Minecraft server hosting glossary

A Java exit code indicating the Minecraft server crashed unexpectedly, often due to insufficient memory, plugin conflicts, or corrupt world files.

The default port numbers for Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition servers that players connect through unless configured otherwise.

Aikar Flags are a popular set of pre-tuned JVM flags created by Aikar to improve Minecraft server performance and reduce garbage collection pauses.

An anarchy server has almost no rules: griefing, hacking, and exploiting are typically allowed.

A backup is a copy of your server’s world and configuration that you can restore if something breaks, corrupts, or gets griefed.

The cross-platform version of Minecraft for consoles, mobile, and Windows that focuses on performance and easy multiplayer.

The Bukkit API is the programming interface that plugin developers use to interact with the Minecraft server. Spigot, Paper, and many other forks implement the Bukkit API so most plugins are cross-compatible.

BungeeCord is one of the original Minecraft proxy systems that connects multiple servers into one network.

A chunk is 16x16 block square. Everything that happens above and below that square: all the caves, resources, water, and air in that vertical slice is treated as one “unit” by the game.

Client-side is anything that runs on the player’s game client, rather than on the server. It's everything that happens on player's computer only.

Colocation means renting space, power, and connectivity in a datacenter for your own physical server. You own the hardware, the datacenter provides the environment.

A command is a text instruction run in chat or the server console to control the server. Commands tell the server to do something immediately: change the weather, teleport a player, ban a griefer, reload a plugin.

A cracked server allows players with unofficial or non-paid Minecraft accounts to join by disabling Mojang’s online authentication (online-mode=false). This is not supported by Mojang’s EULA and can increase griefing and cheating.

CraftBukkit is a modified Minecraft server software that’s based on the vanilla server and adds support for the Bukkit API so you can run plugins.

A crash log is the detailed error output generated when your server crashes or fails to start.

Cross platform means players on different platforms like PC, console and mobile can play together.

CurseForge is a popular platform for hosting Minecraft mods, modpacks, plugins, shaders, resource packs, worlds, and other content.

A datacenter is a facility where servers are housed with backup power, cooling, and high-speed internet.

A datapack is a set of files that tweaks or extends vanilla Minecraft without needing client-side mods (custom recipes, loot tables, or advancements).

A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack floods your server or host’s network with traffic from many sources, trying to overwhelm it and make it unreachable.

A dedicated IP is an IP address used solely by your server, allowing players to connect without a port number.

A dedicated server is an entire physical machine rented from the datacenter for your use, giving you full control of CPU, RAM, and storage for running Minecraft (and other services).

DNS (Domain Name System) translates domains like play.example.com into IP addresses.

A DoS (Denial of Service) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt normal traffic to a server or network by overwhelming it with a flood of requests from a single source. Unlike a DDoS attack, which uses multiple sources, a DoS attack originates from one machine or connection.

Entities are dynamic objects in the world: mobs, players, dropped items, projectiles, minecarts, armor stands, etc.

The EULA (End User License Agreement) is the legal contract between Mojang Studios/Microsoft and anyone who uses Minecraft.

Fabric is a lightweight mod loader that focuses on fast updates and high performance.

Factions is a popular PvP server game mode where players form groups (factions), claim land, and raid others. It typically uses plugins for land-claiming, power, and territory control.

A firewall is a security system that controls which network traffic can reach your server. For Minecraft hosting, firewalls are used to block unwanted ports and limit attacks.

Forge is a mod loader and API for Java Edition that lets servers and clients run Minecraft mods that add new blocks, items, machines, and mechanics.

A fork is a modified version of Minecraft server software that branches off from the original codebase to add new features, fix bugs, or optimize performance.

FPS (frames per second) measures how many frames your client renders each second.

A game panel is a web interface provided by hosting companies that lets you manage a Minecraft server.

Garbage collection (GC) is how Java automatically cleans up memory your Minecraft server doesn’t need anymore.

Griefing is when players intentionally destroy or vandalize others’ builds or items.

A hacked client is a modified Minecraft launcher that gives players unfair advantages through cheats like kill-aura, fly, x-ray, or speed hacks.

A hosting provider is a company that rents out server resources so you can run your server without managing hardware.

Intel is a major CPU manufacturer, known for Core and Xeon processors. Many datacenters and hosts still run on Intel-based nodes.

Java is the programming language and runtime that Minecraft: Java Edition and most server software run on.

The original PC version of Minecraft that runs on Java and allows deep customization through mods, plugins, and custom server jars.

JVM flags are advanced startup options passed to the Java Virtual Machine that runs your Minecraft server. They tune memory usage, garbage collection, and performance behavior.

A LAN world is a single-player Minecraft world temporarily opened to other players on the same local network (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).

A launcher is the program you start Minecraft with, often used to select versions, modpacks, or profiles.

Minecraft hosting is renting or using hardware specifically set up to run Minecraft server software so others can connect.

A Minecraft server is an online environment where multiple players can join and interact in a shared Minecraft world.

A minigame server hosts small, focused games like BedWars, SkyWars, parkour, or spleef instead of traditional survival. These servers rely heavily on plugins and custom maps.

A mod is a code modification that changes or adds game content (new blocks, machines, mobs, dimensions, etc.)

A mod loader, like Forge, Fabric, NeoForge, Quilt, is the software layer that loads and manages mods in Minecraft.

A modpack is a collection of Minecraft mods bundled together with a specific configuration.

Modrinth is a newer, community-focused platform for Minecraft mods, plugins, and modpacks, often emphasizing open-source.

Mohist is a hybrid server software that combines Forge mods with Bukkit/Spigot-style plugins. It’s used when you want both a mods and plugins on your server.

The MOTD (Message of the Day) is the short description that appears in the multiplayer server list, under the server name.

MySQL is a database management system. It stores data in organized tables. MySQL handles user accounts, posts, and product information.

Network bandwidth is the amount of data that can move through a connection per second often measured in Mbps or Gbps.

A node is a physical or virtual machine that runs multiple Minecraft servers for a hosting provider.

OP (operator) is a permission level on a Minecraft server that grants elevated or full administrative powers.

The OS is the software layer that manages the hardware and runs programs like your Minecraft server (for example, Linux, Windows, or macOS).

Overallocation is when a hosting provider allocates more resources especially RAM or CPU to customer servers than the node physically has.

Pay-to-win describes a monetization model where players can buy ranks, items, or perks that give unfair competitive advantages. Minecraft’s EULA restricts certain forms of pay-to-win on public servers.

Ping is the time it takes for data to travel between a player’s computer and the server, measured in milliseconds.

Plugins are server-side extensions that add features like minigames, ranks or extra commands.

Port forwarding is a router configuration that exposes your local Minecraft server to the internet by mapping an external port to your machine.

A proxy in Minecraft like BungeeCord, Waterfall, or Velocity sits in front of multiple backend servers and connects players to them as one network. It lets you link separate servers behind a single IP and port.

Pterodactyl is an open-source game panel used by many modern hosts. It runs game servers inside Docker containers and provides a clean web UI for managing Minecraft.

A protocol that allows server list websites and monitoring tools to fetch information about your Minecraft server like player count and MOTD.

A modern mod loader for Minecraft that forked from Fabric, focusing on modularity and community-driven development.

RAM is server’s short-term memory, used to store chunks, entities, mod and plugin data while the server runs.

Reload is the act of reloading plugins or configuration without fully restarting the server.

Root access is full administrative control over the underlying operating system, typically available on VPS or dedicated servers.

Rubberbanding is when a player’s position snaps back to a previous spot after moving, usually due to network or server-side lag.

Self-hosting means running your Minecraft server on hardware you control directly like your home PC.

A Minecraft server address is a domain name like play.shulker.com or an IP address like 192.168.4.100 that lets you join a specific multiplayer world.

server.properties is the main configuration file that controls core server behavior, such as game mode, difficulty, view distance, and online mode. Editing it lets you shape how your Minecraft world feels and performs for players.

Server software is the program that runs your Minecraft server and handles all player connections and game logic. For example: Vanilla, Paper, Spigot, Forge, Fabric, Purpur.

Server-side refers to anything that runs on the Minecraft server rather than on the player’s computer.

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) is a secure method to upload, download, and manage server files.

Simulation distance is the radius (in chunks) around each player in which the game actively processes entities (mos, minecarts, items), redstone components or fluids like flowing water or lava. Anything outside that radius is frozen until a player comes closer.

SMP stands for Survival Multiplayer. The community uses “SMP” for any survival Minecraft server where multiple players share the same world, build up infrastructure, and create some kind of social meta around it (politics, economy, lore, whatever).

Spark is a performance profiling plugin and mod for Minecraft servers that diagnoses lag, monitors CPU and memory usage, and generates detailed reports to identify performance bottlenecks.

Spigot is an optimized version of the old Bukkit server that introduced most of the plugin ecosystem we still use today.

Storage is where your world files, configs, backups, and server jars are saved.

A subdomain is the part of a domain that appears before the main name, like play.example.com

Tick speed is how often the server updates the game world (by default 20 ticks per second). Changing it affects how fast crops grow, redstone runs, and entities move.

Timings is a built-in performance profiling tool for Spigot and Paper servers that tracks and reports which plugins, tasks, and server processes are consuming the most resources.

TPS (Ticks Per Second) measures how many game ticks the server completes each second with 20 TPS being ideal.

The unmodified game with no mods or plugins. It's the official version of Minecraft from Mojang.

A vCore (virtual core) is a virtualized CPU core allocated to your server in VPS or cloud hosting environments, representing a portion of the physical processor's capacity.

Velocity is a modern, high-performance Minecraft proxy system that connects multiple servers into one network

View distance shows how many chunks are visible to each player.

VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting gives you a slice of a powerful machine with dedicated resources CPU, RAM and root access, created through virtualization.

A whitelist is a list of allowed player usernames that are permitted to join your server.

A boundary that prevents players from traveling beyond a set distance from the center point, taking damage if they try to pass it.

A cheat or texture pack that lets players see through blocks to find ores and hidden bases, commonly blocked by anti-cheat plugins.

Intel's server-grade processor line commonly used in dedicated servers and datacenter nodes for Minecraft hosting.