Startup Parameters

When managing your server there are a group of settings that affect how it functions on startup. You won't need to change these very often, but it's important to understand what they do so that you'll know when you need to change them.

Startup Command

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If you’d like to edit the startup command, check out the JVM Flags pane, which we have a section about below.

The Startup Command section is dedicated to the command that is executed when your server starts. The bulk of this command contains the parameters that control what Java will do under specific circumstances. By default it contains the amount of memory that the Server will use when running and the jar file that is executed when the server starts.
-Xms128M
The initial ram allocation pool used for the Minecraft Server instance. While Aikar’s recommends setting this value to the same as the Xmx value, we’ve found that starting with a low value, and letting the pool increase as it’s needed, works best on our panel.
XX:MaxRAMPercentage=##
The value passed in by the Max Ram Percentage field. You can modify this by adjusting that slider. For more information, check out the section in this article dedicated to the Max Ram Percentage pane.
server.jar
If you need to change the name of the Jar file then check out the next section on the Server Jar File section. As per our Usage Policy this jar file should only be a software that is related to the service that your server is setup to support. As a general rule our Minecraft Servers support the software listed on the Minecraft Editions page.

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If you aren't sure if the software you want to use is allowed within our Usage Policy, please reach out to us and ask!

Server Jar File

This is simply the Case Sensitive name of the Jar file you want to execute for your server. You can either rename the jar file you upload to server.jar or update this value to match the file you upload. Loading...

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Please ensure that your jar file conforms to our Usage Policy! If you aren't sure if it does, please reach out to us and ask!

Console Timezone

When your console generates a log it has access to a time that can be printed for reference. Not all games/services do this, but if you want your console log to match up to a specific time then you can change the value here. Loading...

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The value must be in PHP format. To find your time zone in the PHP format go to the PHP supported time zones page and navigate to the area that's included in your desired time zone.

Max Ram Percentage

The Java Virtual Machine, or JVM, requires some amount of “overhead” in order to function properly, and we’ve found that this amount varies depending on the version and flavor of Minecraft your server is running. The Max Ram Percentage value located in the Startup Parameters section of your servers Configuration tab modifies how much ram is given to Minecraft and how much is left “free” for the JVM.

For more details on why Minecraft requires overhead, what overhead is, and why it changes with different version of Minecraft, check out or article about Aikar’s Flags. Loading...

JVM Flags

The JVM Flags field allows you to add your own flags to your server, and by extension fine tune it’s behavior using flags that are either inherited from the JVM itself, or have been added by Minecraft or the developers of the flavor of Minecraft you’re using.

One of the most common JVM Flag sets to use is Aikars, which is set up by default on all of our 8gb+ packages but can be set up manually by adding the flags to the JVM Flags field. We also have a dedicated article that explains what Aikars is and what WinterNode's policy is on it here Another common flag is the -Dpaper.useLegacyPluginLoading=true flag to enable the Legacy Plugin loader for Paper servers.

Regardless of the flags you need or the flavor of Minecraft you’re using, you can add your flags into the JVM Flags field and they’ll be updated in your startup command. Your flags will be added after the existing RAM flags and before the existing timezone flag, but the location of flags doesn’t make a difference on how they’re executed.

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Make sure that any startup flags you add or software you use adheres to our Usage Policy. If you’re unsure, feel free to reach out and ask before making any changes!

server.properties file

server.properties is a settings file generated by the Minecraft server and it is located at the home container. It contains configurable options for the server. The server requires a restart to apply the changes in the file. Most commonly used options:

• spawn-protection - Restricts players from interacting with the spawn area. Amount of blocks (calculated 2x+1) protected from being broken by players in the spawn area. Set it to 0 to disable it. Example: 1 - Protects 3x3 blocks from spawn, 5 - Protects 11x11 blocks from spawn. Default: 16

• allow-nether - Whenever or not the Nether should exist. If set to true, it will allow players to transfer to the Nether dimension, if false the Nether will not be loaded. Default: true

• gamemode - Default gamemode for new players. Accepts survival, creative, spectator and adventure. Default: survival

• player-idle-timeout - Kicks players for being AFK for specified minutes. After a player has idled for this many minutes they get kicked. Default: 30

• difficulty - Game difficulty. Accepts peaceful, easy, normal and hard. Default: easy

• pvp - Whenever or not PvP should be enabled. Enable PvP on the server. Players shooting themselves with arrows receive damage only if PvP is enabled. Default: true

• level-type - Type of world generation. Accepts DEFAULT, FLAT and LEGACY. Default: DEFAULT

• hardcore - Whenever or not hardcore should be enabled. If set to true, server difficulty is ignored and set to hard, and players are set to spectator mode if they die. Default: false

• enable-command-block - Whenever or not command blocks should be enabled. It is recommended to set to true for custom maps. Default: false

• max-players - The maximum number of players allowed on the server. Default: 20

• level-name - World folder name. The value set here will be used for the world folder. Example: funWorld - it will use folder funWorld as world folder instead of the usual world. Default: world

• view-distance - The maximum allowed view distance in a number of chunks. Default: 10

• resource-pack Optional URI to a resource pack. The player may choose to use it. Setting the URI to a resource pack asks players joining the world to download the resource pack and have it loaded until they leave. Default: Not set by default

• resource-pack-sha1 Optional SHA-1 digest of the resource pack. It's recommended to specify this if you are using a resource pack. You can use any method you like to generate the SHA-1 digest, like sha1-online.com, just type the name of the resource pack file name and click hash to get the value to set it. If you later update the resource pack, generate a new digest and update server.properties file, a test will be made to compare the player's resource pack digest to see if it needs to be re-downloaded.

• white-list - Whenever or not whitelist should be enabled. Default: false

• level-seed - World Seed. The seed for randomizing the world, leaving it blank will choose randomly. Default: Not set by default

• motd - Server MOTD (Message of the Day).

  Sets the server's message on the multiplayer screen. You can use a MOTD creator to generate a message for the server.

  Default: Not set by default