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BungeeCord links multiple Minecraft servers behind one public connection. Players join the proxy, not a lobby or survival server directly; the proxy authenticates them with Mojang, then sends each connection to a backend listed under servers: in config.yml. A reliable network therefore depends on one matching configuration chain: the proxy keeps online_mode: true and enables ip_forward, while every Spigot or Paper backend uses online-mode=false and bungeecord: true in spigot.yml.

This guide explains the architecture, gives a complete setup sequence, shows how priorities and restricted servers work, and diagnoses the forwarding errors that cause most connection kicks. Configuration defaults can change between builds, so use the generated files on your installation as the final authority.

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What a BungeeCord network is

BungeeCord is a proxy layer for Minecraft: Java Edition. Instead of exposing every game server as a separate public destination, you expose one proxy. Players connect to that address, and the proxy selects a backend server and transfers the player without requiring a new public login endpoint for every mode.

The backend servers remain ordinary Minecraft servers from a gameplay perspective. One might host a lobby, another survival, and another a minigame. BungeeCord does not merge their worlds, inventories, plugins, or game rules. It provides the connection and routing layer between them.

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The traffic path

  1. A player enters the proxy address in the Minecraft multiplayer screen.
  2. The proxy performs the Mojang authentication handshake when online_mode: true is enabled.
  3. BungeeCord reads the destination definitions under servers: in config.yml.
  4. The proxy opens a connection to the selected backend and forwards the player there.
  5. When the player changes server, the proxy moves the existing connection to another configured backend.

Only the proxy should be the normal public entry point. Keeping backend ports private prevents players from bypassing the proxy and avoids exposing servers that are supposed to be reached only through the network.

What the proxy does not do

  • It does not automatically synchronize worlds, permissions, inventories, chat, or plugin data between servers.
  • It does not make incompatible server software compatible. Spigot and Paper have a documented integration setting; vanilla backends need VanillaCord.
  • It does not replace ordinary server administration. Each backend still needs its own world, plugins, resource limits, backups, and updates.

Required architecture and settings

Use one BungeeCord process and one or more backend Minecraft processes. Each backend must listen on its own port. Host documentation commonly demonstrates local addresses such as 172.18.0.1 with ports 30000 and 30001; those values are examples, not universal requirements.

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Component Required setting Purpose
BungeeCord proxy online_mode: true Lets the proxy handle Mojang authentication.
BungeeCord proxy ip_forward: true Passes the player identity and address information to the backend.
Backend server online-mode=false in server.properties Stops the backend from attempting a second independent authentication.
Spigot or Paper backend bungeecord: true in spigot.yml Tells the server to accept the proxy forwarding format.
Vanilla backend VanillaCord integration Provides the proxy-compatible forwarding support that unmodified vanilla software lacks.

These settings are a chain, not independent toggles. Enabling forwarding in only one place is a configuration error. The proxy and every backend must agree on the forwarding arrangement.

Set up the proxy step by step

1. Generate the initial files

  1. Place the BungeeCord jar in its own directory.
  2. Start it once. The first run creates the configuration files, including config.yml.
  3. Stop the proxy cleanly before editing the generated configuration.

Editing the generated file is safer than relying on a copied example because defaults and available options can vary between releases.

2. Set authentication and forwarding

Open config.yml and retain online_mode: true. Set ip_forward: true. The current SpigotMC guide lists forwarding as enabled by default, while an archived guide lists it as disabled; this conflict is why the value in your generated file should be checked explicitly rather than assumed.

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Do not turn proxy authentication off as a shortcut. The supported arrangement is for the proxy to authenticate players and the backends to trust the authenticated connection arriving from that proxy.

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3. Define every backend under servers

Add one entry for each backend beneath servers:. Each entry needs a name, an address, a player-facing MOTD, and a restricted value. A representative structure is:

servers:
  lobby:
    motd: Lobby
    address: 172.18.0.1:30000
    restricted: false
  survival:
    motd: Survival
    address: 172.18.0.1:30001
    restricted: false

The names, addresses, ports, and MOTDs in this example are illustrative. Replace them with the addresses that are reachable from the proxy process. Every backend must have a distinct listening port, even when several servers run on the same host.

4. Understand the restricted flag

Set restricted: true when a destination should not be available to every connected player. A restricted server admits only players with the bungeecord.server permission. This is useful for staff, testing, or maintenance destinations, but it also means a normal player may see the server in a menu and still be denied unless your permissions system grants access.

5. Choose the first destination with priorities

Use the priorities: list to choose the first backend for a new connection. The documented default is lobby. BungeeCord tries the listed servers from top to bottom, so put the preferred lobby first and keep a fallback after it when you want connections to survive a lobby outage.

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priorities:
  - lobby
  - survival

The list is also used when force_default_server is enabled. That option defaults to false. With the default behavior, a returning player can remain on a chosen backend instead of being forced back to the first priority every time; enable forced routing only when that behavior is intentional.

6. Review connection throttling

The documented connection_throttle default is 4000 milliseconds. It limits how quickly repeated connection attempts are accepted. A player who reconnects rapidly may therefore receive a temporary throttle response even when the backend is healthy. Treat this as a deliberate anti-abuse setting rather than evidence that routing is broken.

Configure each backend

Spigot or Paper

  1. Stop the backend server.
  2. Open server.properties and set online-mode=false.
  3. Open spigot.yml and set bungeecord: true.
  4. Give the process its own server port and ensure the proxy can reach that address.
  5. Start the backend and inspect its log for startup errors before testing through the proxy.

Apply these changes to every backend, including the lobby. Leaving one server in online mode creates a split configuration: the proxy authenticates once, then that backend attempts another authentication and commonly rejects the forwarded connection.

Vanilla software

Unmodified vanilla backends do not provide the Spigot setting. The documented route for a vanilla backend is VanillaCord, which supplies the needed proxy integration. Do not copy the Spigot instructions into a vanilla server and assume the same option exists.

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Keep backend ports private

Backend ports should not be exposed to the public internet. Use host firewall rules and network-level access controls so that only the proxy host or private network can reach them. A hidden backend address is not a substitute for a firewall: enforce the boundary at the network layer as well as in the proxy configuration.

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Test the network in a controlled order

  1. Start every backend and confirm that each is listening on its assigned port.
  2. Start the proxy after the backend addresses are available.
  3. Connect a test account to the proxy address, not directly to a backend.
  4. Confirm that the player lands on the first server in priorities:.
  5. Move to another configured server and return to the lobby.
  6. Test a restricted destination with both an authorized account and an account without bungeecord.server.
  7. Stop the preferred lobby and reconnect to verify that your priority fallback behaves as intended.

Testing in this order isolates routing from gameplay plugins. If direct backend tests work but proxy tests fail, focus on forwarding, addresses, ports, and the proxy configuration rather than world data.

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Diagnose forwarding kicks and failed connections

The IP-forwarding warning

A common kick repeats the message: If you wish to use IP forwarding, please enable it in your BungeeCord config as well! The practical cause is usually a mismatch between the proxy forwarding setting and the backend’s forwarding setting. Check the complete chain rather than changing only the line named in the kick.

  • On the proxy, verify ip_forward: true in the active config.yml.
  • On the affected Spigot or Paper backend, verify bungeecord: true in the active spigot.yml.
  • Confirm that the backend is using online-mode=false.
  • Restart both processes after editing configuration files; do not assume a running process has reloaded them.

Players connect but identity data is wrong

When forwarding is disabled or inconsistent, UUIDs, name changes, and IP-based bans can break. Verify forwarding before attempting to repair permissions or player records. A player appearing as a new identity on one backend is a strong signal that the proxy’s forwarding information is not being accepted correctly.

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The proxy cannot reach a backend

  • Check the backend address and port under servers: character for character.
  • Confirm that the backend is running and listening on the configured interface.
  • Check host firewall rules between the proxy and backend.
  • Ensure that no two backend processes are trying to use the same port.
  • Reconnect after the backend is fully started; a proxy cannot route to a process that is still loading.

A restricted server rejects a player

Confirm whether the destination is intentionally marked restricted: true. If it is, grant the player the bungeecord.server permission through the permissions system used by your network, or change the flag to false when the server should be public.

Players are always sent to the lobby

Inspect force_default_server. When it is true, BungeeCord applies the priority destination on first connection and when that forced behavior is triggered. Set it to false when players should be allowed to remain on the server they selected, then verify that the destination list and fallback order are correct.

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Rapid reconnects are refused

Check connection_throttle. Its documented default is 4000 milliseconds, so repeated attempts inside that interval can be rejected by design. Wait for the interval to pass before treating the symptom as a routing failure.

Security and operational practices

Make the proxy the only public door

Advertise and distribute the proxy address to players. Restrict backend ports with firewall rules so a player cannot connect around the proxy’s authentication and routing policy. This also prevents an exposed backend from becoming an unintended public server.

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Protect configuration files

Limit filesystem access to the account that runs the proxy and the administrators who maintain it. The generated config.yml contains the network topology, so avoid posting it publicly. Keep backups of the proxy and each backend configuration before upgrades.

Plan for a lobby outage

Put a second healthy destination after the lobby in priorities: if you want a fallback. Test that fallback intentionally; a list is only useful when the proxy can actually reach the next address and the destination is prepared to accept players.

Verify generated defaults after upgrades

Do not carry assumptions from an old tutorial into a new build. In particular, the published SpigotMC material disagrees about the default value of ip_forward. Read the generated configuration after each upgrade and make the security-sensitive values explicit in your deployment process.

BungeeCord compared with Velocity

Velocity is the named modern alternative to BungeeCord, but the available documentation for this setup does not establish a complete, current feature-by-feature comparison. The meaningful configuration distinction is forwarding: BungeeCord uses ip_forward, while Velocity uses a forwarding-secret and a modern-forwarding model. The exact Velocity steps, compatibility matrix, and maintenance comparison are not established here, so do not transfer BungeeCord settings directly to a Velocity deployment.

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Question BungeeCord Velocity
Forwarding approach ip_forward in the proxy configuration, paired with backend support. Forwarding-secret and modern forwarding are used, but detailed settings are not specified here.
Documented setup in this guide Proxy generation, servers:, priorities, and Spigot/Paper backend settings are covered. A complete setup sequence is not established.
Backend compatibility conclusion Spigot/Paper use bungeecord: true; vanilla requires VanillaCord. Compatibility and maintenance differences require version-specific documentation.

Choose a proxy based on the software versions and backend integrations you will actually run, then follow that proxy’s current official documentation. Mixing forwarding methods is not a migration plan.

Configuration checklist

  • One BungeeCord proxy is the public entry point.
  • The proxy has online_mode: true.
  • The proxy has ip_forward: true explicitly set.
  • Every backend appears under servers: with a reachable address and unique port.
  • The preferred first destination is first in priorities:.
  • force_default_server matches the intended player flow.
  • Every Spigot or Paper backend has online-mode=false.
  • Every Spigot or Paper backend has bungeecord: true in spigot.yml.
  • Vanilla backends use VanillaCord rather than a nonexistent Spigot option.
  • Backend ports are protected by firewall rules.
  • Proxy and backend processes were restarted after configuration changes.
  • Forwarding, restricted permissions, fallback routing, and reconnect throttling were tested deliberately.

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