Server Properties

Configuring server.properties

Server Properties

The server.properties file controls core server settings. Here’s a complete reference.

Accessing Server Properties

1. Open the File Manager in your panel
2. Click on server.properties
3. Edit the settings
4. Save and restart your server

Essential Settings

Server Information

# Message shown in server list
motd=A Minecraft Server

# Maximum simultaneous players
max-players=20

# Server port (don't change unless needed)
server-port=25565

Gameplay Settings

# Game mode: survival, creative, adventure, spectator
gamemode=survival

# Force all players into this mode
force-gamemode=false

# Difficulty: peaceful, easy, normal, hard
difficulty=normal

# Enable hardcore mode (permanent death)
hardcore=false

# Allow PvP combat
pvp=true

World Settings

# Level name (folder name)
level-name=world

# World seed (leave blank for random)
level-seed=

# World type: normal, flat, large_biomes, amplified
level-type=minecraft\:normal

# Generate structures (villages, temples, etc.)
generate-structures=true

# Allow Nether
allow-nether=true

# World spawn coordinates
spawn-protection=16

Performance Settings

# View distance (chunks, lower = better performance)
view-distance=10

# Simulation distance
simulation-distance=10

# Max build height
max-build-height=320

# Entity tick range
entity-broadcast-range-percentage=100

Network Settings

# Enable query protocol
enable-query=false
query.port=25565

# Enable RCON (remote console)
enable-rcon=false
rcon.port=25575
rcon.password=

# Server IP (leave blank usually)
server-ip=

# Network compression threshold
network-compression-threshold=256

Security Settings

# Online mode (verify accounts with Mojang)
online-mode=true

# Whitelist
white-list=false
enforce-whitelist=false

# Prevent proxy connections
prevent-proxy-connections=false

# Require resource pack
require-resource-pack=false
resource-pack=
resource-pack-sha1=

Advanced Settings

# Player idle timeout (minutes, 0 = disabled)
player-idle-timeout=0

# Maximum world size (radius in blocks)
max-world-size=29999984

# Allow flight (for creative/flying mods)
allow-flight=false

# Enable command blocks
enable-command-block=false

# Ops permission level (1-4)
op-permission-level=4

# Function permission level
function-permission-level=2

Common Configurations

Public SMP Server

gamemode=survival
difficulty=normal
pvp=true
max-players=50
view-distance=8
online-mode=true
white-list=false

Private Friends Server

gamemode=survival
difficulty=hard
pvp=false
max-players=10
view-distance=12
online-mode=true
white-list=true

Creative Build Server

gamemode=creative
difficulty=peaceful
pvp=false
spawn-protection=0
allow-flight=true
enable-command-block=true

Anarchy Server

gamemode=survival
difficulty=hard
pvp=true
spawn-protection=0
max-players=100
online-mode=false

Important Notes

online-mode=false allows cracked clients but disables Mojang authentication. This is against Minecraft’s EULA and may cause security issues.

Changes to server.properties require a server restart to take effect.

Lower view-distance to 6-8 for better performance on busy servers.

Version-Specific Options

Some options only exist in certain versions:

Option	Added In
simulation-distance	1.18+
enforce-secure-profile	1.19+
max-chained-neighbor-updates	1.19+

Troubleshooting

Changes Not Working

1. Ensure you saved the file
2. Restart the server (not just reload)
3. Check for typos in property names

Invalid Value Errors

• Boolean values must be true or false
• Numbers must be valid integers
• Strings should not have extra quotes

Server Won’t Start

• Check for duplicate properties
• Verify all values are valid
• Look at console for specific errors

Next Steps

• Installing Plugins
• World Management
• Performance Optimization