Minecraft Server Setup

This guide covers setting up a Minecraft Java Edition server on NovaStack, choosing between Paper, Forge, and Fabric, configuring server.properties, and installing plugins or mods.

When deploying a Minecraft server on NovaStack, you'll select a server type:

Paper is recommended for most servers — it's the fastest and supports thousands of plugins via the Bukkit/Spigot ecosystem.

Open server.properties from the File Manager. Key settings:

# Core
server-name=My Minecraft Server
motd=\u00a7bWelcome to our server!
max-players=50
difficulty=hard
gamemode=survival
pvp=true

# World
level-seed=your-seed-here
level-type=minecraft\:normal
view-distance=10
simulation-distance=8

# Network
server-port=25565
online-mode=true
enable-query=true

# Performance
max-tick-time=60000
network-compression-threshold=256

Tip: Keep view-distance at 10 or below. Higher values dramatically increase RAM and CPU usage.

1. Download .jar plugin files from SpigotMC, Modrinth, or Hangar.
2. Upload them to the /plugins/ folder via the File Manager or SFTP.
3. Restart the server.
4. Configure each plugin in /plugins/PluginName/config.yml.

Essential plugins:

• EssentialsX — core commands, homes, warps, economy.
• LuckPerms — permission system for ranks and groups.
• WorldGuard — region protection and flags.
• Vault — economy and permission API bridge.
• CoreProtect — block logging and rollback for grief protection.
• GeyserMC — allow Bedrock players to join your Java server.

1. Make sure your server is running the correct Forge or Fabric version.
2. Download mod .jar files from CurseForge or Modrinth.
3. Upload them to the /mods/ folder.
4. Restart the server.

Important: Players must have the exact same mods installed on their client. Share a modpack or CurseForge profile with your community.

For best performance on Paper:

• Use Aikars Flags for JVM startup arguments (NovaStack applies these by default).
• Install Chunky to pre-generate the world and avoid lag spikes from chunk generation.
• Set view-distance to 8–10 and simulation-distance to 6–8.
• Use spark to profile performance and find bottlenecks.
• Limit entity counts with Paper's built-in settings in paper-world.yml.