your server's plugins folder. AuraSkills requires a compatible Paper server running recent versions of Minecraft - check the wiki for specifics, but anything from late 1.20+ should work. bash# On your server directory cd plugins wget https://github.com/Archy-X/AuraSkills/releases/download/2.3.12/AuraSkills-2.3.12.jar cd.. java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar server.jar nogui On first launch, AuraSkills generates config files. Don't panic at the wall of YAML. Start with the defaults and test the plugin as-is. Players will immediately start gaining XP for normal activities. Once you understand how it works, you can customize everything: skill names, XP rates, abilities, stat formulas, rewards, menu appearance. If you want to verify your server is healthy before adding plugins, you can check your setup with Minecraft.How's server status checker to ensure everything's responding correctly. Configuration and Customization (the Real Power) The config files are where AuraSkills goes from "neat plugin" to "this is exactly what my server needs." Want players to gain Farming XP from bone meal? You can tune that. Don't want the default Magic skill? Delete it. Think Acrobatics should give movement speed instead of fall damage reduction? Change it. Where most servers get stuck is the learning curve on the config structure. It's not difficult, just thorough. You're defining skills, stats, abilities, and how they all interact. A single ability might reference stats, trigger commands, apply potion effects, and modify loot tables. You need to understand the relationships between these systems to build something cohesive. The wiki is solid here. So it walks through the config structure with examples. And if you get stuck, the Discord community is active. But honestly, I'd recommend starting with a minimal config change - maybe just renaming a skill or adjusting XP rates - before attempting a full redesign of the stat system. Abilities, Menus, and Developer Integration Players access their skill trees, abilities, and stats through configurable in-game menus. These are fully themeable GUIs that show progress, available abilities, and stat breakdowns. It's not as flashy as a mod client, but it's functional and customizable. GitHub project card for Archy-X/AuraSkills If you're a plugin developer, AuraSkills exposes an API for integrating with your own plugins. You can listen for skill level-up events, modify XP gains, or query player stats from custom plugins. Release versions are published to Maven Central, making it easy to add as a dependency if you're building something on top of it. There's also a solid loot system. Instead of every miner getting the same drops, you can weight drops based on skill level or add rare items that only high-level players can find. This creates an incentive for skill progression beyond just stats. When AuraSkills Isn't The Right Fit AuraSkills is incredibly flexible, but flexibility means complexity. If you want to drop a plugin in and have an RPG system work immediately with zero configuration, you'll be disappointed. The defaults are solid, but most servers tweak them heavily. If that sounds exhausting, you might prefer something more locked-in like a premade skyblock plugin with built-in progression. Also, AuraSkills doesn't handle character classes, quests, or narrative progression. It's a skill and stat system. If your server concept revolves around story-driven content, you'll need other plugins to fill those gaps. Many servers pair AuraSkills with quest plugins or custom quest systems, but that's additional work. Performance-wise, AuraSkills is reasonable, but any plugin that tracks XP gains, applies stat multipliers, and modifies loot has overhead. On a small server with 10 players, you won't notice. On a 100-player server running 20 plugins, you might need to profile and optimize. The plugin itself isn't bloated, but it's not zero-cost either. Tips, Gotchas, and What Actually Works Start with stock settings and play test for a week. You'll immediately see what needs adjustment. Don't optimize the config before you understand what's broken. XP rates are your first tuning knob. Make them too high and progression becomes trivial. Too low and players get bored. I'd start at 1x and watch how fast the first few players level up. Most servers end up in the 0.5x to 2x range depending on their playstyle. Abilities are cool but easy to over-design. A skill with ten passive abilities becomes a wall of text in-game. Keep abilities meaningful. Every ability should do something that changes how the player approaches a task - either making them better at it or letting them do something new entirely. One thing I didn't expect: stat formulas get weird fast. If you're adding health per Constitution point, you need to decide if that scales linearly or exponentially. A hundred Constitution adding 100 extra health is very different from 200. Test edge cases. High-level players can break your difficulty curve if stats aren't balanced. Also, if you're running this on a server with NBT limits or item count limits, you might run into issues with loot table modifications. Not a deal-breaker, just something to be aware of if your server configuration is custom. Ecosystem and Alternatives If AuraSkills feels too extensive, there are lighter alternatives. McMMO is more combat-focused and has been around for years - it's simpler but less flexible. Levelledmobs adds mob scaling based on player skill, but it's a different use case. ASkyBlock has built-in skill progression but only works on skyblock-style maps. Actually, AuraSkills and McMMO can coexist on the same server if you want both systems. Some communities layer them together, using McMMO for combat skills and AuraSkills for everything else. It depends on what you're building. The real competitor is custom development. If you've a Java developer on staff, you could build a bespoke skill system. But you'd need months. AuraSkills gives you months of work in a downloadable plugin. For most server admins, that's the winning play. If you're setting up a server and want to verify everything's running smoothly once you add plugins, the Nether Portal Calculator won't directly help with AuraSkills, but it's a good sanity check that your server's math and physics are correct before you start balancing RPG formulas. Where to go from here Read the source on GitHub (docs, examples, and the issue tracker) Browse open issues to see what the community is working on Check recent releases for the latest build or changelog

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### RenderDragon Shaders: Your Safe Shader Guide for Bedrock 2026
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/render-dragon-shader-list-bedrock-guide
Published: 2026-04-26
Author: ice

GitHub · Minecraft community project Render-dragon-shader-list (DominoKorean/Render-dragon-shader-list) List of shaders and related information, files, etc. that are compatible with RenderDragon. Star on GitHub ↗ .0 Minecraft Bedrock Edition feels limited for visual customization. Unlike Java Edition, where Optifine and mods give you endless tweaking options, Bedrock's official features are pretty bare-bones. RenderDragon shaders bridge that gap, but finding legitimate packs is weirdly difficult. The internet is full of stolen shaders, malware-laden downloads, and fake "optimized" versions. A RenderDragon Shader List exists to cut through that noise and point you toward the real thing. Why Bedrock Shaders Are Harder to Find (and Riskier) Here's the situation: Mojang discontinued official shader support for Bedrock years ago. That created a vacuum. Java Edition has a thriving mod ecosystem where you can trust major platforms, but Bedrock players are left scrambling. Sites like 9Minecraft have become notorious for distributing shaders without creator permission and bundling malware alongside them. New players don't always know this, which makes them easy targets. The problem is real. You can't easily tell which shaders are legitimate, which are stolen redistributions, and which are actively dangerous. Search "Bedrock shaders" and you'll hit scam sites before you find anything official. Even experienced players sometimes slip up and download from the wrong place. This is where trust matters. When there's no official marketplace, the community has to create one. What the RenderDragon Shader List Does DominoKorean's repository on GitHub is basically a trusted directory. It's a curated list of safe, community-verified RenderDragon shaders with installation guides, creator links, and Discord communities backing them up. Instead of hunting through sketchy websites, you check the list first. If it's there, it's legitimate. And that peace of mind is genuinely valuable. The project has 309 stars on GitHub, which tells you the community considers this a resource worth returning to. But it's not just a list. The repository includes installation walkthroughs, links to official creator Discord servers (especially the Bedrock Graphics community), and utilities that make shader management far less technical than it used to be. It also includes a warning section about problematic sites, which is refreshingly honest. The maintainers aren't shy about calling out places that distribute fake shaders. They're protecting their community, not trying to be neutral about safety. Understanding RenderDragon and What Shaders Actually Do RenderDragon is Bedrock's modern rendering engine, introduced years ago to replace the aging OpenGL/DirectX setup. When people say "RenderDragon shaders," they mean custom visual enhancements created by modding RenderDragon's files directly. But this is different from Java Edition shaders, which are created using a shader language that game engines understand natively. GitHub project card for DominoKorean/Render-dragon-shader-list What do RenderDragon shaders actually do? They enhance lighting, improve water reflections, add shadow depth, adjust ambient colors, and generally make your world look more cinematic. Some are subtle. Others are dramatic. None of them change gameplay - they're purely visual. The repository includes utilities that make using these shaders easier. MB Loader, for example, streamlines how you load and manage shader packs without manually digging through game files. If you've ever spent 20 minutes hunting through AppData folders trying to find where Bedrock stores textures, you'll appreciate a tool that handles it for you. BetterRenderDragon improves shader compatibility and stability. BetterResourcePackManager handles resource packs alongside shaders, since they often work together. Setting Up Your First Shader (Step-by-Step) The basic process is straightforward, though it depends on which shader and which method you choose. Start by visiting the repository and picking a shader that interests you. Read the description and check what device requirements or Bedrock versions it supports. Some shaders run great on older hardware; others need recent devices to stay playable. If you want the easiest route, use a shader loader utility. Download MB Loader from the repository, follow the installation guide, and select your shader from the list. The tool handles file management, which removes most of the complexity. For manual installation, you'll need to extract shader files to the correct Bedrock folder. On Windows, that's typically: bashAppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MinecraftUWP_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\games\com.mojang It's not complicated, just easy to mess up if you're not careful about folder structure. The repository's documentation walks you through this explicitly. Once installed, launch Bedrock, go to Settings, navigate to Graphics, and you should see your shader listed. Enable it, tweak any settings the shader offers, and you're done. Testing on a world you don't mind restarting is smart - some shaders cause unexpected visual glitches or performance dips in specific situations. Popular Shaders and What They're Good For The list includes dozens of options. A few have become community standards for good reason. 2 endcities generated close to each other in Minecraft YSS RD is a solid all-around choice. So it improves lighting and water without destroying frame rates on mid-range devices. Newb X Legacy is popular with players who want clear visual improvement without going extreme - good if you're not sure how intense you want to go. Eternity Shader is for players who want cinematic lighting, detailed water reflections, and don't mind the performance cost on powerful hardware. Each has different strengths. Some prioritize performance. Others push visual quality as far as they can. The repository notes these differences, so you can pick something realistic for your device. Unlike generic "best shaders" lists that just rank by popularity, this one acknowledges that the best shader for you depends on your hardware and preferences. If you're also interested in curating other visual aspects of your world, exploring custom Minecraft skins is the natural next step. Shaders change how your world looks; skins change how your character appears. Together, they create a fully customized experience. Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them A few things to know before diving in: Shader packs sometimes conflict with heavy custom resource packs. If you've got extensive texture modifications installed, some shaders might not play nicely. The solution is usually just disabling one temporarily to test compatibility. Performance varies wildly between devices. A shader that runs smoothly on newer hardware might tank frame rates on older devices. This isn't the repository's fault - it's just how Bedrock rendering works. Start conservative and upgrade your shader if your device handles it. Version incompatibilities happen. Bedrock updates frequently, and older shaders sometimes break until creators patch them. The repository notes known issues, but checking the shader creator's Discord is always smart if something doesn't work. Most importantly: don't install shaders from random websites, even if they claim to be "optimized" or "improved" versions. Stick to the repository's links and official creator sources. This is where the security advantage of the list really kicks in. Building Your Complete Bedrock Visual Setup Shaders are one piece of a larger customization puzzle. The Bedrock Graphics Discord community backing the project is worth joining. They're active, helpful, and constantly discussing new shaders, resource packs, and updates. Once you've got a shader running, you might want to pair it with custom textures, custom maps, or test it on a multiplayer server. If you're planning to play on community servers, it's worth checking server stability beforehand - you can use a Minecraft server status checker to verify uptime and latency before committing time to a server. The visual transformation shaders create is genuinely dramatic. So that difference between stock Bedrock and a good shader pack is night and day. Enhanced lighting, better water, improved shadows, all running on the same hardware you already have. For Bedrock fans, this is one of the most important community resources available. If you're mostly a Java player who loads up Bedrock occasionally, shaders might feel like overkill. But for Bedrock enthusiasts, this repository solves a problem that's plagued the community for years: how to customize your world safely. That's worth taking seriously. Where to go from here Read the source on GitHub (docs, examples, and the issue tracker) Browse open issues to see what the community is working on Check recent releases for the latest build or changelog

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### Best Minecraft Storage Mods: Organize Like a Pro
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/best-minecraft-storage-mods
Published: 2026-04-26
Author: ice

Storage is the real endgame of Minecraft, honestly. You can beat the dragon, find diamonds, build a mansion, but none of it matters if you're drowning in chests. That's where mods come in. Vanilla Minecraft gives you exactly one choice for item storage: a wooden box that holds 27 stacks. Double it and you get 54 stacks. Great. But once you're running a base with multiple projects, automatic farms, mob grinders, and contraption workshops, you need something better. Storage mods transform this nightmare into something manageable, and some turn inventory management into a whole separate game. Applied Energistics 2: The ME Network If you want to feel like you're running a sci-fi space station, Applied Energistics 2 (AE2) is the way to go. Instead of chests everywhere, you build a "ME Network" where every item in your system lives in a single searchable interface accessible from anywhere. It's overkill for small survival bases. But once you experience it, vanilla chests feel like stone tools. The core concept is simple: craft some cables, connect them together, attach storage drives, and suddenly your scattered iron, diamonds, and building blocks all live in one place. You pull items from the terminal and they appear in your inventory. No hunting through 40 chests to find the redstone. AE2 does have a learning curve. The power system, the drive types, P2P tunnels - it takes a tutorial or two. And it's designed for tech-heavy modpacks. If you're on a casual vanilla-plus server, it might feel like bringing industrial machinery to early survival. Why You'll Love It Searchable storage for hundreds of thousands of items Accessible from a terminal or portable crafting terminal Auto-crafting system that builds items on demand Looks futuristic and feels genuinely powerful Sophisticated Storage: The Practical Middle Ground For a less intense experience, try Sophisticated Storage. It adds upgradeable wooden and iron chests that hold way more than vanilla and let you sort items with filters. Think "chest++ without the sci-fi complexity." You craft a basic chest, then add upgrade modules to increase storage, add sorting functionality, even add auto-smelting or composting. It plays nicely with vanilla Minecraft aesthetics, so your base doesn't look like a tech factory. My pick here's Sophisticated Storage if you want big storage numbers without the modpack commitment. The sorting system is intuitive. Drop items in and they auto-organize based on rules you set. No more digging through piles of dirt blocks to find your slime balls. And here's what makes it special compared to AE2: the visual feedback. You see items flowing into the right chest. It feels more like Minecraft than a computer interface. Storage Capacity Breakdown Basic chests hold more with upgrades. A fully upgraded Sophisticated chest can store significantly more than double a vanilla double chest. The upgrades stack, so you're not locked into one configuration. Iron Chests: No Frills, Just Storage Iron Chests does one thing and does it extremely well: it adds bigger chests in metal tiers. Copper, iron, gold, diamond, obsidian. Each tier holds more stuff and looks slightly fancier. No power requirements. No autocrafting. No networks. Just progressively more storage space with a nice visual upgrade path. It pairs well with other mods because it demands nothing. Throw it in modpacks as quality-of-life padding or use it solo as a simple improvement. The obsidian chest, in particular, is a flex-worthy storage piece for a finished base that actually fits the aesthetic. Building a Storage Room That Actually Works Organization systems split into two philosophies: sorting and searching. Barrel header in Minecraft Sorting systems physically organize items into different blocks. You set up hoppers and filters so iron goes into one chest, diamonds into another, dirt into a third. It feels hands-on and vanilla-adjacent. You see the system working. Redstone purists love this approach. Searching systems store everything together. Applied Energistics2 and Refined Storage work this way. All items live in one network, you query for what you need, and it appears. Zero physical organization required. So this feels futuristic and ultra-convenient. Neither is objectively better. Pick based on your vibe and how much tinkering you enjoy. Some mods add barrel variants (Refined Storage, Create, Thermal Dynamics) that let you dedicate an entire block to a single item type. One barrel for wood stacks, one for iron ingots, one for diamonds. Your storage room becomes a wall of labeled barrels instead of a sea of identical chests. It's organized, aesthetic, and searchable from a terminal if the mod supports it. Multiplayer Considerations On multiplayer servers, storage becomes a social problem. Multiple players, shared storage, theft prevention. Some mods handle this better than others. Applied Energistics 2 has built-in permission systems. Sophisticated Storage lets you lock chests with keys. Both are multiplayer-aware. If you're running a whitelisted server with trusted players, this matters less. But for public or semi-public communities, account for security in your storage plan. Also consider performance. ME Networks and large Refined Storage systems can consume server resources, especially with auto-crafting features running constantly. Simple wooden chests don't. If your server's struggling with TPS (ticks per second), storage mods can be a hidden culprit. Test them on a dev build first. If you're looking for a community to test storage setups on, check out the Minecraft server list for active Java Edition communities. What Actually Matters When Choosing Pick a storage mod based on three questions: Search or sort? If you want to query for items, go Applied Energistics 2 or Refined Storage. If you want physical organization through filtering and routing, go Sophisticated Storage or barrels. How big is your modpack? AE2 expects a full tech tree and power system. For vanilla-plus survival, something lighter makes more sense. How much organizing do you want to do? Some folks love designing sorting systems. Others want to press a button and forget about it. Here's the truth: running multiple storage solutions together works perfectly fine. Use Sophisticated chests for everyday materials, keep a small AE2 network for specialty tech items, throw some barrels around for specific material types. Storage isn't supposed to be stressful or require choosing one perfect system. If you're setting up a server to test mods with friends, use the whitelist creator to manage who can access your test world. Making the Final Decision Applied Energistics 2 wins if you want maximum automation and futuristic vibes. Sophisticated Storage wins if you want practical upgrades without complexity. Iron Chests wins if you want the simplest possible expansion. And honestly, you don't need to choose just one. Install what interests you, test it in creative mode, see how it feels. Storage mods exist to make your life easier, not more complicated. The best mod is the one you'll actually use.

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### Mc-datapack-map: Visualize Your Custom Minecraft Worlds
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/mc-datapack-map-minecraft-biomes
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

jacobsjo/mc-datapack-map A Minecraft biome map capable of handling worldgen datapacks. If you're experimenting with custom worldgen datapacks, you're probably tired of loading full Minecraft worlds just to see whether the biome distribution looks right. This tool lets you preview exactly what those datapacks generate before you commit hours to a new world. It's fast, it works with complex mods, and the online version is completely free. What This Actually Does Mc-datapack-map is a map viewer built for Minecraft's worldgen system. You feed it a datapack (or upload a vanilla version), and it generates a visual representation of how biomes and structures will appear in your world. Think of it like an X-ray view of your terrain without needing to spawn in survival mode. The project uses Leaflet, the same library that powers Google Maps. You get the familiar pan-and-zoom interface you'd expect from any web map, except instead of roads and borders, you're looking at Minecraft terrain generation. Biomes appear as color-coded regions. Structures like villages, temples, and fortresses show up as markers or highlighted areas depending on what data the datapack provides. The clever part? It actually understands worldgen datapacks. Many biome viewers just show vanilla Minecraft. This one ingests the rules your custom pack defines and generates the map based on those rules. If your datapack tweaks mountain generation or adds new biome types, the map reflects that. Why You'd Actually Use This Let's say you're building a large survival server and found a modpack with custom worldgen. Before you allocate a permanent world file and point players at it, you want proof that the terrain won't be boring or broken. Run it through this tool first. Or you're a datapack creator. You wrote your own worldgen pack and need to verify it doesn't create weird biome borders or fail to generate structures in key areas. Spending an hour here saves you the embarrassment of shipping broken terrain. Even for vanilla, this is useful. Curious what the latest Minecraft update changed about biome distributions? Load it in and compare side-by-side with the previous version. The speedrun community uses tools like this to scout seeds before investing time. Server admins use them to preview terrain before committing to a world. Builders planning massive projects (cities, terrain reshaping, monument placement) sometimes check the base generation first to understand what they're working with. How to Get Started There are two paths: the easy online version, or running it locally. Online (simplest option): Head to https://map.jacobsjo.eu. It's already set up with vanilla Minecraft worldgen baked in. You can view the default map and explore how different Minecraft versions generate terrain. If you just want to play around with vanilla biome distributions, you're done. For custom datapacks, that online version has an upload feature. Zip up your datapack, select the target Minecraft version, and upload it. The tool processes it and shows you the result. No installation required. Local setup (more control): If you want to run this yourself or integrate it into a build pipeline, the project includes dev instructions. bashpip install -r requirements.txt npm i npm run createZips npm run dev The first two lines install dependencies (Python and Node). That third generates the vanilla datapack files. This fourth starts a dev server on http://localhost:5173. But this requires a browser that supports ES modules in web workers - most modern browsers handle this fine (Firefox 89+, Chrome/Edge 89+, Safari 15.2+). When you're ready to deploy a built version, run npm run build and then npm run preview to test the production build locally. What Sets It Apart Generic biome viewers exist, sure. Most of them either show only vanilla terrain or they handle custom datapacks in a limited way. This project actually parses datapack worldgen configurations and respects them. GitHub project card for jacobsjo/mc-datapack-map The color scheme is readable. Biomes are distinguishable at a glance, and you can hover over regions to see their names and properties. Structure markers are clear without being visually overwhelming. Navigation is smooth, even when zoomed way in or viewing huge maps. It's written in TypeScript. The codebase is clean and modular enough that if you need to fork it or extend it, you won't be wrestling with spaghetti code. Also, it's open-source under the MIT license with 100 GitHub stars, and the maintainer is actively responsive. The project accepts contributions (though you should ask before major changes), and there's a translation effort underway for multiple languages. Things That Might Trip You Up The dev environment requirement is worth noting: you can't just open an HTML file and run this locally without some setup. The build pipeline exists for good reason (module bundling, datapack processing), but if you're the type who usually avoids Node.js, be prepared to install it first. Custom datapack uploads process on the client side (in your browser), not on the server. And this is privacy-friendly and keeps the host's computational load down. But it also means very large packs might take a moment to process, and if your browser crashes mid-load, you'll start over. Actually, that's overstating it - processing is usually fast enough that it's not really an issue for typical-size datapacks. Vanilla datapack versions lag slightly behind new Minecraft snapshots. The maintainer usually catches up within a few days of release, but if you're testing bleeding-edge snapshot features, you might need to wait or build from source. One more gotcha: it only handles worldgen datapacks, not modpacks. If you're trying to visualize a modpack with custom content mods (like custom ore distribution or structure mods), this tool won't help. It's specifically for vanilla datapack-based generation changes. Practical Example: Testing Before Committing Imagine you're evaluating a custom worldgen datapack for your server. You download it, zip it up, and upload it to the map tool for Minecraft 26.1.2 (the current release). In seconds, you see a full preview. The biome distribution looks reasonable. Villages appear to spawn in the right places. Mountains generate at a height that makes sense for building. Now you're confident enough to allocate a world file and point your server at it. That's worth the two-minute preview. If you're also curious about biome specifics, minecraft.how has a block search tool where you can look up which blocks belong to which biomes. Use that to cross-reference what the map shows. And while you're here, if you're planning any custom texture work for your world, our skin creator might be useful for testing custom player skins before you use them in-game. Alternatives Other biome visualization tools exist, but most are either abandoned or limited to vanilla terrain. Chunkbase and similar seed database sites show vanilla biome maps, and they're great for finding specific seeds. But they don't support custom datapacks. Some servers use Dynmap or BlueMap for live world visualization, but those require the world to already exist and render continuously. That's overkill if you just want a quick preview before creating a world. If you're doing serious datapack development, you might write custom tooling specific to your use case. But for a general-purpose, no-setup-required visualization of how a datapack generates terrain, this tool does the job right. Ready to try mc-datapack-map? Grab the source, read the full documentation, or open an issue on GitHub. Star the repo if you find it useful. It helps the maintainers and surfaces the project for other Minecraft players. Visit jacobsjo/mc-datapack-map on GitHub ↗

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### ViaBedrock: Bridge Java and Bedrock Minecraft Editions
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/viabedrock-java-bedrock-bridge
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

"ViaVersion addon to add support for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition servers" RaphiMC/ViaBedrock · github.com .0 Ever wanted to play with friends across Java and Bedrock editions? ViaBedrock is a ViaVersion addon that promises exactly that: a bridge between the two versions. But here's the catch - it's still in very early development, and the project itself warns you not to use it for anything important yet. What ViaBedrock Actually Does ViaBedrock is a plugin built on top of ViaVersion, the most popular protocol translation framework in the Minecraft community. If you're not familiar with ViaVersion, it lets older clients connect to newer servers (and vice versa) by translating packets between versions. ViaBedrock takes that same concept and applies it to the entire Java/Bedrock divide. Imagine you're running a Java server but a bunch of your players have Bedrock clients. Or you want to test your world on both versions. ViaBedrock theoretically lets you do this by intercepting and translating the Bedrock protocol into something Java clients understand. It's genuinely ambitious work. The project is built in Java and hosted on GitHub with 365 stars, which for something this experimental is actually solid. This license is GPL-3.0, so it's fully open source. Here's the thing though: you'll be using what's essentially an alpha version. This isn't production software. Why You Might Want to Try It Cross-edition play is the main draw. Console players (PS5, Switch, Xbox) and mobile players run Bedrock Edition, while PC Java Edition is still the big modding hub. If your server community is split across both, having a bridge could be huge. It's also useful for experimentation and testing. Want to see how a world looks on Bedrock? Curious about the protocol differences? Want to contribute to protocol documentation yourself? ViaBedrock is a working example of exactly how complex the Bedrock protocol is. Server admins testing multi-edition setups will find this helpful. If you're planning a community server, you'll eventually want to test features across both editions - and if you're running server features like voting plugins, our Votifier Tester can help validate those work correctly across client types. Streamers might find it useful too. But I'd caution you: only do this on a test server, not something your community relies on. Getting It Set Up ViaBedrock comes in different flavors depending on your setup. For server admins, there's a standalone proxy version. For client-side testing, there's a Fabric mod. Let me walk through the basics. For the proxy approach, you'll grab the latest ViaProxy dev build (a separate project that bundles ViaBedrock): bash#!/bin/bash # Download the latest ViaProxy JAR wget https://build.lenni0451.net/job/ViaProxy/lastSuccessfulBuild/artifact/build/libs/ViaProxy-*.jar # Run it (replace with your actual filename) java -jar ViaProxy-x.x.x.jar The first time you run it, you'll get a config file. From there, you configure which Bedrock server you're connecting to and which port the Java proxy listens on. Java clients then connect to your local proxy as if it were a normal Minecraft server. If you're going the Fabric mod route, grab the latest ViaFabricPlus dev build from the CI system and drop it in your mods folder. Same concept, but client-side instead of server-side. Fair warning: both setups require you to be comfortable with Java, dev builds (which change frequently), and troubleshooting when things break. Which they'll. What Actually Works Right Now The feature list in the README is surprisingly long. Basic connectivity is solid - you can ping Bedrock servers, join them as a Java client, and authenticate with Xbox Live. Chat and commands work. Chunks load, blocks render, entities spawn. You can move around, respawn, switch dimensions. All of this is basically functional. GitHub project card for RaphiMC/ViaBedrock Form GUIs work too (those popup menus Bedrock uses), plus scoreboards, titles, and bossbars display correctly. If you want to test basic world compatibility, you'll probably have a workable experience. Custom skins are partially supported, and if you're testing world design with consistent player models, our Skin Creator tool can help generate test players quickly. But - and this is important - inventory is barely there. Block breaking and block placing are incomplete or experimental. Entity metadata isn't implemented yet. Item use is experimental. If your test involves any serious gameplay like mining, crafting, or PvP, you're going to hit walls pretty fast. The resource pack conversion is basic but functional. You'll see most textures, though custom content might not translate perfectly. Reading through the feature list, I counted roughly 18 features marked as done or mostly done, and maybe 9-10 that are incomplete or experimental. The math is hopeful, but incomplete inventory alone is a huge limitation. Common Gotchas and Reality Check Let me be straight: this project's own README says "Don't report any bugs yet. There are still a lot of things which are not implemented yet." If you're thinking of using ViaBedrock on a public server, step back. The dev builds update frequently, sometimes breaking things between versions. You'll need to check the Discord (linked on the maintainer's site) for status updates rather than relying on stable releases. This isn't something you set up once and forget about. Xbox Live authentication is implemented, which is cool, but it adds complexity. Make sure you understand the auth flow before deploying anything. Chunk caching works, which helps performance, but you should still expect lag compared to native Bedrock or Java servers since translation happens in real time. If you're running this on a public server, expect performance overhead. ViaVersion proxies already use extra resources compared to direct connections. ViaBedrock adds another layer of complexity on top. And honestly, most players won't tolerate the bugs and missing features. Other Projects in the Same Space ViaVersion itself handles Java version differences and is mature and stable. That's a better starting point if your problem is just connecting old clients to new servers. It's been battle-tested for years. If you specifically need Bedrock support but want something more polished, there's no true alternative yet - ViaBedrock is the only public project doing this work. GeyserMC is sometimes mentioned in the same conversation, but that's a different angle. It's a full Bedrock to Java proxy that doesn't require translation at the protocol level. Less experimental, but different trade-offs entirely. The fact that ViaBedrock exists suggests others are working on similar problems. Check back in 12 months - the landscape might look different.RaphiMC/ViaBedrock - GPL-3.0, ★365 Support the project ViaBedrock is maintained by the open-source community. If it saved you time or powered something cool, leave a ⭐ on the repo, report bugs, or contribute back. Small actions keep tools like this alive.

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### Phantom: Play on Custom Minecraft Servers From Your Console
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/phantom-minecraft-console-servers
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

jhead/phantom Use your own Minecraft server with your Xbox or PS4/5 and play with friends! Ever wanted to play on a custom Minecraft Bedrock server from your Xbox or PS4 without paying for Realms? Phantom is the open-source proxy that makes it possible, tricking your console into treating a remote server like a local LAN server.What This Project DoesPhantom sits between your console and a remote Bedrock server, pretending to be a local LAN server. Your Xbox, PS4, or PS5 sees it on your local network and lets you join directly, no Realms subscription needed.It's brilliantly simple. The tool runs on your computer (or any machine on your network) and handles all the network magic needed to make this work. Phantom listens on port 19132, the standard Bedrock port, and responds to PING packets that consoles broadcast when looking for LAN servers. From your console's perspective, it might as well be sitting in your living room.Behind the scenes, all the actual gameplay traffic gets forwarded to your real remote server. Your friends on console can finally join servers you've been hosting elsewhere, whether that's a friend's setup across the country or a community survival world. They don't need IP addresses or direct connect screens. It just shows up. The Console Server Problem Nobody Talks AboutConsole Minecraft players have always had exactly two choices: play locally or pay for a Realms subscription. That's it. You can't give a friend an IP address like Java players do. Microsoft locked down the entire console networking layer years ago.If you're running a custom Bedrock server and want console players to join, Realms is technically the only official path. It costs money every month, offers limited customization, and you don't control the hardware. For server admins who've already invested in hosting elsewhere, this feels like paying twice.Phantom breaks that lock. It's not dodging terms of service or doing anything shady, either. It's just a clever proxy that exploits how Bedrock consoles discover servers on your local network. Mojang can't prevent this without breaking legitimate LAN play. Installing PhantomHead to the GitHub releases page and grab the binary for your OS. Windows, macOS, Linux, and even ARM boards like Raspberry Pi are all supported. The file is tiny and doesn't need installation. Mob Phantom! bashchmod u+x./phantom-linuxOn macOS or Linux, make it executable with that command. (Replace linux with macos, windows, or whatever your system uses.) That's the entire setup process. Running Your First ServerTo connect your console to a remote server:bash./phantom-linux -server your-server-ip:19132Within a few seconds, the server shows up in your console's LAN server list. Your friends see it too.If you want to bind to a specific IP on your network instead of all interfaces, use the -bind flag:bash./phantom-linux -bind 192.168.1.100 -server your-server-ip:19132Want to run multiple servers at once? Start Phantom again in a different terminal with a different server IP. Each instance registers itself separately on your LAN, so you can have three servers showing up side-by-side on your console's server browser. This is where Phantom gets genuinely useful.If you're hosting the server, you'll probably want unique touches to draw people in. Check out Browse Minecraft Skins to add personality to your world, and use the Minecraft Block Search tool to help you find exact building materials when setting up structures for your players. Features That Actually MatterLAN Server Spoofing. Your console thinks it's seeing a real LAN server because, from a network perspective, it's. The illusion is complete and it works every time. Danny phantom Multiple Instances. Run as many Phantom proxies as you want on the same network, each handling a different server. Your console displays them all in the server list.Custom Port Binding. Phantom always binds to 19132 for the LAN discovery magic (that's mandatory), but you can use the -bind_port flag to specify which local port handles return traffic. Both ports need to be open, but this gives you flexibility if you're running other services.IPv6 Support. Flag -6 enables IPv6 on port 19133 if you're running a dual-stack network. Still experimental, but it's there if you need it.Configurable Timeout. Use -timeout to set how long Phantom waits before cleaning up disconnected clients. Default is 60 seconds. Common GotchasBoth Phantom and your actual server need reachable IPs from your console. Your console needs to reach the machine running Phantom (for the LAN spoofing) AND reach your actual remote server (for gameplay). If either is firewalled or unreachable, you're blocked.Firewall rules matter. Open UDP traffic to whatever machine is running Phantom. Most setup failures are just Windows Firewall or a router blocking the ports.The server IP must be correct. Use the actual IP and port, not a domain name. Phantom accepts IPs directly, and domains might not work as expected.One more thing: Phantom needs to receive PING packets on all interfaces (or at least your broadcast address) to function. It binds to 19132 automatically for this reason. You can't change that behavior, but you can specify which IP you want it to listen on. Is This Right for You?Phantom is for people who've already got Bedrock hosting set up and want console friends to join without subscriptions. You need at least basic networking knowledge to troubleshoot. If you're comfortable opening ports and editing firewall rules, you're good.If that sounds like gibberish, stick with Realms.Server admins love this. Friends playing together across platforms without monthly fees? This is how you do it.The project has 684 stars on GitHub and is written in Go, which means it's small, fast, and reliable. MIT license means you can do whatever you want with it. AlternativesRealms is the official option and handles all networking for you. And it costs money but requires zero setup.Local LAN play works great if everyone's on the same network, but doesn't help with remote friends.Geyser translates Java Edition servers for Bedrock clients. Different tool entirely, but worth knowing about if you're doing cross-platform work. Support the project phantom is maintained by the open-source community. If it saved you time or powered something cool, leave a ⭐ on the repo, report bugs, or contribute back. Small actions keep tools like this alive.

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### Custom Placeholders for Minecraft: MiniPlaceholders Guide
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/miniplaceholders-minecraft-guide
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

"MiniMessage Component-based Placeholders API for Minecraft Platforms" MiniPlaceholders/MiniPlaceholders · github.com pache-2.0 Ever notice how some Minecraft servers show live player count, your name, or the current TPS in chat messages and GUIs? That's placeholders at work. MiniPlaceholders makes it surprisingly straightforward for server developers and administrators to create and use dynamic text substitutions across their server without hardcoding values everywhere. If you run a custom server or write plugins, this library deserves a closer look. What This Project Does MiniPlaceholders is a Java library that solves a fundamental problem: repetitive, static text in Minecraft servers. Instead of writing "Welcome, PlayerName!" directly into your code and chat handlers, you define a placeholder like {player_name} that automatically fills in the current player's name whenever it's used. The project supports multiple server platforms out of the box: Paper 1.21+, Velocity 3.5+, Fabric 26.1+, Sponge API 12+, and Minestom 1.21.11+. That's serious platform coverage. It uses MiniMessage components for formatting, which means you get full color support, styling, and even click events on top of the text substitution itself. Version 3.2.0, released in March 2026, added Minestom support and upgraded to Java 25. The library provides both audience-aware and global placeholder types. Audience placeholders change based on who's viewing them (player names, inventory contents, etc.), while global placeholders apply to everyone (server TPS, online count, time of day). Both are defined using a clean API. Why You'd Use It Let's say you're running a server with a custom lobby. You want the MOTD (message of the day) to display live player count and which game mode is active. Folks who try this want signs that show the current in-game time. Folks who try this want scoreboards that update automatically. Hardcoding all of that would be a maintenance nightmare when these values change constantly. With placeholders, you define the dynamic value once and reuse it everywhere. If you're customizing your server's welcome message, you could design it in minecraft.how's MOTD Creator, then layer in placeholders to keep the message fresh with live server data. Player count, server status, active events - all updating automatically. For plugin developers, MiniPlaceholders offers real advantages. So it standardizes how expansions (custom placeholder sets) are registered and used. You don't write custom parsing code or hacky string matching anymore. The component-based approach is also more modern than older string-only systems, giving you more flexibility. Need a placeholder that displays colored text with hover tooltips? That's native here, not a hack. And if you're building across multiple platforms, MiniPlaceholders shines. Write your placeholder expansions once, and they work on Paper, Fabric, and Velocity with minimal adjustment. How to Install Installation depends on your platform. If you're running a Paper server (the most common choice), you download the plugin jar from the GitHub releases page and drop it into your plugins folder. Restart your server, and you're done. For plugin developers, you add MiniPlaceholders as a build dependency. If you're using Maven: xml<dependency> <groupId>io.github.miniplaceholders</groupId> <artifactId>miniplaceholders-api</artifactId> <version>3.2.0</version> </dependency> Gradle users adjust the syntax accordingly. The project's Javadocs spell out exact setup for each platform. Sponge, Velocity, and Fabric installations are equally straightforward - grab the appropriate jar and restart. One thing to verify: Java version. Version 3.2.0 requires Java 25, which is fairly current. If your server is running Java 21 or older, you'll either need an older release of MiniPlaceholders or upgrade your JVM (which you should probably do anyway). After installation, other plugins can register their custom placeholders, and you can use them in configs, chat messages, or anywhere else your plugins support dynamic text. Key Features and How They Work Audience placeholders are the standout feature. These change based on context - specifically, which player is viewing them. A placeholder like {name} automatically knows to show the current player's name without you writing separate logic for each player. Write once, use everywhere. Global placeholders cover server-wide values. Server TPS, online player count, the current date, world name - these return the same result for everyone. Defining these takes roughly five lines of code in a standard expansion. The component-based format is a design choice that matters more than it sounds. Older placeholder systems output plain text strings. MiniPlaceholders works with Adventure Components, which are richer. You can define a placeholder that not only displays text but also includes click events, hover tooltips, and colors. Everything's built in rather than bolted on. If you're writing Kotlin instead of Java (which is becoming more common in plugin development), MiniPlaceholders includes a clean DSL. Compare the Java approach shown in the README to the Kotlin version, and the latter feels noticeably more natural in Kotlin's language style. Performance is solid. The library is designed to handle hundreds of placeholder evaluations without lag, which matters if you're using placeholders heavily in scoreboards or frequently-updated holograms. Tips, Pitfalls, and Common Gotchas First mistake: over-registering placeholders. You don't need a dedicated placeholder for everything. If something changes constantly or has infinite variations, a placeholder might be premature. Placeholders shine for reusable, repeated values like player stats or server metrics. Namespace your placeholder names carefully. "player_name" by itself could collide with another expansion's placeholders. Use something like "my-expansion_player_name" to avoid conflicts. Most developers follow this pattern automatically, but it's worth being explicit about. Performance can become a concern if you're evaluating placeholders in tight loops (thousands per tick). Design your expansions to minimize expensive operations. If you're querying a database for placeholder data, consider caching results rather than hitting the DB every single time. Platform differences exist. Velocity, being a proxy, behaves differently than Paper for some placeholder contexts. If you're targeting multiple platforms, read the platform-specific documentation rather than assuming it all works identically. Finally, watch for version mismatches. MiniPlaceholders 3.2.0 requires Java 25. Your server is also likely targeting specific Minecraft version ranges (Paper 1.21+, etc.). Make sure you're using compatible builds. Related Projects and Alternatives PlaceholderAPI is the historical heavyweight of Minecraft placeholders. Nearly every old plugin that uses dynamic text relies on it. It works, it's stable, and it has massive adoption. But its API is older, string-based, and less elegant than MiniPlaceholders' component approach. The architecture shows its age. Some plugins bundle their own placeholder support. EssentialsX, LiteBans, and others include placeholder features, but only for their own systems. They're not general-purpose frameworks. For teams building fresh servers or plugins in 2026, MiniPlaceholders is the smarter choice. It's actively maintained, modern, and covers current platforms. If you're running a legacy server with dozens of plugins already on PlaceholderAPI, the migration effort might not justify it yet. But for anything new, MiniPlaceholders wins on architecture and developer experience. Want to explore more tools for server customization? minecraft.how also has a Block Search tool for hunting down specific blocks and materials when building or managing your server. Ready to try MiniPlaceholders? Grab the source, read the full documentation, or open an issue on GitHub. Star the repo if you find it useful. It helps the maintainers and surfaces the project for other Minecraft players. Visit MiniPlaceholders/MiniPlaceholders on GitHub ↗

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### Managing Multiple Modpacks: X Minecraft Launcher Guide
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/x-minecraft-launcher-modpack-management
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

GitHub · Minecraft community project x-minecraft-launcher (Voxelum/x-minecraft-launcher) An Open Source Minecraft Launcher with Modern UX. Provides a Disk Efficient way to manage all your Mods! Star on GitHub ↗ ⭐ 1,400 stars Running five different modpacks simultaneously? Yeah, that'll drain your SSD faster than you can say "just one more mod." The whole reason most people stick to vanilla or a single modded instance is storage. X Minecraft Launcher fixes that mess by giving you a disk-efficient way to organize multiple setups from one clean interface. What X Minecraft Launcher Actually Does At its core, this is a launcher - something that starts Minecraft. But it's not trying to be everything to everyone. Instead, it focuses on what modders actually need: managing multiple instances (different versions, different mod combinations), switching between them instantly, and not losing gigabytes to duplicate files. Unlike some launchers that hoard resources, X Minecraft Launcher strips away the bloat. You get a modern interface (built with TypeScript and Electron), solid performance, and a very important feature for people with limited storage: smart disk usage through hard and symbolic links. Instead of duplicating the same mods and libraries across instances, the launcher stores them once and links to them. On a 100GB modding collection, you might see actual disk usage drop to 40-60GB depending on overlap. Why You'd Actually Want This Real talk: you don't need a fancy launcher. You could manually manage your.minecraft folder and use the vanilla launcher for everything. But that's tedious, error-prone, and you'll end up with 15 copies of Fabric or Forge taking up space. The launcher shines if you: Test multiple modpacks (maybe you're developing one for others to play?) Switch between different Minecraft versions for different communities Run different mod combinations for testing, streaming, or just variety Want a clear picture of exactly how much space your modding hobby consumes Actually, there's one more thing I didn't expect to care about: the mod manager in version 0.54.4+ is genuinely useful. It lets you filter mods by loader type - helpful if you're mixing Sinytra Connector with Fabric mods - without accidentally breaking your entire setup. If you're running a personal server alongside your modded client, you'll want to keep your server config organized too. The Server Properties Generator saves time on setup, and the Server Status Checker helps you verify connectivity when testing across instances. Getting Started: Installation and Setup Getting it running is straightforward. On Windows with winget: bashwinget install CI010.XMinecraftLauncher If you're on macOS and use Homebrew: bashbrew tap voxelum/xmcl brew install - cask voxelum/xmcl/xmcl sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/X\ Minecraft\ Launcher.app Linux users get an AppImage, which honestly just works. Download the latest release (currently v0.54.4), make it executable, and run it. No weird dependencies or PATH issues. The first time you open it, the launcher asks where you want instances stored. This matters. Pick a fast drive if you have multiple. The launcher will use symlinks to avoid storing the same files repeatedly. Key Features That Actually Matter Instance Management Creating a new instance takes about three clicks. Pick a version (Java Edition 26.1.2 is the latest right now), select a loader (vanilla, Fabric, Forge), and you're done. Each instance gets its own folder, but shared libraries stay central. That's where your disk savings come from. Integrated Mod Browser You can search and add mods directly from Modrinth or CurseForge without leaving the launcher. The interface is clean - search, sort by downloads or recent updates, click install. Or drop.jar files manually into the mods folder if you prefer. The mod manager filters by loader type, so you won't accidentally mix incompatible mods. Java Runtime Handling The launcher manages Java versions for you. Older Minecraft needs Java 8, newer stuff works with Java 17+. Version 0.54.4 improved reliability here - Java installs are more stable - so you don't have to manually hunt down the right JDK or deal with PATH issues. Multiple Accounts Store Microsoft accounts and switch between them instantly. Also supports third-party authentication servers. Useful if you play on different communities or test servers with different profiles. Profile Customization JVM arguments, game resolution, render distance, allocated RAM - everything you'd expect. The interface doesn't overwhelm you with a wall of options. They're available when needed, hidden when they're not. Common Pitfalls and Smart Workarounds First gotcha: the launcher doesn't auto-update Minecraft versions. If a new snapshot drops and you want to try it, you create a new instance pointing to the snapshot. Your existing instances stay untouched. This is actually good design (no surprise breaking changes) but it catches people off-guard coming from the vanilla launcher. Second: mod compatibility is still your responsibility. The launcher won't prevent you from installing mods that fundamentally conflict. That's impossible to auto-detect everything, but new players sometimes expect it. Read the mod description, check the Minecraft version, verify your loader. Takes 30 seconds and saves headaches. Third pitfall is Windows symlink behavior. On Linux and macOS, the disk deduplication works smoothly. Windows has permission restrictions that sometimes prevent symlinks from working optimally. Most of the time it's fine, but power users on Windows might see occasional duplicate downloads. Not a dealbreaker, just something to know. And here's something nobody mentions: if you're modifying a modpack that others are using, version management gets tricky. Create a new instance for testing changes rather than modifying the shared one. The launcher makes this cheap (storage-wise), so take advantage. How It Compares to Other Launchers The vanilla launcher works fine if you only play vanilla. It doesn't manage instances well, stores everything inefficiently, and has a UI frozen in 2014. Prism Launcher (formerly MultiMC) is the old standard. It's feature-complete and rock-solid, but the interface feels dated and it's heavier on disk usage. X Minecraft Launcher feels faster and cleaner, and the mod management is more integrated. CurseForge's launcher exists if you're already in that ecosystem, but it's proprietary and slower on older machines. The Voxelum team built X Launcher specifically to avoid those problems. It's not trying to be a browser or manage mods from one exclusive source - it's just trying to be a good, efficient, modern launcher. And honestly, it does that well. Where to go from here Read the source on GitHub (docs, examples, and the issue tracker) Browse open issues to see what the community is working on Check recent releases for the latest build or changelog

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### Refined Storage 2: How to Build an Epic Item Network
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/refined-storage-2-minecraft-mod
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

GitHub · Minecraft community project refinedstorage2 (refinedmods/refinedstorage2) Refined Storage is a mass storage mod for Minecraft that offers the player a network-based storage system, allowing them to store items and fluids on a massively expandable device network. Star on GitHub ↗ Minecraft late-game storage becomes ridiculous fast. Chests filled with overflow chests, organized by systems that made sense at the time but now just confuse you. Refined Storage 2 is a Java mod that skips all this chaos by building a centralized storage network where any connected device syncs to a single searchable interface. Access thousands of items from one window instead of running a mental simulation of your filing system. What This Project Does Refined Storage 2 gives you what the mod calls a "Grid" - think of it as a unified inventory window for your entire base. Connect storage blocks, tanks, and other devices to cables or wireless transmitters, and suddenly all their contents show up in that one interface. No running between chests. No duplicate stacks of the same item spread across five different containers. The system handles both items and fluids, which older storage solutions often treat as an afterthought. Modularity means you don't need the full feature set immediately. Basic storage network? A few blocks and some cables. Want autocrafting, importers pulling from external machines, exporters pushing items into the world, and complex automation chains? Layer that in as your base grows. The mod lets you build incrementally instead of forcing you into a specific design philosophy. Why You'd Actually Use It Here's the real draw: autocrafting handles recipes automatically. Set up a recipe once. Tell the system "I want stacks of planks." The network sources the wood, converts it, and handles restocking without you lifting a finger. For massive builds or late-game farms, this saves hours of tedious gathering and crafting that would otherwise just grind down your motivation. GitHub project card for refinedmods/refinedstorage2 Multiplayer shifts the usefulness even higher. On community servers and shared worlds, a centralized storage system changes everything. Nobody's hunting through someone else's chests wondering where the granite went. You can set up public trading areas, keep private reserves, and maintain collective inventory access. A well-organized storage network becomes the social hub where players coordinate resources and collaborate on builds. If you're setting up a survival world with friends, the Minecraft Server List shows how other communities structure their infrastructure around storage solutions like this one. Single-player benefits too - it's just less obvious until you've experienced it. The freed-up mental energy from not managing inventory chaos actually makes building more enjoyable. How to Install and Get Running Installation depends on your mod loader, but it's straightforward either way. For Forge, download the latest JAR (currently v2.0.4) from CurseForge or Modrinth that matches your Minecraft version, drop it into your mods folder, and launch. Same process for Fabric, though the hosting is on Modrinth. Ari opens chest in Minecraft Version compatibility requires paying attention. The current stable release supports recent Minecraft versions, but if you're running an older snapshot or version, there's usually a compatible build available. Check the download page to grab the right match - installing the wrong version won't crash your game, but the mod simply won't load, which is maddening when you've already built your storage system expecting it to work. If you're setting up a dedicated server to host this mod, configuring your server properties matters. The Server Properties Generator can help you get baseline settings right before you start tweaking for performance or custom rules. Key Features That Actually Matter The network cable system connects everything. Cables transmit data between devices, and there's a wireless option if you don't want visible infrastructure running everywhere. It's purely aesthetic, but appreciated if you care about how your base looks. 8KbSs in Minecraft Autocrafting is where the mod becomes genuinely clever. The system scans your network for materials, sources what's needed, and creates the requested item. For complex multi-step recipes, you can chain them together - craft a furnace, then use that furnace to smelt items, all in sequence automatically. The mod handles ingredient sourcing and crafting order, which sounds simple until you realize how much tedious clicking it saves on something like a Netherite armor set or a stack of dyed concrete. Device variety keeps the mod from feeling one-dimensional. Importers pull items from external containers (hoppers, other mod machines, you name it). Exporters shove items back where they're needed. Constructors place blocks in the world automatically, while destructors break them. Detectors can sense when your storage hits certain thresholds and trigger redstone signals. Each device opens up different automation possibilities - you're not limited to a single storage pattern. Storage blocks themselves come in tiered variants. You've got single-chest capacity blocks, double-chest equivalents, and massive multi-block units that hold obscene amounts. Mix and match to build whatever total storage your base needs. They're crafted, not found anywhere in the world, so progression toward a mega-storage setup actually feels earned. You work up through the tiers instead of just accumulating random chests. Common Pitfalls and Performance Gotchas Performance tanks if your network gets too ambitious. Thousands of items across the system plus dozens of devices running autocrafting checks constantly will chunk any computer, especially if you've already got heavy mods loaded. On servers, watch your tick times - they'll immediately tell you whether the storage network is the problem or if something else is bottlenecking. Alex with Allay Block Friday in Minecraft Autocrafting recipes need exact ingredient matches. The system doesn't infer that logs and sticks are equivalent, even though they obviously are in Minecraft's crafting system. You need to set up intermediate steps if a recipe calls for processed materials. This isn't a bug - it's actually sensible design that prevents the mod from trying to guess your intentions - but it surprises people who expect it to be smarter than it actually is. Set up the full pipeline once, though, and it runs forever without thinking about it again. Power consumption is another thing that catches players by surprise. In modpacks with power systems, Refined Storage networks consume energy constantly. I watched someone build an elaborate storage system, launch their world, and realize the network was consuming power faster than they could generate it. They'd wired up production but hadn't accounted for demand. Plan your power infrastructure first, not after the fact. How It Compares to Other Storage Mods Applied Energistics 2 is the heavyweight alternative. It's more complex, compresses storage density further, and requires a steeper learning curve before you get results. If you want maximum storage efficiency in limited space and don't mind wrestling with the mod's systems, AE2 might suit you better. Refined Storage 2 is more approachable for players who just want organized storage without the systems-engineering feel. Barrel header in Minecraft Simple Storage Network exists for players who need basic shared storage without autocrafting features. It's lighter on resources but less feature-rich overall. Most players pick one and stick with it for their world - you don't usually need multiple storage solutions competing for the same space and resources. Support the project refinedstorage2 is maintained by the open-source community. If it saved you time or powered something cool, leave a ⭐ on the repo, report bugs, or contribute back. Small actions keep tools like this alive.

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### GeckoLib: Building Better Minecraft Mod Animations
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/geckolib-minecraft-animation-engine
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

bernie-g/geckolib GeckoLib is an animation engine for Minecraft mods, with support for complex 3D keyframe-based animations, numerous easings, concurrent animation support, sound and particle keyframes, event keyframes, math-based animations, and more. Available for all major modloaders. Making a Minecraft mod with polished animations is harder than it looks. While vanilla Minecraft handles basic block rotations and entity movements, creating something truly fluid and complex requires serious engineering. GeckoLib solves that problem by giving mod makers a dedicated animation engine with keyframe support, multiple easing functions, and sync options that actually work. What's GeckoLib? GeckoLib is an open-source animation and rendering engine built specifically for Minecraft mods. It handles the heavy lifting of 3D keyframe animations. That means mod creators can define exactly how models should move at specific moments in time, and the engine smooths everything in between. Instead of hard-coding rotation values or relying on Minecraft's limited animation system, you get a proper toolset. The project has 801 stars on GitHub and is written in Java. It works across the major Minecraft modloaders: Forge, Fabric, and NeoForge. So whether you're working in the Fabric ecosystem or committed to NeoForge, you're covered. Think of it as the difference between manually drawing each frame of an animation versus using a proper animation program. GeckoLib is the animation program for mods. Why Mod Makers Actually Use It Good animations transform how a mod feels to play. A boss with smooth, deliberate attack animations is terrifying. A weapon that swings with proper weight and momentum feels satisfying. Custom creatures with natural movement feel alive instead of janky. GeckoLib makes all of that possible. But it's not just about aesthetics. Complex mods benefit from GeckoLib's event system, which lets animations trigger sounds, spawn particles, or fire custom events at specific keyframes. Your giant robot boss can crash its fist down, trigger damage, create dust particles, and play a sound effect all at the exact same moment. That synchronization is what separates "cool" from "really cool." The library also handles concurrent animations. Real creatures don't move in isolation. A dragon might be flying while also breathing fire while also taking damage. GeckoLib lets multiple animations blend together smoothly, which opens up way more sophisticated behavior than older systems allowed. Installing and Setting Up GeckoLib If you're creating a mod, you'll add GeckoLib as a dependency in your build file. For Fabric, you'd add it to your `build.gradle` like this: gradlerepositories { maven { url 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/geckolib3/geckolib/maven/' } } dependencies { modImplementation 'software.bernie.geckolib:geckolib-fabric-1.20.1:4.4.4' } The exact version and format varies depending on your Minecraft version and modloader, but the concept is the same. A GeckoLib wiki (which is actually thorough, unlike some projects) has installation instructions for all the major loaders. I'd read that before copying anything from examples online, since setup details shift with new Minecraft versions. Once installed, you're importing the library's classes into your mod code and extending them for your custom models and entities. The learning curve is real if you've never worked with keyframe animation before, but the documentation is solid. The Features That Matter GeckoLib packs several standout features that justify its popularity in the mod community. Keyframe-based animation: You define what your model should look like at frame 0, frame 10, frame 30, and so on. The engine interpolates smoothly between them. This is the industry standard for animation tools, and having it in Minecraft is a big deal. 30+ easing functions: Animations need rhythm. A creature jumping should accelerate upward and decelerate coming down, not move at constant speed. GeckoLib includes a library of easing curves (linear, ease-in-out, bounce, elastic, etc.) so your animations feel natural instead of robotic. Pick the wrong easing and your dragon looks broken. Pick the right one and it feels alive. Sound and particle keyframes: This is genuinely useful. You can say "at frame 15 of this attack animation, spawn a dust particle and play a swoosh sound." Your custom event system can trigger damage, knockback, or custom logic at specific frames too. Everything stays in sync automatically. Concurrent animations: Multiple animations can play on the same model at once, blending together. A creature can walk while also looking around, or swing a weapon while flinching from damage. Older animation systems force you to choose one or the other. Math-based animations: For procedural movement like breathing or swaying, you can use mathematical expressions instead of manually keyframing every frame. Saves time and looks smooth. Common Pitfalls and What to Watch For Most problems come from misalignment between your model structure and how you've set up the animation rig. If your 3D model's bones don't match the animation skeleton, nothing works right. There's a learning curve to matching bone names and hierarchies. Also, different Minecraft versions sometimes have breaking changes in the modloader APIs that GeckoLib depends on. If you're using an outdated version of GeckoLib with a newer Minecraft snapshot, you'll hit compatibility issues. Always check the version compatibility matrix. One thing that trips people up: GeckoLib doesn't create models for you. You still need to build your 3D models in Blender or Blockbench, rig them properly, export them in the right format, and integrate them. GeckoLib handles the animation part, not the modeling part. Knowing the difference saves a lot of frustration. Alternatives Worth Knowing GeckoLib isn't the only animation solution for Mods, but it's the most feature-complete for complex animations. Some modders stick with Blockbench animations for simpler cases, since they're lighter and don't require external dependencies. But if you want sophisticated boss battles, custom creatures, or weapons with real personality, GeckoLib is the standard. There are other rendering libraries out there, but most are either outdated or lack GeckoLib's feature set. The mod community has pretty much standardized on GeckoLib for new projects. Where GeckoLib Fits in the Bigger Picture If you're just playing Minecraft and looking for cool mods with great animations, you're probably benefiting from GeckoLib without realizing it. Mods with impressive boss fights, custom creatures, and polished combat usually have GeckoLib under the hood. Interested in checking out mods that really push Minecraft's visuals? Check out the Minecraft Server List to find communities running mods with professional-level animations. Many of the custom mods on advanced servers use GeckoLib for exactly these reasons. If you're the type who creates Minecraft content (whether that's skins, servers, or mods), understanding what GeckoLib does helps you appreciate why some mods feel so much smoother than others. The animation engine is doing work behind the scenes. Getting Started: Real Expectations Learning GeckoLib isn't something you do in an hour. You need to understand 3D modeling basics, how bone rigging works, and how to write Java code that integrates with your mod. But if you're already comfortable modding Minecraft and want to level up your animations, it's absolutely worth the time investment. The project has an active Discord community where you can ask questions. One wiki is surprisingly detailed. And once you get the first animation working, the pattern becomes clear and subsequent animations get faster. Honestly, if you're building a mod and animations matter to your vision, skipping GeckoLib means either settling for worse visuals or wasting hours reinventing what this library already does well. Also, if you're curious about animation as a craft, GeckoLib is a great way to learn. Creating believable movement is a real skill, and having a proper tool to experiment with makes it way easier than hacking Minecraft's native systems. Want to see what's possible with proper animation tools? Look at any popular boss mod or creature mod released in the last few years. Odds are good it's using GeckoLib or was inspired by GeckoLib's capabilities. The smoothness you see when a custom boss flows through attack phases without stuttering or clipping? That's often GeckoLib at work. For mod creators focused on visual quality and gameplay feel, it's genuinely a big deal (and yes, that phrase is overused, but in this case it's actually deserved). Ready to try geckolib? Grab the source, read the full documentation, or open an issue on GitHub. Star the repo if you find it useful. It helps the maintainers and surfaces the project for other Minecraft players. Visit bernie-g/geckolib on GitHub ↗

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### Building Custom Minecraft Entities with Hephaestus-Engine
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/hephaestus-engine-custom-models
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

GitHub · Minecraft community project hephaestus-engine (unnamed/hephaestus-engine) Render, animate and interact with custom entity models in Minecraft: Java Edition servers Star on GitHub ↗ Ever dreamed of filling your Minecraft server with custom creatures that actually look different? Not retextures or resource packs that swap existing mobs, but entirely new entities with unique models and animations. That's where Hephaestus-Engine comes in. It's a Java library that lets you design and deploy custom models directly to vanilla-compatible servers, no special launcher or hacks required. What This Project Does Hephaestus-Engine is a custom model and animation library built for Minecraft: Java Edition servers. It sits between your server code and the player's client, allowing you to create entities that wear custom 3D models instead of the default Steve or Creeper look. The project supports popular server platforms like Paper, Spigot, Minestom, and Bukkit, so whether you're running a small modded survival server or a massive PvP arena, there's a compatible version. The library handles something that's normally painful to do in vanilla Minecraft: it automatically generates the resource pack that clients need to see your custom models, then serves it when players join. You design your models in Blockbench (a free, web-based 3D editor), export them, and feed them to Hephaestus. The engine does the rest. Why Custom Models Matter on Your Server Standard Minecraft mobs are fine if you're running vanilla. But the moment you want a custom boss fight, a unique NPC vendor, or just a signature creature that makes your server memorable, you hit a wall. You can't easily change how an entity looks without either installing a mod (which breaks vanilla compatibility) or relying on invisible armor stands with crafty item display stands (which is janky and laggy). Hephaestus solves this by letting you define what a custom entity looks like and how it moves, then handles all the networking magic that makes clients see it. Your players don't need to install anything extra. If they're on vanilla Java Edition with the resource pack you're serving, they'll see your custom models as if they were part of the game. A practical example: imagine a tower defense minigame where waves of increasingly complex mechanical enemies attack players. Without custom models, you're stuck using default mobs with creative item displays attached. With Hephaestus, you can design actual mechanical creatures in Blockbench, animate them walking forward, give them unique attack animations, and deploy them as real entities on the server. Getting Hephaestus-Engine Set Up Installation depends on your build system. The project hosts its artifacts on a custom Maven repository, so you'll need to point your build tool at it. If you're using Gradle (the recommended approach), add the unnamed repository to your build.gradle.kts: kotlinrepositories { maven("https://repo.unnamed.team/repository/unnamed-public/") } Then add the core dependency and any adapters you need: kotlindependencies { implementation("team.unnamed:hephaestus-api:0.1.0-SNAPSHOT") implementation("team.unnamed:hephaestus-reader-blockbench:0.1.0-SNAPSHOT") // For Paper/Spigot implementation("team.unnamed:hephaestus-runtime-bukkit-api:0.1.0-SNAPSHOT") implementation("team.unnamed:hephaestus-runtime-bukkit-adapt-v1_20_R3:0.1.0-SNAPSHOT") // For Minestom implementation("team.unnamed:hephaestus-runtime-minestom:0.1.0-SNAPSHOT") } Using Maven? Add the repository first: xml<repository> <id>unnamed-public</id> <url>https://repo.unnamed.team/repository/unnamed-public/</url> </repository> Then add the dependency tags. The setup is straightforward, though you'll want to pick the Bukkit adapter version that matches your server's Minecraft version. As of early 2026, recent releases include adapters for 1.20.x versions. One thing to note: this is still a snapshot build (version 0.1.0-SNAPSHOT), which means the API might shift. It's stable enough for production use on many servers, but if you're building something critical, keep an eye on the project's GitHub for updates. How the Model Pipeline Works Creating a custom entity involves a few steps, but they're not hard. First, design your model in Blockbench. If you're new to 3D modeling, don't worry. Blockbench has a Minecraft-focused interface that makes it much easier than traditional 3D tools. You can export your creation as a .json file with textures included. Hephaestus reads Blockbench JSON files natively, so you don't need intermediate conversion. Load your model file in your plugin code, and the engine auto-generates a resource pack. That generated pack gets sent to connecting players automatically (though you can also serve it from a file host if you prefer). The animation side is where things get interesting. Blockbench lets you keyframe animations inside the same file. Hephaestus reads those animations and makes them available through its API. But here's the flexibility part: you don't have to use its animation system directly. The library lets you hook into animations yourself, so you could run animations asynchronously in a single thread, spread them across multiple threads for performance, or synchronize them with game events. A boss could swing its sword on attack, snap back to idle when hit, play a death animation when defeated. You control the timing. Blockbench Integration The Blockbench loader is probably the feature you'll use most. Instead of writing out custom model descriptions by hand, you design everything visually, then load it. This cuts development time dramatically, especially if you're iterating on designs. The loader pulls both geometry (the model itself) and textures from the Blockbench file. If you've textured your model in Blockbench, those textures come along for the ride. Your players see the textured model, not a gray untextured placeholder. Resource Pack Generation Hephaestus auto-generates resource packs, which is a huge quality-of-life win. Normally, distributing custom models involves hand-crafting resource packs, uploading them to a file host, and managing versions. The engine handles that boilerplate. It creates the necessary model definitions, textures, and metadata in the correct format, then serves it through your server. Players download it automatically when they join, assuming they accept server resource packs. You can customize the generation if needed, but the defaults are sensible. This frees you to focus on design and gameplay instead of resource pack logistics. Tips and Common Gotchas Custom models add client-side rendering load. If you go wild and spawn 200 custom entities in one area, some players on older hardware might lag. It's not a dealbreaker, but it's good to test on a variety of clients. Also, custom models only look right if the client has the resource pack loaded. Most servers have resource pack downloads enabled by default, but some players manually disable them. Those players will see vanilla fallbacks for your entities, which might be jarring. You can warn players about this in your server MOTD if it matters for your gameplay. Version mismatches can happen if you're running a newer Blockbench model format than your installed version of Hephaestus supports. Check the release notes if you upgrade Blockbench and encounter loading errors. The animation system is flexible, but that means you've to write the code to trigger animations. Unlike some animation systems that auto-play on loop, Hephaestus makes you explicit about when animations run. This is actually a feature (total control), but it means more code on your end. Is Hephaestus-Engine Right for You? If Hephaestus isn't your speed, there are a few other approaches. ModelEngine is a plugin that does similar things but focuses more on pre-built model support and automatic animation looping. It's simpler if you want quick results, but less flexible if you need custom control. There's also a handful of smaller projects focused on specific use cases, like custom boss entities or NPC systems, but they're narrower in scope. For skinning needs (if you're letting players customize the appearance of their characters), you might also explore the Minecraft Skin Creator, which can help manage custom player skins on your server. And if you're managing a whitelist for your server, the Minecraft Whitelist Creator simplifies bulk username management. Hephaestus sits in a sweet spot: it's powerful and flexible without being overly complex. If you need full control over custom models and animations on a vanilla-compatible server, it's worth serious consideration. Hephaestus-Engine is a solid choice if you're running a Paper or Minestom server and want to add visual flair without forking into full modded server territory. It's still under active development, and the snapshot nature of the current release means it's evolving, but it's used in production on real servers. The Blockbench integration is smooth, the resource pack generation is a genuine convenience, and the animation flexibility is powerful once you understand how to use it. The learning curve is moderate. You'll need basic Java knowledge to integrate it into your plugins, and some familiarity with 3D modeling (or willingness to learn Blockbench). But if those don't intimidate you, you're looking at a tool that can make your server feel truly unique. Where to go from here Read the source on GitHub (docs, examples, and the issue tracker) Browse open issues to see what the community is working on Check recent releases for the latest build or changelog

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### Dragonfly: Building Custom Minecraft Bedrock Servers with Go
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/dragonfly-bedrock-server-guide
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

df-mc/dragonfly Minecraft Bedrock Edition server software written in Go What Dragonfly Actually Is Dragonfly is a Minecraft Bedrock server framework written in Go. But calling it a "server" is a bit misleading if you're used to traditional server software like Spigot or Paper. It's really a library - a set of tools and building blocks you use to construct your own server application. You don't install it and immediately have a playable server. Instead, you write Go code that uses Dragonfly's API, then run that code to create whatever server you envision. This matters because it flips the script. With traditional server software, you're confined to what the developers thought you'd want to do. Dragonfly says: "Here's the networking layer, the world format handling, and the protocol implementation. Build whatever you need on top of that." It's designed for people who want to ship something custom, not something off-the-shelf. Who Should Care About This If you're running a small SMP with friends, Dragonfly is probably overkill. Use a pre-built server for that. But if you're trying to build something unique - a survival server with custom economy mechanics, a creative world with special building tools, or a mini-game network with custom rules - Dragonfly gives you the foundation to make it real. Network owners who've hit the ceiling of what traditional server software allows tend to find their way here. Developers learning how Minecraft's network protocol works also dig into Dragonfly's source code. It's got 790 stars on GitHub. That means it's got a real community behind it but isn't mainstream. Small enough that you'll actually recognize people in the Discord, large enough that you won't be alone. The learning curve is real, though. Getting Started: The Installation Paths Dragonfly requires Go 1.24 or newer. If you don't have Go installed yet, grab it from golang.org first. The project gives you two realistic paths forward. Path one: use it as a library in your own project. Create a new Go module, declare Dragonfly as a dependency, and start coding: bashgo mod init github.com/user/myserver go get github.com/df-mc/dragonfly From there, you're writing Go to set up listeners, handle player connections, and define your game logic. The GitHub repo and the pkg.go.dev documentation show you the API. You control everything, which is powerful and terrifying in equal measure. Path two: clone the repo and run the example server. This gets you something playable immediately while you explore what's possible: bashgit clone https://github.com/df-mc/dragonfly cd dragonfly go run main.go The main.go file in the repository is a working example server - not feature-complete, but enough to understand how pieces fit together. You can connect to it with a Bedrock client and poke around. Shut it down with Ctrl+C whenever you're done. What Makes It Worth the Effort Go compiles to self-contained binaries, meaning you get a single executable that runs anywhere without needing a separate runtime installed. That's a real advantage. No Java version conflicts, no Python environment woes, no "works on my machine" drama. The API is well-documented compared to most open-source server projects. You get actual godocs explaining what each function does and what parameters it expects. The code itself is readable. That's not guaranteed in the Minecraft server ecosystem - some projects are a maze of inheritance and state management that'll make your head spin. Dragonfly's async architecture (fancy way of saying it's designed to handle tons of stuff happening at once without breaking) means you're not blocked waiting for one player's action to finish before processing another's. When you're running a server with hundreds of concurrent connections, that matters. It can also feel snappier than servers written in languages that force things to happen sequentially. And the community is genuinely helpful. The Discord server linked in the GitHub repo has people who actually answer questions. One maintainers engage with feature requests. For a 790-star project, that's uncommon enough to be worth mentioning. The Catch: What Could Frustrate You Learning Go takes time if you're coming from Python or JavaScript. The language is simpler than Java in some ways, more rigid in others. Goroutines (Go's concurrency model) are powerful but they require a different mental model than async/await. If you've never dealt with channels and synchronization primitives, you're going to hit some walls. Building a server with Dragonfly means you're responsible for a lot of things that other server software handles for you. Want player persistence? Write it. Need anti-cheat? Build it. Custom commands? That's on you. This is the tradeoff for freedom - you get complete control, but complete responsibility comes along for the ride. Bedrock Edition also has quirks that Java Edition doesn't. The protocol is different. Some mechanics work differently. If you're only familiar with Java servers, some of Dragonfly's behavior might surprise you. Actually, even if you know Bedrock servers, Dragonfly's approach to certain things (like how chunks load or how entities sync) has its own opinions. The wiki exists and has useful info, but it's not full. You'll find yourself reading source code and running experiments to figure things out. That's fine if you enjoy that kind of learning, but it's not a "follow the tutorial" situation. Putting It Into Practice and Considering Alternatives Planning matters before you start coding. Sketch out what your server actually needs to do. What custom features are non-negotiable? What standard Bedrock behaviors do you need to change? Once you know that, you can estimate whether building with Dragonfly makes sense or whether something pre-built would serve you better. Using a tool like the Server Properties Generator can help you think through your server configuration needs upfront - understanding what properties matter helps you know what features to bake in. After your server is running, the Minecraft Server Status Checker is useful for monitoring if your server's staying responsive. It'll tell you if something in your Go code is blocking or if network issues are creeping in. If you want to build something custom but aren't ready to dive into Go, Nukkit is another Bedrock server option written in Java. It's more established and has more third-party plugins. The tradeoff is less control for lower effort. For Java Edition, Spigot and Paper are the standard, though they won't help you with Bedrock. And vanilla servers are still solid if you don't need custom mechanics. Dragonfly is the pick if you want to build something custom and you're comfortable writing code to get there. Support the project dragonfly is maintained by the open-source community. If it saved you time or powered something cool, leave a ⭐ on the repo, report bugs, or contribute back. Small actions keep tools like this alive.

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### Why Minecraft Stays the Best-Selling Game in 2026
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/minecraft-best-selling-game-2026
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

Minecraft's staying power in 2026 boils down to three core things: constant, genuinely meaningful updates from Mojang, a truly cross-platform experience that works everywhere, and a community that keeps creating. While other games chase trends and fight for relevance, Minecraft just... keeps being Minecraft. And that consistency is the whole secret. Updates That Actually Matter Mojang releases major updates roughly every six months. Version 26.1.2 is the current release, and it wasn't just bug fixes and polish (though there's plenty of that). Each major update adds real content: new blocks, new mechanics, new biomes that change how you play. More these aren't disposable features. When Mojang adds something, they don't abandon it three months later. Take the combat revamp from years back. Still getting tweaked. The cave biomes that launched in 2021? Got a whole second pass with new creatures, plants, and generation mechanics. The development team treats Minecraft like a world worth caring for, not a cash cow to milk until the next quarterly earnings call. Community input shapes what gets made. Snapshots like the current 26.2-snapshot-4 let players test features before release. Mojang doesn't hide behind corporate roadmaps or vague marketing speak. They show what's cooking, ask what's broken, and actually iterate based on feedback. It's rare enough that it's almost jarring compared to how most multiplayer games operate. And here's the thing about regular updates: they give people permission to come back. Someone might step away for a year, then hear about a new feature and boot the game up again. That revolving door of players returning keeps the community alive without relying on artificial battle pass FOMO or aggressive monetization. Cross-Platform is the Actual Killer Feature You can play Minecraft on Windows, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, iPhone, iPad, Android, and even on old phones that technically shouldn't run it. More you're not stuck playing some gimped version on certain platforms. Native PS5 support finally launched in 2026 after years of rumors. Yeah, it's wild it took four years after the console launched, but it happened. PlayStation players now get the same visual quality and performance as everyone else. The Xbox versions had that advantage for years, which is partly why Minecraft's player base stayed so strong on Microsoft's hardware. Cross-play works smoothly. You're on a Switch, your friend's on Windows, that other person just hopped on mobile. Same world, same servers. No loading into separate multiplayer instances. No "sorry, that platform can't join." Just... playing together. This matters more than people realize. Games live and die based on whether your friends can play with you. Minecraft removed that friction completely. Mojang didn't build a walled garden; they built a world that follows you between devices. Creative Freedom Beats Forced Progression Some games are obsessed with funneling you down a specific progression path. Daily tasks, season passes, battle passes, limited-time events, forced narrative beats. Minecraft doesn't care what you do. Survival mode, creative mode, hardcore, peaceful, speedrun any%, build a massive fantasy castle that takes six months, create a working computer from redstone, roleplay as an archaeologist studying geology by finding specific ore distributions. The game scales with whatever you bring to it. That flexibility is honestly hard to overstate. If you want to run your own server with custom rules, there's nothing stopping you. Use the Server Properties Generator to dial in everything from game modes to difficulty settings to whether villagers can breed. Run it however you want. And that freedom keeps thousands of player-run communities alive and thriving. Compare that to most online games, which herd you toward ranked ladders or seasonal challenges. Minecraft says "here's a world, do whatever." Some people will build. Some will fight. Some will dig straight down (don't do this). Some will build elaborate contraptions just to farm crops slightly faster. The game doesn't judge; it just provides the tools and gets out of the way. The Nether and Portal Mechanics Keep it Fresh The Nether is a perfect example of how Minecraft handles depth. It's dangerous, it's confusing, it's completely different from the Overworld. And there are tricks to it that casual players never discover. There's an actual distance mechanic where one block traveled in the Nether equals eight blocks in the Overworld. And this creates legitimate speedrunning strategies and base-building puzzles. Use the Nether Portal Calculator to understand the math behind establishing outposts and fast-travel routes between locations. The fact that Minecraft has this depth hiding just beneath the surface is exactly why it stays interesting. Casual players enjoy the Nether as a scary region with cool blocks. Serious players use it for logistics and optimization. Both are valid ways to engage, and both are fun. Mods Are the Unspoken MVP The modding community has created more content for Minecraft than Mojang could ever make alone. Want sophisticated weather systems? Mods. New dimensions? Mods. Entire farming mechanics, magic systems, quality-of-life improvements, complete visual overhauls that make the game look like 2026 graphics (instead of... well, stylized blocks). The modded community is massive enough that "modded Minecraft" and "vanilla Minecraft" are basically two different games at this point. A player can get 500 hours of vanilla, hit a wall, and jump into a modpack and get another 500 hours. That kind of extensibility is priceless. No subscription needed, no official support required, just community creativity filling the gaps. Mojang could've fought mods. Instead, they embraced the whole ecosystem. That decision alone probably added years to Minecraft's lifespan. Designed to Work for Everyone Minecraft scaled across age groups in a way that's genuinely impressive. A five-year-old can play peaceful mode and build whatever they want with zero threat. A teenager can crank up hard mode and genuinely feel challenged. An adult can spend evenings on detailed terraforming or creating themed biomes. The same game, different challenges for different skill levels. That's partly why education picked it up. Teachers use Minecraft to teach geometry, history, biology, environmental science. That's not a side benefit; that's built into the game's DNA. And the community keeps finding new angles. Speedrunners have competitive scenes. YouTube creators built entire careers around Minecraft content. Esports organizations pick it up. Twitch streamers put in thousands of hours and still pull huge audiences because there's genuinely something new every few months. Most games would be fossils after 15 years. The ones that stay alive do it by continuously proving they're worth the player's time and attention. Minecraft nailed that from day one and never stopped. That's not luck. That's a company that respects the thing they built and the people playing it.

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### FerrumC: Running High-Performance Minecraft Servers in Rust
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/ferrumc-minecraft-server-rust
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

GitHub · Minecraft community project ferrumc (ferrumc-rs/ferrumc) A reimplementation of the minecraft server in rust. Star on GitHub ↗ ⭐ 2,238 stars Ever run a vanilla Minecraft server and watched it struggle when players start logging in? FerrumC is a Minecraft server implementation written in Rust that reimagines what a server can do with modern systems. Instead of the single-threaded Java server you might be used to, it's built from the ground up to use all your available CPU cores and keep memory footprint lean. If you're tired of server hiccups during peak hours, this is worth your time. What FerrumC Actually Does FerrumC is a complete Minecraft server, not a plugin or mod. It's compatible with vanilla Minecraft clients running version 1.21.8, which means players connect the exact same way they always do - no launcher modifications, no special setup on their end. What's different is the engine running on your machine. The project reimplements the entire server from scratch in Rust, a systems language that guarantees memory safety while letting developers write code that runs insanely fast. This matters because it means the server can handle more concurrent players, load chunks faster, and keep your TPS (ticks per second) stable even when things get chaotic. And it does this while using a fraction of the RAM a traditional server would require. You download a single executable, configure it with a TOML file, and run it. Why You'd Actually Use This The obvious reason: performance. But let me be specific about what that translates to in practice. Better TPS stability - Minecraft servers measure responsiveness in ticks. A vanilla server often dips below 20 TPS when lots happens at once (mob farming, redstone machines, player traffic). FerrumC's multithreading spreads the load across your CPU cores instead of choking on a single thread. This keeps TPS steady, which means less lag for players and better responsiveness for things like PvP or jumping parkour challenges. Lower hardware requirements - A small community server running on vanilla Java needs a decent chunk of RAM just to stay stable. FerrumC can run the same player count on significantly less memory. If you're hosting on a VPS or an older machine, this opens possibilities that would've been unplayable before. Bringing existing worlds forward - You can import vanilla Minecraft worlds directly into FerrumC. So if you've already built something in singleplayer or on another server, you're not starting from scratch. The project includes tooling specifically for this. And if you're just curious about how a Minecraft server actually works under the hood - what the protocol looks like, how chunks are encoded, how the network layer operates - reading Rust code that implements all of this is genuinely educational. The developers built custom NBT, network, and Anvil encoding systems specifically to minimize I/O lag. Getting FerrumC Running Download comes from the GitHub releases page. The latest version is v0.1.0-rc2, with prebuilt binaries for macOS, Linux, and Windows. For Linux, grab the musl build - it's statically compiled and runs on basically any Linux distribution without dependency headaches. bashwget https://github.com/ferrumc-rs/ferrumc/releases/download/v0.1.0-rc2/ferrumc-v0.1.0-rc2-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz tar -xzf ferrumc-v0.1.0-rc2-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz./ferrumc That command launches the server with defaults. It creates a configuration file (server.toml) on first run, which you can edit to tweak things like the server name, player limit, and port. The config is straightforward - it's TOML, not some cryptic properties file. Want to change the max players or difficulty? Edit the file, restart. That's it. If you're coming from Paper or Spigot, you won't find a plugins folder here. FerrumC doesn't have a plugin system yet - it's still in active development (hence the RC tag). So custom mechanics and commands need to come from the core project or you're waiting for that feature to land. Features That Actually Matter True multithreading - Unlike the vanilla server (which processes everything on one thread, then waits), FerrumC uses a thread pool. Chunk loading, player updates, entity ticking, and I/O all happen in parallel. So this is why you'll see performance claims that aren't just marketing fluff. Customizable server list - The server responds with a description and can show player count, server icon, and status to clients in the multiplayer screen. You get control over how your server appears. World importing - Feed it a vanilla Minecraft world folder and it reads the region files, converts the chunk data, and makes it playable. Not instant for massive worlds (there's real I/O happening), but it works. Efficient chunk storage - The developers wrote custom chunk database code tuned for Minecraft's access patterns. Chunk loads that would cause stuttering in vanilla stay smooth under load. What Might Trip You Up FerrumC is still RC software. It's stable enough for testing and small communities, but it's not feature-complete. If you need certain vanilla behaviors or custom server plugins, you're waiting for development to continue or you're contributing code yourself. There's no admin GUI - everything is command line and config files. If that sounds annoying, it probably is compared to web control panels. But if you're comfortable with a terminal, it's actually cleaner. Documentation is still under construction. The official docs at docs.ferrumc.com exist but aren't exhaustive. One Discord server is active though, and the community answers questions pretty quickly. Actually, one more: make sure your firewall isn't blocking the port. Sounds obvious, but it catches people constantly. How This Compares to Other Servers vs. Vanilla Java Server - FerrumC blows it out of the water on raw performance. Same compatibility (vanilla clients work), but much better hardware efficiency. Vanilla's the baseline. vs. Paper/Spigot - These offer plugins, which is huge for customization. FerrumC doesn't yet, which is a real limitation if you want command enhancements or custom mechanics. But if you don't need plugins, FerrumC's performance advantage is substantial. vs. Other Rust servers (like Valence) - FerrumC is further along in terms of actual usability. It runs, it's stable, you can play on it. Other Minecraft implementations in Rust are still early projects. The honest take: FerrumC isn't here to replace everything. It's ideal if you're looking for a lightweight, high-performance server for vanilla survival, creative, or minigame modes. It's less ideal if you're building a custom experience with heavy plugin modifications. The Bigger Picture FerrumC matters because it proves you don't need Java to run a solid Minecraft server. Rust's performance characteristics and memory safety guarantees let developers write code that's both fast and reliable. For community server hosters, college LAN admins, or anyone running infrastructure on a budget, that's a meaningful difference. The project has active development, a growing Discord community, and real stars on GitHub (2238 and counting). That suggests it's not going to disappear tomorrow. If you're looking to spin up a Minecraft server and want something that feels modern, clean, and lets your hardware breathe, check it out. And if you want to understand how Minecraft servers work at the protocol level, the Rust code is a masterclass. Need to do some quick text formatting for your server? Try the Minecraft Text Generator. Or if you're building structures that cross the Nether, the Nether Portal Calculator saves a ton of manual math.ferrumc-rs/ferrumc - MIT, ★2238 Support the project ferrumc is maintained by the open-source community. If it saved you time or powered something cool, leave a ⭐ on the repo, report bugs, or contribute back. Small actions keep tools like this alive.

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### Minecraft Realms Updates for 2026
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/minecraft-realms-updates-2026
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

Minecraft Realms has been getting better in ways that aren't always obvious, and 2026 has brought some legit improvements that actually matter if you run a realm or play in one regularly. I'm going to walk you through what changed and whether it's worth paying attention to. What's Realms Anyway? Before diving into updates, quick refresher for anyone not familiar: Minecraft Realms is Mojang's official multiplayer hosting. You pay a monthly subscription (usually around $8), create a realm, invite up to 10 friends, and boom - multiplayer world with zero server setup required. And it works on both Java and Bedrock, though they're technically separate services that don't talk to each other (which is annoying but makes sense from a platform perspective). The whole pitch is "don't deal with technical stuff, just play multiplayer." And honestly, that pitch still holds up. Performance Actually Improved Here's the thing about Realms that most people don't notice: it runs on Mojang's servers, and those servers weren't always great. Load times could be rough. If you had 8 players online, there'd be noticeable lag spikes. In 2026, Mojang quietly upgraded infrastructure across most regions. It's not dramatic - you're not going to see performance jump 10x overnight - but it's real. Worlds load faster. You don't get the initial "standing around waiting for terrain" feeling when you first log in as much. And if your realm has consistent activity, things stay stable. This might sound boring, but it's one of those "nobody complains about good infrastructure" situations. If you haven't logged into a realm in a while and you try again, you'll probably notice things feel snappier. Backups Went From "Eh" to Actually Usable Okay, this one matters. Backup systems in Realms used to be janky as hell. You could download them, technically, but it was slow and sometimes they'd corrupt during the download process. Basically, they existed on paper but weren't reliable enough to actually trust. 2026 brought a full backend rewrite. Downloads are significantly faster. They're stable. You can keep more backup slots. The whole interface is less buried in menus too - it's actually discoverable now without consulting a wiki. Why does this matter? Because eventually someone's going to spawn thousands of TNT blocks or grief the hell out of your realm, and being able to roll back actually works now. Or if you want to migrate a realm to somewhere else, the backup system is the path to do that, and it no longer sucks. Bedrock Finally Getting Real Attention Bedrock Realms has historically been the "yeah it exists, but Java is better" version. There's a lot of reasons for that - fewer features, janky UI, cross-platform weirdness. Not all of it, but it existed. 2026 narrowed that gap noticeably. The realm menus got refreshed and feel less clunky. Cross-platform play (like Switch players with PC players) is more stable. Some Java-only features are finally rolling out to Bedrock. If you've got a mixed platform friend group and run a Bedrock realm, you probably notice things just work better now. Is Bedrock Realms equal to Java? Not quite. But if you're on Switch, Xbox, or PlayStation, it's actually viable now instead of being a rough experience. What If You Don't Want Realms? Some people don't want a subscription service. They want more control. Most want mods, plugins, custom mechanics. Or they just want to own the server outright rather than rent access from Mojang. For that crowd, you've got options. You can run your own Minecraft server. If you want friends to actually connect easily without technical knowledge, tools like our Free Minecraft DNS let you set up a proper domain that's easy to share and remember, so nobody's typing IP addresses into their server lists. The tradeoff is you've to maintain it. But you get unlimited players, custom rules, plugins, mods, complete control. Realms prioritizes "just works" - your own server prioritizes flexibility. The Small But Nice Stuff Realm names. You used to pick a name at creation and you were basically stuck forever. Now you can change it without nuking the world. Seems simple, but after years of people complaining about this, it finally happened. Realm descriptions got longer. You can write more detailed info about what the realm is about. Anyone can toggle private/public more easily. Customization in general got a minor pass that makes management less of a chore. What Realms Still Doesn't Have Built-in voice chat across realms. People thought this was coming because Microsoft has the tech. It didn't. Moderation and privacy stuff is complicated. Use Discord or whatever. Mods and plugins. Realms is vanilla only. If you want a modded realm setup that just works, you're back to running your own server. Full compatibility with server software like Paper or Spigot. Again, vanilla only. This is intentional - keeping things simple and stable. Cross-realm play. You can't have friends on different realms easily play together. They've to pick which realm they join for a session. The Marketplace And Creative Tools Mojang's been expanding what you can buy and use within realms. Adventure maps. Pre-built worlds. These are created by community creators and sold through the marketplace. Quality varies, but there's some genuinely good stuff if you're looking for structured experiences - co-op adventures, puzzle maps, that sort of thing. If you're a creative type and you want to design your realm with custom cosmetics and skins, check out our Minecraft Text Generator for designing skins and experimenting with custom looks before you build them out in your realm. Should You Actually Care? If you're already running a realm, these updates mean it works better and is more stable. Backups alone are worth it if you've ever had data loss. The 2026 infrastructure improvements mean your world runs smoother, especially during peak hours when multiple players are online. If you tried Realms a couple years ago and it was frustrating, it's probably worth another shot. Infrastructure's better, the experience is smoother, and backup is actually reliable now. If you're choosing between Realms and running your own server for the first time, it still comes down to: do you want "just works but limited" or "lots of control but you maintain it?" Realms won that tradeoff again in 2026 by actually improving the infrastructure and fixing reliability issues.

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### How to Speedrun Minecraft Like a Pro: 2026 Tactics
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/speedrun-minecraft-tips-runners
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

Minecraft speedrunning has exploded. What started as players racing against timers has become a genuinely competitive scene with global leaderboards, categories, and strategies that evolve constantly. If you're interested in shaving minutes off your run, here's what the top runners are actually doing right now. What Makes a Minecraft Speedrun First, let's be clear about the categories. Any% is the main event - beat the game as fast as possible, no restrictions. Glitchless runs remove exploits. Some runners tackle Hardcore mode. The record for Any% Java currently hovers around 13 minutes, and that's legitimate players, not mythical figures. Speedrunning isn't about luck entirely. Yeah, world generation matters. Biome spawning, village positions, bastion placement - these can add or subtract seconds. But the gap between a good run and a world-record run? That's muscle memory and route knowledge. Top runners know exactly where they should be at every 30-second mark. Route Planning: Your Blueprint Every speedrunner starts with a route, essentially a step-by-step map of what to do from spawn to End credits. The route has evolved massively since 2023. Modern speedrunning focuses on collecting Eyes of Ender using Piglins in the Nether rather than finding them in Strongholds, which saves time overall. Danger Will Robinson at the Erra Ring who is watching the dangerous rise of the 'omnigenius' of D.O.G.E Here's the actual flow most competitive runners use: Spawn, punch wood, craft tools, farm for food, find a village or loot a structure. Then rush to find a Bastion Remnant. Trade with Piglins (gold bars get you Eyes, pearls, and ender pearls quickly). Head to the Nether, navigate to a Bastion or Fortress, gather the resources, craft your Eyes, and locate the Stronghold. Simple written down. Brutal in execution because every second counts. The key insight? It's not about being perfectly efficient at one task. You're optimizing the *sequence*. Which biome should you hunt for first? Can you get food and locate a village in the same sweep? These decisions compound. Early Game: The Grind That Isn't Most new speedrunners waste time gathering. They mine full stacks of wood. Most farm 40 seeds. Nope. Top runners punch wood, craft planks, make a crafting table and a wooden pickaxe, and move. They loot rather than farm whenever possible. lego 2024 june to december catalog catalogue australia 2 Want to know how they source food so quickly? Villages. Finding a village early isn't optional if you want a competitive time. Loot the chests, grab carrots or potatoes or bread, and keep moving. If no village appears naturally, some runners will climb a hill and scan for one. The three-minute mark is your soft deadline to have food and basic materials sorted. Crafting efficiency gets overlooked. You'll see top runners planning their crafting queues to minimize menu interactions. Open the crafting table once, craft what you need for the next segment. Close it. Move. Open it again only when necessary. Sounds silly when you write it down, but over a 15-minute run, those five seconds of menu time add up. The Nether Dash: Route Variations This is where routes get spicy. Different runners prefer different Nether strategies depending on what they found early. lego 2024 june to december catalog catalogue australia 1 Bastion-first runners find a Bastion immediately, loot aggressively, get Eyes of Ender through Piglin trades, and skip Fortresses entirely unless they need it for other resources. Fortress-focused runners prioritize finding a Fortress for blaze rods and aim for a more traditional Eyes grinding route. Hybrid approaches hit a Bastion for quick loot, then route to a Fortress if needed, adapting based on what drops. Portal placement matters more than people think. You don't want to emerge in the Nether and wander. Top runners pre-calculate where their spawn portal would exit and either hunt for an existing Nether structure nearby or push deep into the Nether knowing where they're headed. Actually, one thing I got wrong initially - some runners will bridge across lava lakes if they're placed awkwardly. It's faster than swimming, counterintuitively, because the visual lag is less on some systems. Stronghold Navigation and the Final Fight You've got your Eyes, you've cast them, they're flying. The Stronghold is somewhere underground. So this is where preparation pays off. Top runners have pre-equipped armor and weapons. They know what potions to bring - healing, strength, maybe fire resistance for the occasional lava room. lego 2023 january to may catalog catalogue australia 2 The actual End fight is mechanical and repetitive. Attack the Crystals. Tank the damage. Know when the Dragon is vulnerable. It's less about strategy and more about not panicking. Runners who spend time in Creative testing the fight mechanics perform better than those who just wing it. You want to know exactly how many hits each Crystal needs, where the Dragon loops, and whether your weapon is sharp enough to finish before it heals. Bow usage is minimal in modern speedruns - melee is faster once you're inside the End. Tools and Practice Setups If you're serious about speedrunning, you'll want a timer mod. LiveSplit is industry standard. There are also Minecraft-specific mods that automate timing - they detect when you spawn and when you enter the End credits screen. Set that up first, before you race yourself. For practice, use world seeds that are known to be speedrun-friendly. There's a database of optimized seeds for Java Edition at speedrun.com. Don't waste time on terrible spawns while learning. Practice on known good seeds so you can focus on execution, not praying for luck. And yeah, consider setting up a personal server or using a free DNS management tool if you're testing with friends or running practice leagues. The infrastructure isn't glamorous, but it's part of the modern speedrunning community. What the Community Is Doing Right Now The speedrunning scene in early 2026 is focused on two things: optimizing the Piglin trade routes and reducing menu lag through better hardware and mod optimization. There's a lot of debate about whether certain mods should be allowed - some runners use performance mods that technically give an advantage, and the community is having healthy arguments about where the line should be drawn. One wild trend emerging is co-op speedruns. Two players, one world, one shared timer. It changes strategy entirely because you can optimize roles - one person does Nether runs while the other prepares the overworld or preps the End. If you're setting up servers for a speedrunning community (or want a presence for your organization), tools like the Minecraft MOTD Creator let you make your speedrunning server's message of the day something unique and inviting. Small detail, but first impressions matter. Final Thoughts: Start Small You don't need to be a world-record contender to enjoy speedrunning. Lots of players set personal bests, race against friends, or just try to beat a 20-minute run. The strategy and optimization are the fun part, not the leaderboard position. Start with any% glitchless if you want to learn the fundamentals without worrying about obscure exploits. Run a few practice attempts on the same seed until you're comfortable with the flow. Then gradually shift to random seeds and watch your times drop. Most important? Don't get frustrated. A bad run is data. You learn what went wrong and adjust next time.

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### Reden: Undo, Version Control, and Redstone Debugging for Minecraft
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/reden-minecraft-undo-redstone
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

GitHub · Minecraft community project reden-is-what-we-made (zly2006/reden-is-what-we-made) Redstone EDEN: Undo & Redo | Ctrl+Z | Mineacrft Debugger | Redstone Version Control | Any amazing features you can image! Star on GitHub ↗ .0 If you've ever spent two hours building an intricate redstone door mechanism only to accidentally place a block that breaks everything, you know the pain. Reden exists to solve that specific nightmare by adding Ctrl+Z support to Minecraft redstone development, plus a whole ecosystem of tools for managing complex machines. What Reden Actually Does Reden is a Minecraft mod (274 stars on GitHub, written in Kotlin) that gives redstone machine developers a proper toolkit for creating, testing, and sharing their work. At its core, it's an undo/redo system, but the roadmap includes version control, debugging utilities, and a package manager for redstone designs. Think of it as what Minecraft's redstone building should have shipped with. The Undo Feature: The Main Event Pressing Ctrl+Z will undo your last action. Sounds simple, but in Minecraft's survival-mode redstone world, it's honestly revolutionary. What makes this different from other mods is that it actually tracks player-caused changes. You can undo block placements, removals, block entity modifications (like changing redstone repeater delays), and entity changes. The mod won't undo world generation or environmental changes, only your direct actions. So if you're testing a contraption and realize you routed a redstone line wrong, you just press Ctrl+Z instead of manually deconstructing it. And yeah, you get redo too (Ctrl+Y or Ctrl+Shift+Z, depending on your keybinds). RVC: The Ambitious Part Redstone Version Control (RVC) is still in development, but the vision is genuinely interesting. Imagine using Git to track your redstone machines. You'd be able to version your designs, diff changes, and push them to GitHub. Other builders could then reference your work as submodules, reusing your designs as building blocks in their own creations. Currently, RVC lets you authenticate with GitHub through https://redenmc.com, and the selection tool is nearly complete. You'll hold a blaze rod and left-click to select machine regions, right-click to exclude areas. Future plans include a package manager for dependencies and activity tracking so your followers see when you update a machine. Here's the thing: it's marked "WIP" and "Planning" on the GitHub repo, so don't expect this to be production-ready yet. But the direction is clear. RDebugger: Timing and Step-Through Debugging Also in progress. RDebugger is supposed to give you micro-timing analysis of your redstone circuits, step-through execution, and breakpoints for block updates. Eventually you'll be able to write test scripts like: markdown[steps] Use: button at 0 0 0 Wait: 10 ticks [check] Require: block at 1 3 5 is stone Has-Item: chest at 0 0 0 has 1 diamond And the debugger will validate that your machine behaves as expected. For anyone testing complex redstone logic, this would be a massive time-saver. How to Install Reden Reden runs as a Minecraft mod, so you'll need a mod loader. Most players use Fabric or Forge. GitHub project card for zly2006/reden-is-what-we-made For Fabric (recommended): Download the Fabric installer from fabricmc.net Run the installer and select your Minecraft version (check the latest stable release: version 26.1.2) Download the Reden mod jar from Modrinth or CurseForge Drop the jar into your .minecraft/mods folder Launch the game via the Fabric profile You'll probably want Fabric API as a dependency too (grab it from the same sources). For Forge: The process is similar. Download the installer, create a Forge profile, then drop mod jars into the mods folder. Reden supports both loaders, though Fabric tends to have fewer conflicts. The mod has a Modrinth page that's usually the easiest entry point. You can also find it on CurseForge if you prefer that platform. Key Features and How They Work Instant Undo with Ctrl+Z: The selling point. Place a block, realize it's wrong, undo it. Works on repeaters, comparators, pistons, observers, any redstone component. If you've ever accidentally rotated a comparator the wrong way after 20 minutes of building, you'll appreciate this. Full Block Entity Support: Changes to repeater delays, comparator subtraction modes, and dispenser contents are all tracked. You're not just undoing block placement, you're undoing the entire state of your machine. Command Integration: Command Hotkeys let you bind frequently-used commands to keyboard shortcuts. Useful for testing or automation during development. GitHub Integration (RVC): Link your GitHub account at the official website. Eventually your machines will be shareable via GitHub links, with other builders able to pull them as dependencies. This is still under construction, but the foundation is there. Selection Tool (RVC, nearly done): Hold a blaze rod to select regions of your build. This is meant to work with the version control system, letting you define which part of your world you're versioning. Tips and Common Gotchas The undo system only tracks player actions. If you use a command to modify blocks, it'll undo. But if the environment changes (mobs breaking blocks, water flowing), that won't be undoable. This is by design, since otherwise your undo history would explode. Also, the undo history is per-session. If you quit and reload your world, you lose the undo stack. So this might change in future versions, but it's something to know now. When you're testing redstone machines, actually turn off other mods that might spawn particles or entities. Sometimes lag from rendering can mask subtle timing issues that RDebugger will catch later. If you're planning to use RVC features, join the Discord (linked on the Modrinth page). The maintainer and community are active there, and you'll get early warnings about breaking changes. Alternatives Worth Knowing About WorldEdit mods like WorldEditCUI exist, but they're more about bulk terrain manipulation than redstone debugging. If you just need undo for building, WorldEdit covers that. But Reden's focused undo specifically for redstone logic is faster and requires no setup. For version control, you could manually export schematics and commit them to Git yourself. But RVC, once it's ready, will automate that and let you reference other people's work as submodules. That's a genuinely different workflow. If you're building custom servers and want to track world changes, something like CoreProtect handles rollbacks for grief prevention. But that's server-side and retrospective. Reden is per-player and real-time. Is Reden Worth Using Right Now? The undo feature absolutely is. If you build redstone machines at all, Ctrl+Z alone saves you frustration constantly. Install it for that. The RVC features are future promises, but they're thoughtfully designed. If you care about version control or sharing machines with other builders, keep an eye on the project. It's maturing quickly. One more thing: if you're running a multiplayer server and want to give your players access to undo, you'll need everyone running the mod. It's not server-side, so it requires client-side installation. Keep that in mind for community servers. For solo building, creative testing, or a private SMP with friends, Reden is solid right now and getting better. If you're serious about finding a server or setting one up yourself with custom builds, having undo support makes development infinitely less frustrating. You might also want to check out tools like the server properties generator if you're hosting custom redstone challenges or teaching redstone to others. GitHub: zly2006/reden-is-what-we-made - LGPL-3.0, ★274 Where to go from here Read the source on GitHub (docs, examples, and the issue tracker) Browse open issues to see what the community is working on Check recent releases for the latest build or changelog

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### CommandWhitelist: Complete Control Over Server Commands
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/commandwhitelist-minecraft-plugin
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

GitHub · Minecraft community project CommandWhitelist (YouHaveTrouble/CommandWhitelist) You decide what commands players can use or tab complete on your server! Star on GitHub ↗ .0 Ever ran a Minecraft server where players discovered commands you wish you could hide? CommandWhitelist solves that. It lets server admins control exactly which commands players can use and see, complete with custom "unknown command" messages. Simple idea. Powerful impact. What This Plugin Does CommandWhitelist is a Minecraft server plugin that acts as a command gatekeeper. Instead of every command being visible to every player, you define what they can and can't use. You can block command execution entirely, hide commands from tab completion, or target specific subcommands. The plugin works on Bukkit-based servers (Spigot, Paper, Purpur, and others), Waterfall proxies, and Velocity, making it flexible for virtually any server setup. The core idea is simple but powerful: don't let players know commands exist if they're not supposed to use them. If your players can't tab-complete something like "op", they're less likely to try using it. If the "plugins" command doesn't appear in their suggestions, they won't snoop around your server's configuration or discover your installed mods. It's security through obscurity, but for server admins, that obscurity buys real peace of mind. Why Server Admins Actually Use This Scenario one: you're running a vanilla survival server with some admin-only quality-of-life commands installed. You don't want regular players discovering `/give`, `/gamemode`, or `/tp`. CommandWhitelist keeps those dangerous tools invisible. Scenario two: you've got a modded server with 50+ plugin commands and you only want players to see the ones they're actually allowed to use. Instead of overwhelming new players with `/admin`, `/debug`, `/dev`, and fifteen other commands they can't touch, you show them just the player-facing commands. Clean. Professional. Then there's immersion-focused servers. Run a role-play community? Hide commands that break character. Building a hardcore challenge server? Hide commands that make survival easier. Creating a mini-games server? Only show the commands relevant to each game. If you're also checking out the Minecraft Server List to get discovered, you'll want your server presenting a polished experience, and CommandWhitelist helps with that. Don't overlook the branding angle. Instead of the default "Unknown command. Type '/help' for help", CommandWhitelist lets you customize that response. Add your server name, point players to your Discord, make them feel like they're on a real, intentional server rather than a generic Spigot instance. Installation and Configuration Getting CommandWhitelist running takes two minutes. Download the latest JAR from GitHub, drop it into your plugins folder, and restart: bashcd /path/to/server/plugins wget https://github.com/YouHaveTrouble/CommandWhitelist/releases/download/v2.12.0/CommandWhitelist-2.12.0.jar # Restart your server On first startup, CommandWhitelist generates a config file automatically. The default behavior blocks nothing - you've to explicitly define what you want to hide. Configuration is YAML-based and straightforward once you open the file. If you're also managing your server's player whitelist, the Minecraft Whitelist Creator tool works great alongside CommandWhitelist to handle traditional player username whitelisting separately. Core Features That Solve Real Problems Tab completion hiding is the standout feature. When players press tab after typing `/`, CommandWhitelist controls what suggestions appear. It's subtle but solves two problems: preventing players from discovering commands they shouldn't use, and eliminating confusion from seeing commands that don't work. GitHub project card for YouHaveTrouble/CommandWhitelist Subcommand targeting separates this plugin from one-dimensional command blockers. Most plugins work at the command level - you either allow `/say` entirely or block it. CommandWhitelist goes deeper. You can block `/say message` but allow `/say`. Most players can block `/give player_item_amount` while allowing other `/give` subcommands. This matters when you've got complex permission structures with dangerous subcommands. Custom "no such command" messages replace vanilla error text with something that fits your server. Instead of the default error, you get something like: "That command isn't available on this server" or "Questions? Check your server documentation or ask a staff member." It's a small touch that makes your server feel intentional. Permission integration is built in. If a player doesn't have permission to use a command, CommandWhitelist hides it from tab completion automatically. Combined with a permissions plugin like LuckPerms, this creates a cohesive experience where players only see commands they're allowed to use. Gotchas and Common Pitfalls The biggest gotcha: CommandWhitelist uses opt-in blocking. Nothing is hidden until you explicitly add it to the config. If you expect everything hidden by default and only certain commands allowed, you'll be disappointed. You've to actively configure what gets blocked. Tab completion blocking doesn't prevent command execution through other means. If a player already knows about a `/give` command, they can still type it directly. CommandWhitelist can block the execution, but for complete secrecy, you need to prevent both tab completion AND execution. Plan accordingly based on your use case. Compatibility runs solid back to Minecraft 1.13, which covers virtually every active server. The latest release (v2.12.0) is compiled against Java 21 with updated adventure dependencies. If your server runs 1.12 or earlier, CommandWhitelist won't help - though at that point you've got bigger problems. One critical limitation: CommandWhitelist works on Waterfall proxies but explicitly doesn't support BungeeCord. If you're running BungeeCord, you'll need to configure CommandWhitelist on each backend server individually instead of centrally on the proxy. Waterfall users get the convenience of central configuration. Customizing Your Server Presentation CommandWhitelist pairs well with other server customization efforts. You're already thinking about player experience if you're managing commands. That same mindset applies to letting players browse Minecraft Skins in your community, set up custom spawns, and create a distinctive server identity. These small touches compound into a server that feels professional rather than thrown together. Alternatives Worth Knowing About PermissionsEx, if you're already running it for permissions, can handle some command blocking. It's less specialized than CommandWhitelist but might satisfy your needs. LiteBans has command hiding built in, but it's primarily a punishment system - better if you need full ban management than pure command control. Where to go from here Read the source on GitHub (docs, examples, and the issue tracker) Browse open issues to see what the community is working on Check recent releases for the latest build or changelog

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### Item-NBT-API: Custom Minecraft Item Data Without Server Hacks
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/item-nbt-api-minecraft-custom-items
Published: 2026-04-25
Author: ice

GitHub · Minecraft community project Item-NBT-API (tr7zw/Item-NBT-API) Add custom NBT tags to Items/Tiles/Entities without NMS! Star on GitHub ↗ If you've ever wanted to add custom data to Minecraft items on your server without digging into server internals, you've probably hit a wall. Either you're resorting to sketchy workarounds or you're avoiding the whole thing entirely. Item-NBT-API gives server admins and plugin developers a clean way to attach custom NBT tags to items, tile entities, and mobs without touching the fragile internals that break between versions. What This Project Actually Does NBT stands for Named Binary Tag. It's Minecraft's way of storing structured data on items, entities, and blocks. When you pick up a diamond sword with Sharpness V, that enchantment is stored as NBT data inside the item. Item-NBT-API lets your plugins read and write that data safely. The key thing here is "safely." Instead of reaching into Minecraft's internal server code (which Java developers call NMS), this library gives you a stable interface. Your code won't break the next time Mojang updates the game. You can store NBT data in multiple formats too. Dump it to files. Serialize it as JSON strings for your database. Stick it in Redis. The library handles the conversion work. Why You'd Actually Use This Imagine you're running a survival economy server. You want merchants to sell enchanted pickaxes with custom names and lore, plus hidden tags that track item origin and prevent duping. Without a tool like this, you're either writing dangerous code that breaks every few months or you're managing everything in separate databases and syncing it constantly. Or you're building a custom dungeon plugin. NPCs need to drop loot with specific properties. A sword might have a hidden damage multiplier, cooldown counter, or quest marker encoded as NBT. Managing all that cleanly requires something like Item-NBT-API. Server owners and plugin makers benefit because: Cross-version compatibility. You write code once, it works on Minecraft 1.20+ without rewriting. No "NMS hell." Seriously. NMS updates are a developer nightmare. Items keep their data when players drop them, place them, or store them in chests. Flexible storage. Save to disk, database, or keep it in-memory. For players? They just see items that "feel" special. No technical knowledge required. Installation and Getting Started Assuming you're building a Bukkit/Spigot/Paper plugin, you'll pull this in through Maven or Gradle. Here's the Maven approach: xml<dependency> <groupId>de.tr7zw</groupId> <artifactId>item-nbt-api</artifactId> <version>2.15.7</version> </dependency> Add this to your repository block and you're good. Recent Minecraft versions (26.1.x) are supported, though you should check the GitHub releases page for your specific server version because the update cycle has gotten a bit messy. Once it's imported, basic usage is straightforward. You grab an ItemStack, wrap it with the library, and start reading or writing tags. The API feels familiar if you've worked with other Bukkit libraries. How It Actually Works The library abstracts away version differences. Minecraft's internal NBT format changes regularly. The code you write using Item-NBT-API gets compiled into a version-specific build that knows how to talk to your server's internals safely. Let's say you want to mark a sword as "soulbound" so it doesn't drop when a player dies. You'd set a custom NBT tag, then hook into the player death event and check for that tag. Easy. Tags are structured. You're not just storing random strings. You can create complex nested data. Arrays of numbers. Multiple levels of tags inside tags. If you've worked with JSON before, the structure feels similar. Here's where it gets interesting: you can also persist this data. Serialize the entire NBT compound to a string, throw it in your database, and reconstruct it later. A player logs off with a custom item, logs back on next week, and the item's data is exactly as they left it. Real-World Examples That Actually Matter Let's get concrete. One common use case is creating cosmetic items. Imagine a decorative helmet that displays a unique name and description to players: javaNBTItem item = new NBTItem(helmet); item.setString("customName", "Crown of the Ancients"); item.setString("customLore", "Crafted in a lost age"); helmet = item.getItem(); The item keeps those tags forever. When someone clicks it open in an inventory, plugins can read those tags and display special behavior. Another practical angle: leaderboards. You might tag items with timestamps and player UUIDs, then query your database for the most valuable swords ever created on your server. Track chains of ownership. Build a whole item economy on top of NBT data. You could also build a durability system that doesn't use Minecraft's built-in durability. Store remaining uses in NBT, check it on each swing, and show custom damage bars or particle effects. Skyblock servers do this kind of thing all the time. If you're running a custom minigame, you might tag projectiles with the shooter's UUID and track hit detection with per-item NBT counters. Dungeon loot can be marked by difficulty level. Crafting stations can track custom recipes in NBT without touching the game's recipe system. What Actually Trips People Up The biggest gotcha? Version compatibility. The library handles it, but you still need to rebuild your plugin for new Minecraft versions. You can't just drop the same JAR on a 1.20 server and a 1.21 server. (Actually wait, in recent patches this has improved, let me check the release notes... yes, 2.15.7 added broad support for 26.1.x builds with the assumption Mojang won't break things in patches. That's helpful.) Another issue: NBT data only persists on items you've touched with the library. If someone enchants a sword in a regular crafting table, the library sees it fine. But if they're using some third-party enchantment plugin, the interaction can get weird. Always test with your full plugin stack. Performance isn't usually a problem, but writing massive NBT compounds every tick will definitely show up in profiling. Cache what you can. Don't serialize huge data structures to your database on every single event. One more thing: players can't see NBT tags directly unless you specifically display them. That's usually what you want. But it means your custom item system is invisible to vanilla Minecraft clients. They won't understand your soulbound mechanic without your plugin explaining it. Tools That Work Well Together If you're building cosmetic systems alongside custom items, check out the Minecraft Skin Creator to let players design custom skins for their characters. For servers with custom motions or text-based branding, the Minecraft MOTD Creator helps you build eye-catching server descriptions. NBT data for items pairs nicely with customized server presentation. Alternatives Worth Knowing About If Item-NBT-API doesn't fit, a few other projects solve similar problems. ConfigMe is simpler but less flexible. If you're willing to drop into NMS yourself, you get more control but lose compatibility. Some servers use raw command blocks and scoreboard systems, which works for basic cases but doesn't scale. Most communities stick with Item-NBT-API though. It's been around long enough (674 GitHub stars, active development) that the ecosystem supports it. Tutorials exist. Other plugin devs use it. You're not taking a risk on an abandoned project. Where to go from here Read the source on GitHub (docs, examples, and the issue tracker) Browse open issues to see what the community is working on Check recent releases for the latest build or changelog

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### ReplayMod: Record and Replay Your Minecraft Adventures
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/replaymod-record-replay-minecraft
Published: 2026-04-24
Author: ice

ReplayMod/ReplayMod Minecraft ReplayMod .0 Ever played a moment in Minecraft that was so cool you immediately regretted not recording it? ReplayMod solves that problem by recording everything automatically in the background, then lets you replay the session from any angle you want. It's like having a time machine for your gameplay - no performance hit, no separate recording software hogging your RAM. What This Project Actually Does ReplayMod is a client-side Minecraft mod that records game sessions at the engine level rather than capturing video output. Instead of streaming video data (which destroys framerates), it records the raw player state, entity positions, animations, and chunk data - essentially a replay of everything that happened. You can then open the replay viewer, rewind to any moment, and fly around your recorded world with perfect freedom. Think of it like this: normal recording is a camera pointing at your screen. ReplayMod is a replay system that lets you place unlimited cameras anywhere you want, even after gameplay is done. You can zoom slowly through a massive build, watch a battle from three different angles, or create smooth cinematic camera movements that would take forever to execute in-game. The filesize advantage is huge. A typical 10-minute gameplay session creates a replay file under 100MB, whereas the same session recorded as video could be multiple gigabytes depending on resolution and settings. That's why servers and content creators love it - you can keep years of replays without filling your entire drive. Why You'd Actually Use This Content creators are the obvious use case. Building a YouTube video? Record your gameplay once, then replay it multiple times with different camera angles and edits. You get professional-looking shots without setting up a crazy OBS configuration or spending hours recording multiple takes. Server communities use ReplayMod all the time for clan wars, building competitions, and disputes. "Did you actually hit that shot?" Rewind the replay and check. "Who destroyed the tower?" Look at it from above. Admins can review what actually happened instead of trusting player reports. Speedrunners analyze their runs from angles they couldn't see while actually speedrunning. A split-second decision that worked? Watch exactly how the blocks interacted from above. A route that failed? Slow it down and see where the mistake was. For casual players, it's just the peace of mind that you're always recording. That moment when your friend's house explodes unexpectedly? It's in the replay. And that weird glitch that might happen once a month? You've got it. No stress about remembering to hit record. If you're recording server gameplay and want to add polish, text generators can help add titles, watermarks, or overlays to your exported video. And if you run your own server, setting up a proper DNS for your server means more stable connections for players - which means smoother gameplay to replay. Installation and Basic Setup ReplayMod requires two things: Minecraft Forge and the mod jar itself. You'll also need Java and Minecraft installed (obviously). Step 1: Install Forge. Download the Forge installer from forge.net, pick your Minecraft version, and run the installer. This creates a Forge profile in your Minecraft launcher. Step 2: Get the ReplayMod jar. The project has builds available from the releases page. Download the version that matches your Minecraft version. Unlike many mods that have one universal jar, ReplayMod has separate jars for different Minecraft versions (1.8, 1.12, 1.16, 1.20, etc.) because of how deeply it hooks into the game. Step 3: Place the jar in your mods folder. bashWindows: %appdata%\.minecraft\mods\ Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/mods/ Linux: ~/.minecraft/mods/ Just drop the jar file in that folder. No extraction needed. Step 4: Launch with Forge. Start Minecraft, select the Forge profile from the launcher, and load a world. ReplayMod initializes automatically. The first time you load the mod, you might see a prompt asking where to store replays. You can put them in the default location (.minecraft/replay_recordings/) or pick a custom folder if you're planning to collect a lot of recordings. One quirk: if you're building from source (which most people won't do), the project uses a custom preprocessor for handling multiple Minecraft versions. The actual building is straightforward though: bash./gradlew build But pre-built jars are your friend. Source building is for developers contributing to the project. Core Features and How They Actually Work Automatic Recording: Once the mod loads, it records silently. Every world, every server, everything. If you want to stop recording for a specific session (like when visiting a private server), there's a mod menu option. Otherwise, just play normally. GitHub project card for ReplayMod/ReplayMod The Replay Viewer: This is where the magic happens. Open a completed replay, and instead of being locked to where your character was, you get a camera that can fly anywhere. You can position it manually, follow a player, create keyframe-based paths for smooth cinematic movements, speed up or slow down the playback, and jump to any moment on the timeline. Multi-Version Support: The codebase handles versions from 1.7.10 through recent 1.20+ releases. The preprocessor mentioned in the README allows one codebase to adapt to the deep engine changes between versions. You don't see this complexity - you just download the jar for your version. Server Recordings: Works on multiplayer servers just fine. Each player records their own perspective independently. This is great for replaying group events from different angles or proving what actually happened in a dispute. Timeline Scrubbing: The replay viewer shows a frame-by-frame timeline of your session. Click any point, and the replay jumps there instantly. Want to watch a 45-minute session but only see the last 2 minutes? Scrub to the end. Pitfalls, Gotchas, and Hard-Won Wisdom Replays aren't permanent storage. ReplayMod has configurable storage limits - by default, it deletes old replays once the folder hits a size threshold. If you care about a recording, either export it to actual video using the replay viewer's export feature, or manually save the replay file to a backup location. Some server plugins mess with packet handling and break replays - you'll get out-of-sync playback or entity glitches. If you're the server owner, check that ReplayMod is allowed in your config. If you're a player, mention it to your admin - most will happily whitelist it. The mod's source code looks weird if you peek at it. That's the preprocessor at work, adding version-specific sections. Don't be alarmed if you see directives in the code that look like they shouldn't be there - they're part of the version-handling system. Replays are somewhat tied to your specific Minecraft installation. Move your.minecraft folder or upgrade Java significantly, and old replays might fail to load. It's not a huge deal, just something to know if you're an archival-minded person. Alternatives Worth Knowing Cinematic Camera mods: Simpler alternatives that just give you free camera control in creative mode. You'd need separate recording software, but if you already have OBS or Nvidia Share running, these work too. OBS + screen recording: The old-school approach. Capture your entire screen, edit afterward. Slower, uses more resources, creates huge files. But hey, it works on any mod and any server. AdvancedScreenshots: Totally different tool - it's for high-resolution screenshots, not video or replays. People sometimes confuse it with ReplayMod. Honestly, there aren't many direct competitors because ReplayMod does something pretty unique: zero-friction recording with pro-level replay tools. Most alternatives are either simpler (just camera control) or more resource-intensive (full-screen recording). Ready to try ReplayMod? Grab the source, read the full documentation, or open an issue on GitHub. Star the repo if you find it useful. It helps the maintainers and surfaces the project for other Minecraft players. Visit ReplayMod/ReplayMod on GitHub ↗

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### MockBukkit: Testing Bukkit Plugins Without Breaking Your Setup
URL: https://minecraft.how/blog/post/mockbukkit-bukkit-plugin-testing
Published: 2026-04-24
Author: ice

GitHub · Minecraft community project MockBukkit (MockBukkit/MockBukkit) MockBukkit is a mocking framework for Bukkit/PaperMC to allow the easy unit testing of Bukkit plugins. Star on GitHub ↗ If you've ever tried writing unit tests for a Bukkit plugin, you know the pain: you need a running CraftBukkit server, mocked players, worlds, and inventories, and half the Bukkit API refuses to cooperate outside a live instance. MockBukkit exists to solve exactly this problem. It's a Java framework that lets you test your Bukkit plugins in isolation, controlling every detail of the server state, without spinning up an actual Minecraft server for every test run. Why Testing Bukkit Plugins is Harder Than It Looks Bukkit plugins are tied deeply to the CraftBukkit runtime. Normally, if you want to test whether your plugin correctly damages a player's armor when they're hit, you'd need: A running Bukkit server An actual player connected to that server A way to simulate damage events Access to that player's inventory to verify the armor durability changed That's a lot of infrastructure for a single test. And if you're running a continuous integration pipeline (CI), spinning up a Minecraft server for every test becomes expensive and slow. Most plugin developers skip proper unit testing entirely and just rely on manual testing in-game, which... yeah, that's not ideal. MockBukkit sidesteps this entirely. What MockBukkit Actually Does MockBukkit provides a complete mock implementation of the CraftBukkit API that you can completely control from your test code. Instead of needing a running server, you create fake players, worlds, and events all within your unit tests. It's built on Mockito under the hood. That means it integrates with standard Java testing frameworks like JUnit. The framework supports recent Minecraft versions (the latest release targets 1.21), and it's published to Maven Central, so adding it to your project is straightforward. With 725 stars on GitHub and active maintenance, it's well-established in the plugin developer community. Core capabilities include mock plugins, mock players, mock worlds, and mock events - everything you need to test business logic without a server. Getting Started with MockBukkit Adding MockBukkit to Your Project MockBukkit is available via Maven Central, so setup depends on your build tool. For Gradle: gradledependencies { testImplementation "org.mockbukkit.mockbukkit:mockbukkit-v1.21:1.0.0" } For Maven: xml<dependency> <groupId>org.mockbukkit.mockbukkit</groupId> <artifactId>mockbukkit-v1.21</artifactId> <version>1.0.0</version> <scope>test</scope> </dependency> Make sure you're using the version that matches your target Minecraft version (the project maintains separate artifacts for different server versions). Your First Test Once added, you can start writing tests immediately. MockBukkit gives you a mock server instance that you can configure: javaimport static org.mockbukkit.mockbukkit.MockBukkit.*; class MyPluginTest { private MockBukkit server; private MyPlugin plugin; @Before void setUp() { server = mock(); plugin = loadPlugin(MyPlugin.class); } @Test void testPlayerDamageTakesArmor() { Player player = server.addPlayer(); player.getInventory().setArmorContents(new ItemStack[]{...}); // Trigger your logic plugin.damagePlayer(player, 10); // Assert the armor was damaged assertTrue(player.getInventory().getArmorContents()[0].getDurability() > 0); } } That's the basic pattern: create a mock server, load your plugin, create mock players and worlds, trigger your logic, then assert the results. Key Testing Features: What You Can Mock MockBukkit's strength is its coverage of the Bukkit API. Here's what you get out of the box: Mock Players: Create players on demand, configure their locations, inventory, permissions, and health. Simulate events like damage, death, or movement. Mock Worlds: Create multiple worlds, spawn entities, place blocks - everything except the actual rendering. This is useful if your plugin has world-specific logic or checks the block type at a location. Mock Events: Trigger Bukkit events from your test code. If your plugin listens for PlayerDamageEvent, you can fire one and verify the plugin responds correctly. This is where the real power comes in. Mock Plugins: You can load your plugin into the mock server and verify it registers correctly, loads configuration files, and hooks into events as expected. The framework handles the boring parts so you focus on testing your business logic. And if you need something that's not mocked yet, you can fall back to partial mocking or create custom test doubles. When MockBukkit Makes Sense (And When It Doesn't) MockBukkit is perfect for testing the core logic of your plugin: damage calculations, inventory manipulation, permission checks, custom command handling. If your plugin's main concern is "when a player does X, does Y happen?", MockBukkit is your answer. GitHub project card for MockBukkit/MockBukkit But there are limits. If you're testing complex interactions with the Minecraft world - like path-finding logic, lighting calculations, or collision detection - you'll hit MockBukkit's boundaries fast. For those edge cases, you'd need integration tests with an actual server. Also, MockBukkit tests only your plugin code. It doesn't test whether Bukkit itself works (spoiler: it does). So don't use it to debug whether Bukkit's PlayerDamageEvent fires correctly - it will. Use it to verify your plugin listens to that event correctly. One more caveat: if your plugin depends heavily on external libraries that aren't easily mockable, you might spend more time wrangling test setup than actually testing. Keep that in mind when deciding test coverage. Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them Most new users hit one of three issues: Skipped tests: If you see tests being skipped with UnimplementedOperationException, it means you're calling a Bukkit method that MockBukkit hasn't mocked yet. Check the project's issue tracker - it's usually documented. As a workaround, you can sometimes use Mockito's spies to partially mock the behavior. Timing issues: Bukkit uses scheduled tasks and async operations. In tests, these run synchronously by default, but you need to be explicit about what's scheduled vs. what runs immediately. The MockBukkit docs explain this clearly. Configuration loading: If your plugin loads YAML config files, make sure your test setup creates those files in the right location. The mock server has a plugin folder, but you need to populate it. MockBukkit in the Broader Testing Landscape MockBukkit isn't the only tool for testing Bukkit plugins. Other options exist, though MockBukkit is the most mature and actively maintained. Some developers skip dedicated testing frameworks entirely and just run their plugin on a local CraftBukkit instance, then manually test in-game. But this works for small plugins, but it doesn't scale and makes continuous integration much harder. If you're serious about plugin quality, automated tests are worth the setup investment. Others use Spigot's testing utilities directly, but those are barebones compared to MockBukkit. MockBukkit abstracts away a lot of boilerplate. If you're building a plugin, you should be testing it. And if you're testing it, MockBukkit saves you hours of server setup and debugging. Practical Next Steps Start small: pick one piece of your plugin's logic - maybe a custom command handler or a damage formula - and write a test for it using MockBukkit. Get familiar with how the mock server works. From there, expand your test coverage incrementally. The project's GitHub repository has examples and a surprisingly helpful Discord server if you get stuck. The maintainers are responsive, and the community is welcoming to newcomers. If you're running a Bukkit server, you might also find tools like our Server Properties Generator helpful for managing your server configuration - the same discipline that applies to testing also applies to keeping your server configuration clean and documented. And if you're looking up specific block behaviors for your plugin logic, Minecraft Block Search can save you a trip to the wiki. Where to go from here Read the source on GitHub (docs, examples, and the issue tracker) Browse open issues to see what the community is working on Check recent releases for the latest build or changelog

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