Minecraft: Java

Minecraft Java server guides: change versions, install plugins, mods and modpacks, upload worlds, edit server.properties, permissions and whitelists.

• Give staff the right tools on a Minecraft server

  A staff team needs enough power to deal with trouble and no more than that. Here is how to split ranks, which commands each tier actually needs, how to log what staff do, and how to remove someone's access cleanly when they leave.

  6 min read · staff, moderation, permissions · Updated Oct 21, 2026

• Enable command blocks and run functions on a server

  Command blocks are off by default on a multiplayer server. Here is how to turn them on, which permission levels decide what they can do, when a datapack function is the better tool, and how both of them cost you performance.

  6 min read · command-blocks, functions, datapacks · Updated Oct 21, 2026

• Spawn protection, PvP and keeping new players safe

  What spawn-protection actually stops, what the pvp setting does and does not cover, and how to build a spawn area where a brand new player is not killed or robbed in their first ten seconds.

  6 min read · spawn-protection, pvp, minecraft · Updated Oct 21, 2026

• Change your Minecraft server port

  Your Minecraft port is an allocation on the machine, not just a line in a config file, so you change it on the Ports and network page rather than in server.properties. Here is how, and why you cannot simply pick any number.

  6 min read · port, minecraft, java · Updated Oct 21, 2026

• Upgrade a Minecraft world to a new version safely

  Moving a world to a newer Minecraft version converts it permanently, so the order of operations matters. Back up, check your plugins and mods, test on a copy, and know where the new terrain will leave a seam.

  6 min read · minecraft, java, version · Updated Oct 21, 2026

• JVM flags for Minecraft: what Aikar's flags do

  Java garbage collection pauses show up in game as a stutter everyone feels at once. Here is what the well known flag set changes, where your server's startup command lives, and when changing flags genuinely helps.

  6 min read · jvm, java, performance · Updated Oct 21, 2026

• Undo griefing with CoreProtect

  CoreProtect logs every block placed, broken or taken on your Minecraft server, so you can see exactly who did what and roll back one player's damage without touching anyone else's builds.

  6 min read · coreprotect, griefing, rollback · Updated Oct 21, 2026

• Add an economy and player shops to Minecraft

  How a server economy fits together: the economy plugin that holds the money, Vault as the bridge between plugins, chest shops versus admin shops versus auction houses, and how to set prices that do not collapse in a fortnight.

  6 min read · economy, shops, vault · Updated Oct 21, 2026

• Anti-cheat on a Minecraft server: what works

  What cheat clients actually do, what a server-side anti-cheat can and cannot detect, how to keep false positives from punishing honest players, and why logging and moderation catch more cheaters than any plugin on its own.

  6 min read · anti-cheat, minecraft, java · Updated Oct 21, 2026

• Add a live map to your Minecraft server with Dynmap

  Dynmap renders your Minecraft world as a browser map that updates while people play, like Google Maps for your server. Here is how to install it, give it a web port, and stop it eating your disk and CPU.

  6 min read · dynmap, minecraft, java · Updated Oct 21, 2026

• Run a Minecraft network with Velocity or BungeeCord

  A proxy puts several Minecraft servers behind one address so players can hop between a lobby, survival and minigames without disconnecting. Here is how Velocity and BungeeCord work, what you have to lock down, and whether you need one at all.

  6 min read · velocity, bungeecord, proxy · Updated Oct 21, 2026

• Set up EssentialsX on a Minecraft server

  EssentialsX gives your Minecraft Java server homes, warps, spawn, kits, a basic economy and the moderation commands vanilla is missing. Here is how to install it, which modules you actually need, and how to hand the commands out.

  6 min read · essentialsx, plugins, minecraft · Updated Oct 21, 2026

• Minecraft Server Java Version: Which One You Need

  Minecraft 1.18 to 1.20.4 needs Java 17, 1.20.5 to 1.21.x needs Java 21, 26.1 and newer needs Java 25, and anything up to 1.16.5 needs Java 8.

  2 min read · minecraft, java, java-version · Updated Oct 24, 2026

• Editing server.properties: Key Minecraft Settings Explained

  The server.properties file is the main settings file for your Minecraft Java server, and editing it lets you control everything from the world seed to the max player count and PvP.

  3 min read · server.properties, configuration, minecraft · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• Forcing a resource pack on Minecraft Java

  Make your Minecraft Java server apply a resource pack automatically by pointing server.properties at a direct download URL.

  3 min read · resource-pack, texture-pack, minecraft · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• How much RAM does my Minecraft server need?

  Honest, no-hype guidance on how much RAM a Minecraft Java server needs, based on player count, plugins and how well you tune it.

  3 min read · ram, memory, performance · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• How to Install Datapacks on a Minecraft Server

  Add datapacks to your Minecraft Java server: where the files go, the commands to check and enable them, and why world generation packs need a fresh world.

  4 min read · datapacks, data pack, minecraft · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• Install a Fabric or Forge Server and Add Mods

  Installing a Fabric or Forge server lets you run mods that change and expand Minecraft, and adding those mods is mostly a matter of dropping files into the right folder.

  3 min read · fabric, forge, mods · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• Installing a modpack on Minecraft Java

  Install a modpack on your Minecraft Java server from the Modpack page in your control panel, and understand why every player needs the exact same pack to join.

  3 min read · modpack, minecraft, java · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• Installing plugins on Minecraft Java

  Add plugins to your Minecraft Java server on GuavaHost from the Plugins page in your control panel, or by uploading the .jar file yourself.

  3 min read · plugins, minecraft, java · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• How to change your Minecraft Java server version

  Switch your Minecraft Java server to another version or server type, such as Paper, Vanilla, Forge or Fabric, from the Version page in your control panel.

  2 min read · minecraft, java, version · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• Connect Minecraft With a Custom Domain and SRV Record

  A custom domain lets players join your server with a clean address like play.yourdomain.com instead of an IP and port, and an SRV record hides the port so they do not have to type it at all.

  2 min read · domain, srv-record, dns · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• Set Difficulty, Game Mode and Keep Inventory in Minecraft

  You can set your Minecraft server's difficulty, default game mode and whether players keep their items when they die, either by editing server.properties or by running a few quick commands in the panel.

  2 min read · gamerules, difficulty, gamemode · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• Minecraft Java First Steps

  The first steps with a new Minecraft Java server: sign in to your control panel, start your server, then join it from Minecraft using its IP and port.

  1 min read · minecraft, java, first-steps · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• Change Your Minecraft MOTD, Colors and Server Icon

  Set the message under your server name in the multiplayer list, add colors and a second line with color codes, and upload a 64x64 server icon.

  4 min read · motd, server icon, colors · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• Minecraft Server Crashing? Read the Crash Report

  Find the crash report and log on your Minecraft Java server, read the lines that matter, and fix the usual causes: Java, mods, memory and bad chunks.

  6 min read · crash, crash report, latest.log · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• Set the World Spawn, World Border and Pre-Generate Chunks

  Setting a world spawn point, adding a world border and pre-generating your map are three simple ways to control where players start, cap how far the world grows and cut the lag that happens when new terrain loads.

  2 min read · worldborder, spawn, pregeneration · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• Optimize Paper for Performance: Safe Config Settings

  Tune Paper for better TPS without breaking farms: which settings in the Paper, Spigot and Bukkit config files to change, and which to leave alone.

  5 min read · paper, optimization, performance · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• Paper vs Purpur vs Spigot vs Fabric vs Forge

  Which Minecraft Java server type to run, what your players need to install, and how Paper, Purpur, Spigot, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge compare.

  5 min read · paper, purpur, spigot · Updated Oct 1, 2026

• Reset your world or change the seed

  Wipe your Minecraft Java world for a fresh start, or regenerate it from a specific seed, while leaving your plugins and configs untouched.

  2 min read · world, seed, reset · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• Set Up Permissions With LuckPerms on Minecraft

  LuckPerms is the most popular permissions plugin for Minecraft servers, letting you create ranks and control exactly which commands and features each group of players can use.

  2 min read · luckperms, permissions, plugins · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• Simple Voice Chat setup

  Get the Simple Voice Chat proximity voice plugin working on your GuavaHost Minecraft Java server by matching its UDP voice port to your main server port.

  2 min read · voice-chat, svc, minecraft · Updated Sep 24, 2026

• How to Upload a Minecraft World to Your Server

  Learn how to upload an existing Minecraft Java world to your GuavaHost server and set it as the active world.

  3 min read · minecraft, java, world · Updated Oct 1, 2026

• Ban, Kick and Unban Players on a Minecraft Server

  Kick, ban, IP-ban and unban (pardon) players on your Minecraft Java server from the panel console or in game, plus how it works on Bedrock.

  4 min read · ban, kick, pardon · Updated Sep 23, 2026

• Find What's Causing Minecraft Lag With spark

  Use the free spark profiler to see which plugin, mod, entity or chunk task is slowing your Minecraft server, and learn to read its report.

  4 min read · spark, profiler, lag · Updated Sep 23, 2026

• How to Op Yourself and Run Admin Commands on Minecraft

  Giving yourself operator (op) status makes you a server admin, unlocking cheat and moderation commands like /gamemode, /give, /tp and /ban that normal players cannot use.

  2 min read · op, admin, commands · Updated Aug 18, 2026

• Set Up a Minecraft Whitelist Without Locking Yourself Out

  A whitelist limits your server to an approved list of players, and the trick to enabling it safely is to add yourself and your admins to the list before you turn it on.

  2 min read · whitelist, security, admin · Updated Aug 18, 2026

About these guides

Minecraft Java is the edition most servers run, and the one with real plugins, mods and datapacks. These guides cover a server's whole life: picking a version and a server type, adding plugins or a modpack, editing server.properties, giving yourself and your staff the right permissions, uploading a world, and keeping the thing fast once people actually play on it.

If you are starting out, read the first steps guide and the version guide before you install anything, because the server type you choose decides what will and will not load later. Paper, Purpur, Spigot, Fabric and Forge are not interchangeable, and swapping between them after you have built a plugin or mod list is the most common avoidable mess.

More Minecraft: Java guides

Guides for this game filed under other topics.

• Join your Minecraft Java server

  How to find your server's address in the panel and add it in the Minecraft Java client, and why matching your client version is usually the fix when you cannot connect.

• Server not showing in the server list

  The three usual reasons a server does not appear in your Minecraft server list, and how to check each one: the server is still starting, the IP or port is wrong, or your version does not match.

• Allowlist and whitelist explained

  What the allowlist (Bedrock) and whitelist (Java) do, the commands to manage them, and the classic trap where turning it on with no names blocks everyone, including you.

• Converting a Java world to Bedrock

  You can convert a Minecraft Java world to Bedrock using third party tools like Chunker, but it is lossy: terrain and builds usually survive, while entities and container contents often do not, and modded content will not convert at all. Here is the honest process.

• Fix "Address already in use" on a game server

  Two things want the same port and only one can have it. The usual causes are an old process that has not finished dying and a plugin quietly claiming a port of its own.

• Chunk loading, pre-generation and why exploring lags

  Generating new terrain is the heaviest single job your server ever does, which is why a fresh world lags while players explore and then settles down: pre-generating the map ahead of time and capping it with a world border removes the problem for good.

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