Glossary of the Minecraft server
64 terms you come across while running a server, sorted into seven families and explained without needless jargon. Each says what it is and what it changes for you.
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Performance
- Chunk
- A 16-by-16-block portion of the world, over its full height. The server loads and unloads chunks based on player positions: it is the most expensive operation for the processor and the disk.
- Simulation distance
- The radius within which the world keeps living: mobs, crops, redstone. Narrower than the view distance without anyone noticing.
- View distance
- The number of chunks loaded around each player. It is the heaviest setting: 8 to 10 are almost always enough.
- Garbage collector
- Java's automatic memory cleanup. Badly tuned, it causes regular micro-freezes, often mistaken for network lag.
- Heap
- The memory area the Java virtual machine assigns to the server. Too small, the server stops; too large, cleanup pauses get longer.
- Lag
- Delay as perceived by the player. It comes either from the server (low TPS) or from the network (latency). The two are treated differently.
- MSPT
- Milliseconds per tick. Above 50, the server can no longer hold its 20 TPS. It is the measure that really says whether the machine is struggling.
- RAM
- The memory allocated to the server. 2 to 3 GB for vanilla, 3 to 4 with plugins, 6 and up for a modpack.
- Spark
- A finer diagnostic tool than timings. It samples the server while it runs.
- Tick
- One simulation cycle of the server, that is 50 milliseconds in normal operation. Everything that moves in the world is recalculated every tick.
- Timings
- A performance report produced by Paper. It names the plugins and entities eating the most tick time.
- TPS
- Ticks per second. The server aims for 20. Below that, everything slows down: mobs crawl, furnaces take longer, redstone drops out.
Network
- Anti-DDoS
- Upstream filtering that absorbs saturation attacks before they reach the machine.
- SRV record
- A DNS record that hides the port behind a personal domain name.
- Latency
- Round-trip time between the player and the server, in milliseconds. It depends on distance and the network, not on the machine's power.
- Ping
- Another name for latency, shown in the player list. Below 40 ms, nobody notices it.
- Port
- The number identifying the service on the machine. 25565 by default for Minecraft Java.
- Query
- A protocol exposing the server's state to directories and monitoring tools.
- RCON
- A remote channel for sending commands to the console without being connected to the game.
Engines and proxies
- Bukkit
- The first modified server to open the door to plugins. No longer maintained, but its API remains the reference everything else descends from.
- BungeeCord
- The historic proxy. Still used, but Velocity is preferred on new installations.
- Fabric
- A lightweight mod loader, quick to follow new game versions. Very present among technical and performance mods.
- Folia
- A Paper derivative that spreads the world's regions across several cores. Reserved for very large communities, with compatible plugins.
- Forge
- The historic mod loader. Players must install the same Forge and the same mods as the server.
- NeoForge
- A recent fork of Forge, now the reference on modern versions.
- Paper
- A Spigot derivative, much more optimized and the most used today. Accepts Bukkit and Spigot plugins.
- Proxy
- An entry server that spreads players across several game servers. Velocity and BungeeCord are the two references.
- Purpur
- A Paper derivative that adds hundreds of behavior settings. Useful when you want to change the game without writing a plugin.
- Quilt
- A fork of Fabric. Compatible with most Fabric mods.
- Spigot
- An evolution of Bukkit, faster and still maintained. Accepts Bukkit plugins.
- Vanilla
- The original game, unmodified. Mojang's official server, with no plugin and no mod.
- Velocity
- The modern proxy, fast and safe. Recommended for linking several worlds under one address.
Content and editions
- Bedrock
- The console, mobile and Windows version. A Java server only accepts it through a bridge like Geyser.
- Datapack
- A data bundle that changes recipes, loot tables and functions, with no plugin and no mod. Goes into the world's folder.
- Geyser
- The bridge that lets Bedrock players join a Java server. Installs like a plugin.
- Java Edition
- The historic PC version, the one that accepts plugins and mods.
- Mod
- A modification of the game itself. It must be installed on BOTH sides, server and player, in the same version.
- Modpack
- A coherent bundle of mods, configurations and sometimes a map, distributed as a whole. CurseForge, Modrinth and Feed The Beast publish hundreds.
- Plugin
- A program added to the server alone, with nothing to install on the players' side. Requires Bukkit, Spigot or Paper.
- Resource pack
- A bundle of textures and sounds applied on the player's side. The server can offer it automatically on connection.
- Shader
- Advanced graphics rendering, applied on the player's side. No effect on the server's performance.
Game world
- End
- The final dimension, the dragon's. Often disabled on casual survival servers.
- Farm
- An automated device producing a resource continuously. Useful for players, costly for the server.
- Mob
- Any creature in the game, hostile or not. Their number is capped by the server, setting by setting.
- Nether
- The underground dimension. One block traveled in the Nether is worth eight blocks in the normal world.
- Redstone
- The game's circuit system. Big redstone machines are a frequent cause of TPS drops.
- Seed
- The world generation seed. On the same version, the same seed produces the same terrain.
- Spawn
- The appearance point, for players as for creatures. Also, the act of a mob appearing.
Administration
- Ban
- Access ban for a username or an IP address. Reversible from the panel or the console.
- Console
- The server's output stream, and the line where you type your commands. That is where plugin errors surface.
- Crash report
- The file written when the server stops abruptly. It almost always names the faulty mod or plugin.
- Kick
- Immediate expulsion, without a ban. The player can reconnect right away.
- MOTD
- The message shown under the server's name in the multiplayer list. Two lines, colors included.
- online-mode
- The setting that has Mojang verify players' identity. Leaving it on is the foundation of a public server's security.
- Operator
- A player with admin commands in game. To be given sparingly: an operator can do everything.
- server.properties
- The server's main configuration file: difficulty, game mode, slots, view distance, whitelist.
- Whitelist
- The list of usernames allowed to connect. The simplest way to make a server private.
- Whitelist mode
- The server's state when the whitelist is active: only listed usernames get in, the others are refused at connection.
Hosting
- FTP
- The file transfer protocol to the server. We serve SFTP, its encrypted version.
- NVMe
- A flash-memory disk plugged directly into the PCIe bus. Much faster than a classic SSD for loading chunks.
- Pro rata
- The calculation that spreads the price of a plan change over the remaining time. You only pay the difference.
- Backup
- A dated copy of the world, plugins and configurations. Automatic with us, and restorable in two clicks.
- Slot
- A connected player's seat. The number of slots says nothing about power: RAM and the processor carry the load.
- Subdomain
- A readable address like monserveur.starmine.net, with no port number to remember.