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Velocity is a proxy that gives players one public Minecraft address while routing them to separate Paper servers such as a lobby, survival world, minigame, or event server. The reliable setup is to run Velocity in front of the backends, use modern player-information forwarding for Minecraft 1.13 and newer, share the generated forwarding secret with every backend, and prevent players from reaching backend ports directly.

This guide covers the proxy, Paper configuration, server registration, restarts, firewall design, mixed-version networks, testing, and the errors that usually indicate a forwarding or security mistake.

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What a Velocity network does

A normal Minecraft server exposes one process and one listening port. A network built with Velocity adds a proxy in front of several independent backend servers. Players connect to the proxy; Velocity authenticates the connection and forwards the player to the selected backend. The backends receive the player identity, UUID, skin data, and connection details through the configured forwarding protocol instead of performing a second login.

A typical layout looks like this:

  • Public address: the DNS name and port advertised to players, terminating at Velocity.
  • Velocity proxy: the only Minecraft service that should normally be reachable from the internet.
  • Paper backends: lobby, survival, minigame, and other servers on separate local or private-network ports.
  • Private links: firewall rules or network isolation allowing backend traffic from the proxy, while denying arbitrary internet clients.

Modern forwarding uses a compact binary payload protected by a message-authentication code (MAC). It is substantially harder to forge than an unauthenticated forwarding format, but it does not make a backend port safe to expose publicly. A player who can connect directly to a backend may bypass the proxy unless the network blocks that path.

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Plan the network before installing anything

Choose the proxy and backend placement

You can run Velocity and Paper on one machine, on several machines in the same private network, or across a secured hosting network. The important properties are that the proxy can reach every backend address and that players cannot reach those backend addresses directly. Give each backend a distinct port; do not make two processes bind the same address and port.

Confirm version compatibility

Velocity modern forwarding is available only for Minecraft 1.13 and newer. A network whose backends include an older server, such as a 1.8 server, needs a per-server forwarding override and the corresponding backend configuration. Do not assume that a configuration written for one forwarding format will work with another.

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Prepare names and ports

Decide the public proxy listener, for example play.example.net, and record each backend’s private address and port. Point the DNS record used by players to the proxy, not to a backend. If the proxy listens on a nonstandard public port, configure the appropriate DNS service record or tell players the port explicitly.

Back up configuration files

Stop each server before making a first configuration change and copy the existing velocity.toml, server.properties, spigot.yml, and Paper configuration files. A backup makes it possible to undo a typo without reconstructing the original settings.

Install and start the Velocity proxy

  1. Create a dedicated directory. Keep the proxy files separate from every Paper server. Restrict write access to the account that runs the proxy.
  2. Place the Velocity JAR in that directory. Use the release that matches the Java/runtime requirements published for the Velocity build you selected. Do not mix configuration files from unrelated installations.
  3. Start it once. From the proxy directory, run a command equivalent to java -jar velocity.jar, replacing the filename with the actual JAR name. The first run creates the configuration and supporting files.
  4. Accept the proxy’s terms if prompted. Stop the process cleanly after the first startup so that all generated files are flushed to disk.
  5. Open velocity.toml. This is the proxy’s main configuration file. Keep a copy of the untouched generated file so you can compare defaults after an upgrade.

Run the proxy under a service manager or supervised process in production so it restarts after a machine reboot and writes logs to a location you can inspect. Avoid running the proxy as an unrestricted system administrator account.

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Configure forwarding in velocity.toml

Open the generated velocity.toml and set the proxy-side values deliberately. The exact generated file contains additional options; change only the values relevant to your topology unless you have a specific reason to alter another setting.

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Setting What to configure Why it matters
bind The public listener address and port, such as 0.0.0.0:25565 when the proxy should listen on all interfaces. Players must be able to reach this listener. Do not use the public listener for a backend.
online-mode Normally true when the proxy should authenticate players with Mojang/Microsoft services. The backend’s Velocity online-mode value must match this choice.
player-info-forwarding-mode "modern" for Minecraft 1.13+ backends. Selects the authenticated modern forwarding format.
forwarding.secret Do not invent a value; use the contents of the generated forwarding.secret file on the backend. Every modern-forwarding backend must possess the same secret.

Velocity creates forwarding.secret in its own directory. Open it as plain text and copy its contents exactly. Do not add quotation marks, leading or trailing spaces, or an extra line break. A single invisible character can make the backend reject every connection. Store the secret with the same care as a password and do not publish it in a forum, image, or public repository.

After saving the file, start the proxy once more and check its startup log for syntax errors. A TOML typo can prevent the proxy from starting; restore the backup and reapply one change at a time if necessary.

Register Paper backends with Velocity

Add servers to the proxy’s server list

In velocity.toml, the [servers] table maps names used by commands and routing rules to backend addresses. A simple local-network example is:

[servers]
lobby = "127.0.0.1:25566"
survival = "127.0.0.1:25567"
minigames = "10.0.0.12:25568"

try = ["lobby"]

Replace the addresses and ports with your actual values. The try list gives the proxy an initial destination when a player joins without a forced host or another routing action. Every name in that list must also exist in the [servers] table.

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Set server.properties on every backend

Open each Paper server’s server.properties and set:

online-mode=false

The proxy performs the player authentication, so a backend that remains in online mode attempts to authenticate the already-authenticated connection again and commonly rejects it. This setting belongs on every backend that receives players through Velocity, not only the lobby.

Disable legacy BungeeCord mode in spigot.yml

In each backend’s spigot.yml, verify the setting under settings is:

settings:
  bungeecord: false

Do not enable BungeeCord forwarding merely because an older guide shows it. BungeeCord forwarding and Velocity modern forwarding are different formats; enabling the wrong one can produce incorrect UUIDs, missing skins, or a connection rejection.

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Enable Velocity support in Paper’s current global configuration

Current Paper versions use config/paper-global.yml. Under proxies.velocity, enable Velocity, paste the secret, and make the online-mode value match the proxy’s online-mode setting:

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proxies:
  velocity:
    enabled: true
    online-mode: true
    secret: "paste-the-contents-of-forwarding.secret-here"

If the proxy has online-mode = false, use online-mode: false here as well. Keep the secret on one line and do not include an extra space or newline when copying it. The exact surrounding formatting in the generated YAML must remain valid; indentation is significant.

Older instructions may refer to paper.yml or a velocity-support field. Those paths are not the current Paper configuration layout. If your installed Paper release ships a different generated layout, follow the keys present in that release rather than creating a second, obsolete file.

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Restart in the right order and test

  1. Stop the proxy and all backends. Editing a file while a process is running can be overwritten when it shuts down.
  2. Start the Paper backends. Confirm that each binds its intended private address and port and reaches a ready state without YAML or properties errors.
  3. Start Velocity. Check that it can connect to the configured backend addresses.
  4. Join through the proxy address only. Use the public DNS name and proxy port, not a backend IP and port.
  5. Verify identity data. On a backend, confirm that your normal UUID, skin, permissions, and player name are present. A successful login with a new or offline-style UUID indicates a forwarding configuration problem.
  6. Move between servers. Test a lobby-to-survival or lobby-to-minigame transfer. This confirms that every backend, not just the first one, has the same forwarding setup.

Restart after changing forwarding mode, the secret, or Paper’s proxy settings. A configuration reload does not always apply forwarding changes, and testing without a full restart can leave you diagnosing an old in-memory value.

Lock down backend ports

Modern forwarding authenticates the data that Velocity sends; it does not prevent a user from opening a separate TCP connection to a backend. Treat firewalling as a required part of the design.

  • Expose the proxy’s public listener to the internet.
  • Allow each backend port only from the proxy’s private address or trusted internal network.
  • Deny general internet access to backend ports, including IPv6 if your machine has public IPv6 addresses.
  • If proxy and backends share a host, bind backends to loopback or a private interface instead of the public interface where practical.
  • When servers are on different machines, use host firewalls, a private network, or an authenticated tunnel and permit only the required source and destination pairs.
  • After applying rules, test from an external connection that the public proxy works while a direct backend connection is refused or filtered.

Firewall rules should be reviewed whenever a backend is added, moved, or assigned a new port. A forgotten development server with a public port can undermine an otherwise correct forwarding setup.

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Support mixed-version networks safely

Velocity’s global forwarding mode is inherited by individual servers unless a server has an override. In the [servers] table, the default behavior is INHERIT. A modern network can therefore use the global modern mode for 1.13+ backends while assigning a different mode to a legacy backend that cannot understand modern forwarding.

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Use this approach carefully:

  1. Identify the exact Minecraft protocol version and forwarding capability of the legacy backend.
  2. Set that server’s forwarding override in the Velocity configuration rather than changing the global mode for the entire network.
  3. Configure the legacy backend for the same format selected for that server. Do not leave it configured for modern forwarding if the proxy sends a legacy format, or vice versa.
  4. Test UUIDs, skins, permissions, and server transfers for both the modern and legacy groups.
  5. Plan to isolate or upgrade legacy servers. Older forwarding formats provide weaker protection than modern forwarding and require especially strict backend firewalling.

Never mix a modern-configured Paper backend with a proxy server entry that sends legacy forwarding. The two ends must agree on the format for each connection.

Troubleshoot common setup failures

Symptom Likely cause What to check
“This server requires you to connect through Velocity” or a similar rejection The backend did not accept the proxy’s forwarding data. Confirm player-info-forwarding-mode = "modern", proxies.velocity.enabled: true, the exact shared secret, and a full restart of both sides.
Players join with the wrong UUID, no skin, or a new profile Forwarding is disabled, the mode is mismatched, or old BungeeCord settings are still active. Check spigot.yml has bungeecord: false, verify the Paper proxies.velocity block, and make sure the proxy and backend use the same forwarding format.
The proxy cannot connect to a backend Wrong address or port, a stopped server, or a firewall rule blocking the proxy. Compare the [servers] entry with the backend bind address and port, inspect both logs, and allow the proxy’s source address through the backend firewall.
Every backend fails immediately after enabling modern forwarding The secret contains an extra character or was copied from a different proxy. Copy the complete contents of that proxy’s forwarding.secret again, without added whitespace, and paste it into each backend’s current Paper configuration.
Changes appear to have no effect The process is still using values loaded before the edit, or the edit was made in an obsolete file. Stop and start the affected processes, then verify that the active Paper version uses config/paper-global.yml and the active proxy uses its own velocity.toml.
Direct connections to a backend still work The backend port is publicly reachable. Add or correct host/network firewall rules and retest from outside the private network. Forwarding alone is not an access-control mechanism.
A legacy server fails while modern servers work The legacy server cannot parse the global modern format. Give that server an explicit forwarding override and configure the backend for the corresponding legacy format, or upgrade it to a supported modern version.

When reading logs, compare timestamps from the proxy and backend for the same join attempt. A proxy-side connection error points toward routing or reachability; a Paper message about required proxy connections, secrets, or player data points toward forwarding configuration.

Production checklist

  • Velocity is the only public Minecraft listener.
  • Every 1.13+ backend uses modern forwarding, unless a deliberate per-server exception exists.
  • The proxy’s forwarding.secret contents match every modern backend exactly.
  • Each backend has online-mode=false.
  • Each backend has settings.bungeecord: false in spigot.yml.
  • Each current Paper backend has proxies.velocity.enabled: true, the correct secret, and an online-mode value matching the proxy.
  • Every backend has a unique private address and port in the proxy’s [servers] table.
  • The initial try server exists and is available when the proxy starts.
  • Firewall rules deny arbitrary access to backend ports.
  • The proxy and all affected backends were fully restarted after forwarding changes.
  • A test account can join through the public address, retain its normal UUID and skin, and transfer between backends.
  • Configuration backups and secrets are stored privately and are not committed to public source control.

When to use a different design

Velocity is appropriate when you want one player-facing address with multiple independently managed Minecraft servers. It is not a replacement for a firewall, an account-authentication service, or a general-purpose load balancer. If your servers must accept direct connections for administration or a separate service, keep those interfaces distinct from the Minecraft listener and protect them with their own access controls.

For a new network, standardize on modern forwarding and current Paper configuration wherever possible. Retain a legacy override only for a backend that genuinely cannot be upgraded, document that exception, and isolate its port as strictly as the rest of the network.

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