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Minecraft

208 Articles
Dive into our Minecraft knowledgebase articles, where you'll learn everything about Minecraft server hosting! Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, our guides will teach you how to set up, optimize, and manage your server.

How to Install any Fabric Modpack on a Minecraft Server

Some modded Minecraft server owners may wish to install a custom Forge modpack that is unavailable for automatic installation using Shockbyte's 1-click installer. If you were unable to find your desired modpack on our 1-click modpack installer, please request official support for the modpack by submitting a submitting a ticket. In the meantime, you can still manually install any server-compatible Forge modpack. ::ProseNote{title="Important" description="We would highly suggest that you check out our 1-click modpack installer before you follow this guide, to see if the modpack you desire is already available for easy installation." appearance="default"} :: Downloading a Server Pack Before you can install a Forge modpack on your server, you will need to download its server pack. For this example, we will be downloading our modpack from CurseForge. 1. Install the CurseForge launcher 2. Click Minecraft in the sidebar, then select Browse to look for your desired modpack 3. Select the modpack you wish to use, then click the Download Server Pack icon Installing a Forge Modpack After downloading your desired Forge modpack server files, you will need to install the proper version of Forge on your server, then upload the server files. 1. Create a new server instance using your modpack's version of Forge 2. Connect to your server using an FTP client. We recommend using FileZilla 3. Stop your server if it is currently running 4. Upload any folders or unique config files from the modpack onto your server 5. Start your server. --- If you require any further assistance, please contact our support at: https://shockbyte.com/billing/submitticket.php

Nathan Franklin
October 8, 2024

The Different Types of Minecraft Server Lag

There are a few different types of lag that can occur on your Minecraft server. Reasons for this may vary, so knowing the type of lag you're experiencing will help you troubleshoot your server’s performance. --- Server Lag (TPS lag) Server lag can be measured by using the TPS rate. TPS refers to the ticks per second, and you can get your server’s TPS by doing the command. The TPS is the only type of lag that you can control as the server owner. If the TPS is 20, you’re server is running flawlessly and you don’t need to change a thing. If the TPS is between 19.95 and 19.99, the lag is likely unnoticeable, and most servers run at this TPS. If the TPS is below 20 but above 18.00, the server is taking longer than usual to complete each tick. However, it is unlikely any lag will be noticeable, and it is usually safe to ignore it. If your TPS is below 18.00, then you should try to determine the cause to improve your server’s performance. A server with a TPS below 16.00 is when lag may begin to become visible. It still may not be noticeable at 16 TPS, but the further below, the more noticeable it will become. --- Connection Lag (Latency / Ping) Connection lag refers to the latency or ping between a player’s client and your server. The higher the ping, the more lag the player is experiencing. If a player is experiencing high latency, it’s usually because the server is physically located further away from them. If you have a choice, you should locate your server near where most of your players will be playing from. --- Client Lag Client lag is measured using FPS or frames per second, not to be confused with TPS. The FPS measures the client’s ability to display and process the frames of the game. FPS is purely client-side, and the server’s performance doesn’t affect FPS. Remember, the only type of lag you can directly control on your server is server lag or TPS. While there are things you can do to help reduce other types of lag that players experience while on your server, there are some factors that are just out of your control.

Jay Miller
September 11, 2024

Troubleshooting "Set PluginClassLoader as Parallel Capable"

If you're receiving the error and your server isn't starting, this would suggest you have installed a plugin from an untrusted source. Nulled, cracked, or pirated software very often contains back doors or malicious code that can cause damage to your server. Installing software from untrusted sources is never recommended and is very risky. If you are receiving this error, removing any plugins that weren't downloaded from an official source like Modrinth, Spigot, or BukkitDev should resolve your issue. If you're not sure which plugin is causing the issue, you can disable or delete plugins one by one until you find the plugin causing the issue.

Kobe Plane
September 11, 2024

Troubleshooting Every Minecraft Server Issue

Minecraft server errors are almost always caused by software, meaning the plugins, mods or worlds on your server. This guide explains how to troubleshoot any issue and find the cause of your problem every time. --- Troubleshooting a Minecraft Server 1. Check your console for any errors This is always the first step if something goes wrong. Errors in your console will usually be able to tell you what's wrong. You can also refer to your error logs located in the folder in your server's directory for full logs of the past and present. 2. If your server crashed, check to see if any crash reports were generated If your server has crashed recently, it is likely that it will generate a crash report. If you are unsure of how to, feel free to read our guide on how to locate and read crash reports. 3. Temporarily rename your plugins directory and restart your server This will load your server with no plugins, so if this resolves the issue, you will know a plugin is causing the problem. If this is the case, you can usually rule out world corruption from being a potential cause, which is great to know. If you're running mods on your server, generate a backup before you try this same method out with the mods folder. 4. Temporarily rename all your world folders and restart your server Generate a backup of your server, then rename each world directory before restarting your server. If the server was not starting, but starts without problem after changing the world folder name, this would indicate world data corruption is at play. Feel free to refer to our guide on the topic here if your world is experiencing corruption. If option 3 or 4 resolves the issue, then you will know it is caused by either a plugin, world corruption, or an invalid block/chunk. If it's caused by a plugin, you can disable individual plugins one by one (by renaming the at the end to something like ) until you find the specific plugin causing the issue. If the issue is world or chunk-related, you should check out our article on fixing world corruption here. For more assistance with troubleshooting your server, feel free to check out our other troubleshooting articles here, or contact our 24/7 support team for additional help.

Zach Lowery
September 11, 2024

Troubleshooting Common Java Error Exit Codes

In some cases, your server may crash without any explanation or a crash report. Often in these situations, it’ll be accompanied by a number such as 1, 137, or 143. --- Common Exit Codes and Solutions While Exit Codes can be hard to diagnose, they generally point to a few simple problems, which we cover in the table below. | Exit Code | Description | Solution | | ----- | ----- | ----- | | | Your server’s JAR file is either not named properly, missing, or corrupted. | Ensure the name of your JAR file matches what is configured in your server instance. If you’re running a modpack or a Custom JAR, consider reinstalling Forge/Fabric or your Custom JAR file. | | | In certain situations, this may signify a networking issue. | Check your server files for any crash reports. If you are unable to find any, please feel free to contact us for help. | | | Your server’s port is not binding properly. This code may also be accompanied by a Failed to bind to port error. | This error implies you may need a new, valid IP address assigned to your server. If you experience this error, please contact us for support! | | | Your server is out of memory (RAM). | If you experience this error code, you should investigate ways to lower your memory usage or upgrade the RAM allocated on your server. | | | Your server was terminated by an external factor. This error can sometimes occur when a server isn’t responding and you’ve clicked the kill button. | Generally, this error may be ignored. If the error appears repeatedly, you should consider reviewing crash reports, running a timing report, or contacting us for support. |

Kobe Plane
September 11, 2024

Setting Up a Custom Server IP (Domain / Subdomain)

For a player to join your Minecraft server, they need to have your server address to enter on their Minecraft client. By default, a server address looks something like this: , but it can be hard to remember or easily misinput. An easy way to have a server address that is easy to remember is to use a domain (e.g shockbyte.com) or subdomain (e.g. play.shockbyte.com). --- Which is Best for You? Custom Domain - This allows you to use the domain itself (e.g. shockbyte.com) as your server address. This option is best if you do not have a domain yet. Custom Subdomain - If you already own a domain but you cannot use this as your server IP, you may instead use a custom subdomain (e.g. play.shockbyte.com). A subdomain as a server IP is ideal to use if the main domain is pointing to your server's website. Free Subdomain - Since most domains require you to pay for their registration, you may opt for a free alternative using subdomain creators. This allows you to use a subdomain as your server IP without having to pay for the domain itself. You can create one for your server using Shockbyte's Subdomain Creator. If you choose to use a custom domain or subdomain, you will need to create an A and SRV (optional) record through your domain registrar's DNS manager. If you do not have a domain yet, you can register one from a reputable domain registrar. A few notable registrars are Namecheap, GoDaddy, and Squarespace. Once your domain is ready, please refer to our tutorials below, depending on your specific domain registrar or DNS manager: Creating a Custom Server IP with Cloudflare Creating a Custom Server IP with cPanel Creating a Custom Server IP with GoDaddy Creating a Custom Server IP with NameCheap If your registrar isn't listed above, the steps to configure your DNS will always be similar to one of these providers. So feel free to follow along with one of the guides above, Google a more specific tutorial for your registrar, or feel free to contact our 24/7 support team for additional help. --- Creating an A Record On your domain's DNS manager, create a new A Record with the following specifications: ::ProseNote{title="Note" description="You must have full access to manage your domain's DNS settings." appearance="default"} :: Creating an SRV Record (For servers without a Dedicated IP) By default, a custom domain/subdomain points to Minecraft's default port (25565). If your server doesn't have a Dedicated IP you need to create an SRV record to ensure that your custom domain/subdomain points to the correct server IP and port combination. Below are the values for your SRV record: If you require any further assistance, please contact our support at: https://shockbyte.com/billing/submitticket.php

Zach Lowery
September 11, 2024

Optimizing spigot.yml To Reduce Lag

If you’re running a Spigot server, you have a handful of options you can use to optimize your server to ensure optimal performance. This guide will show you the settings offered by Spigot that you can take advantage of to optimize your server’s performance. ::ProseNote{title="Note" description="This article is specifically for Minecraft Java Edition servers, and depends on Spigot or Paper to work." appearance="default"} :: Below is a list of settings from the and their recommended values for optimal performance in the order of most impact to least impact on performance. For help editing this file, reference our guide on modifying your Spigot configuration. For more detailed and advanced options you can adjust, feel free to check out this useful server optimization GitHub guide by YouHaveTrouble and contributors. | Option | Description | Default | Optimized / Recommended | |--------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------|--------------------------| | save-user-cache-on-stop-only | Prevents constant saving of user data while online. Improves performance, but may risk data loss if the server crashes. Make backups and stop the server regularly. | false | true | | entity-activation-range | Controls how close entities must be to players to activate AI. | animals: 16<brmonsters: 24<brraiders: 48<brmisc: 8 | (same as default) | | merge-radius | Increases how close items/XP must be to merge, reducing ticking entities. Too high values may cause bugs (e.g. teleporting through blocks). | item: 4.0<brexp: 6.0 | (same as default) | | nerf-spawner-mobs | Disables AI for mobs from spawners, improving performance on spawner-heavy servers. | false | true | | max-tick-time | Controls max tick time before skipping logic. Setting it to 1000 disables the feature to avoid breaking gameplay. | tile: 50<brentity: 50 | 1000 (disabled) | | mob-spawn-range | Sets how far (in chunks) from a player mobs can spawn. Keep lower than view distance to ensure effectiveness. | 8 | 6 | | arrow-despawn-rate | Controls how long survival arrows stay before despawning. Reduces entity lag. (300 ticks = 15s) | 1200 | 300 | | item-despawn-rate | Sets how long items stay on the ground before despawning. Reducing helps performance but may annoy players. (4000 ticks = 3.3 minutes) | 6000 | 4000 | | tick-inactive-villagers | Prevents ticking of villagers outside activation range. Greatly improves performance in 1.14+ servers. | true | false | You can further improve performance on your Spigot server by optimizing Bukkit and Paper. Learn more about how to optimize your Bukkit configuration with our guide on optimizing Bukkit’s bukkit.yml here.

Zach Lowery
September 11, 2024
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