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The short answer: BungeeCord is a proxy that gives players one public Minecraft address and routes them to several backend servers. Players authenticate with Mojang at the proxy; the proxy then sends them to entries listed under servers: in its config.yml. The proxy should stay in online mode with IP forwarding enabled, while Spigot or Paper backends run with authentication disabled and BungeeCord support enabled.
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A reliable network depends on matching settings on both sides. The most common forwarding kick occurs when the proxy has IP forwarding enabled but a backend is not configured for BungeeCord, or when those settings are reversed. This guide lays out the topology, a safe installation sequence, configuration examples, testing checks and recovery steps.
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BungeeCord is not a collection of Minecraft worlds inside one server process. It is a separate proxy process that accepts the player’s connection, authenticates the account and chooses a backend server. Each backend remains its own Spigot, Paper or compatible Minecraft server with its own world, plugins, port and resource usage.
The three parts
| Part | Role | Where players connect |
|---|---|---|
| Player | Uses a Minecraft client and enters the proxy address. | Never connects directly to a backend in a normal deployment. |
| BungeeCord proxy | Public entry point; performs Mojang authentication, maintains the server list and transfers players between backends. | One public hostname or IP and one listening port. |
| Backend server | Runs the lobby, survival, minigame or other gameplay instance. | Private address and a unique port for each instance. |
The proxy reads each backend from the servers: section of config.yml. A typical network might contain a lobby, survival and minigames server, but the same design works with only two instances.
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Why authentication is split this way
Only the proxy should authenticate players with Mojang. Backend servers therefore use online-mode=false, allowing the already-authenticated connection from BungeeCord to reach them. On Spigot or Paper, bungeecord: true in spigot.yml tells the backend to trust the proxy protocol and accept the forwarded player identity.
Set ip_forward: true in the proxy configuration. Forwarding carries the player’s UUID, current name and original IP to the backend. Without it, name changes and UUID-based data can be associated with the wrong identity, and IP bans will not behave as intended.
Plan the network before installing
Choose the public and private addresses
Point your public DNS record at the proxy, not at an individual game server. The proxy can listen on the conventional Minecraft port, while every backend listens on a different private port. Host documentation commonly illustrates private addresses such as 172.18.0.1 with ports 30000 and 30001; those values are examples, not requirements. Use addresses that exist in your own host, container or virtual network.
Give the lobby and every other backend a stable address. If a container receives a new address after a restart, the proxy’s server entry will point at the wrong destination unless you use a stable network name or update the configuration.
Keep backend ports private
Players should be able to reach only the proxy. Firewall the backend ports so they are accessible from the proxy host or private network but not from the public internet. This prevents someone from bypassing the proxy and attempting to impersonate forwarded player data. A firewall rule is part of the design, not an optional hardening step.
Prepare software and access
- A BungeeCord proxy installation with permission to bind its listening port.
- One Spigot or Paper backend per game mode, or VanillaCord if a backend must remain a vanilla server.
- Shell or console access to stop and start every process.
- A backup of each existing
config.yml,server.propertiesandspigot.ymlbefore editing.
Vanilla Minecraft does not understand Spigot’s bungeecord setting. Use a compatibility layer such as VanillaCord when you need a vanilla backend; do not paste Spigot-only configuration into a stock vanilla server.
Set up the proxy in the correct order
1. Generate the initial files
- Place the BungeeCord jar in its own directory, separate from all backend directories.
- Start it once from that directory. The first launch generates files including
config.yml. - Stop the proxy cleanly before changing configuration. Editing while it is running can be overwritten when the process saves on shutdown.
2. Set authentication and forwarding
Open the generated config.yml and confirm the global settings. The relevant portion should look like this:
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online_mode: true
ip_forward: trueonline_mode: true keeps Mojang authentication at the public edge. Do not turn it off merely because the backends use offline mode. The documented default for ip_forward conflicts between current and archived SpigotMC guidance: one lists true, the other lists false. Treat the generated file on your installed version as authoritative and set the value explicitly rather than relying on a default.
The proxy’s connection_throttle setting is documented with a default of 4000 milliseconds. It limits how quickly repeated connections from the same address can be accepted. If you change it, record the reason; an aggressive value can make legitimate reconnects feel like outages.
3. Define every backend under servers:
Add one mapping for each backend. The key is the name the proxy uses internally; the address is the private host and port. The MOTD is shown in the proxy’s server list, and restricted controls whether a permission is required.
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servers:
lobby:
address: 172.18.0.1:30000
motd: '&1Lobby'
restricted: false
survival:
address: 172.18.0.1:30001
motd: '&2Survival'
restricted: false
staff:
address: 172.18.0.1:30002
motd: '&4Staff only'
restricted: trueYAML indentation matters: use spaces, not tabs, and keep each setting nested under the intended server. The example addresses are placeholders for a private topology; replace them with the real backend addresses.
A server marked restricted: true admits only players who have the bungeecord.server permission. Use that flag for a private test or staff instance, and leave it false for a public lobby or game mode.
4. Put the lobby first in priorities:
Set the preferred first-connection order explicitly:
priorities:
- lobby
- survivalBungeeCord tries this list from top to bottom when a player first connects, and also when force_default_server is enabled. The documented default for force_default_server is false, so a returning player may reconnect to the last server rather than always being forced into the lobby. Decide which behavior suits your network and set it deliberately.
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Every name in priorities: must match a key under servers:. A typo or a stopped first server causes BungeeCord to continue down the list or reject the connection if no usable destination remains.
5. Restart and read the proxy log
Save config.yml, start the proxy and watch the console for YAML errors, bind failures and backend connection errors. A successful proxy start does not prove that a backend is reachable; test each destination separately in the next steps.
Configure each Spigot or Paper backend
Edit server.properties
Stop the backend, open server.properties, and change:
online-mode=falseDo this on every backend, including the lobby. Leave the proxy in online mode so authentication occurs exactly once at the public entry point. Restart the backend after saving; many server properties are read only during startup.
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Edit spigot.yml
In each Spigot or Paper backend, set:
settings:
bungeecord: truePreserve the existing YAML structure and indentation. This setting must be enabled on the backend that receives the proxied connection. A backend with online-mode=false but bungeecord: false is not a complete BungeeCord setup.
Give every backend a unique port
Assign a different listening port to each instance. For example, the lobby can use 30000, survival 30001 and another game mode 30002, provided those ports are free on your host and match the proxy addresses. Two processes cannot bind the same host-and-port pair.
Bind the backend to its private interface where your hosting layout requires it. Do not expose a backend publicly just to make the proxy connection work; fix the network route or firewall rule instead.
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Start-up and verification checklist
- Start every backend and confirm each listens on its assigned private port.
- Start BungeeCord after the backends are ready, then inspect the proxy log for connection failures.
- Connect a test account to the proxy’s public address, never directly to a backend.
- Confirm the first destination is the lobby when it is listed first in
priorities:. - Move to another backend using the network’s normal server-transfer mechanism and confirm the destination loads.
- Check the backend console for the expected player UUID and name.
- Disconnect, reconnect and verify the behavior matches your
force_default_serverchoice. - Temporarily stop the first-priority backend and verify that the proxy either tries the next priority or reports that no server is available.
- From an external network, verify that backend ports do not accept direct Minecraft connections.
Test with an account whose name has changed recently if identity continuity matters. IP-ban behavior should also be checked from a controlled test address, because forwarding is what supplies the original client IP to the backend.
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“If you wish to use IP forwarding, please enable it in your BungeeCord config as well!”
This message is associated with a forwarding mismatch. Confirm all three locations:
- The proxy’s
ip_forwardis explicitlytrue. - The backend’s
spigot.ymlcontainssettings: bungeecord: true. - The player is connecting through the proxy address, not the backend address.
Restart both processes after correcting the files. Editing only one side leaves the mismatch in place.
Players connect but UUIDs, names or IP bans are wrong
Check that IP forwarding is enabled on the proxy and that the backend is running with BungeeCord support enabled. Also confirm that there is only one public route to the game: a direct backend connection can bypass the identity data that the proxy supplies.
The proxy says a server is unreachable
- Confirm the backend process is running and has finished loading.
- Verify the address and port under
servers:character for character. - Test connectivity from the proxy host to the private backend address.
- Check host and container firewalls for a rule allowing the proxy but denying public sources.
- Look for a port collision or a backend bound only to an interface the proxy cannot reach.
The lobby is skipped or players return to the wrong server
Ensure the lobby key is spelled identically in servers: and priorities:. Remember that force_default_server: false permits a reconnect to the previous server; enable it only if every first connection should be sent through the priority list.
A private server is visible but rejects ordinary players
That behavior is expected when its entry has restricted: true. Grant the bungeecord.server permission through your permission system, or change the flag to false if the server is intended to be public.
YAML changes do not take effect
Stop the affected process, validate indentation and quoting, save the file and start it again. A process that was not restarted may still be using the old configuration, while a malformed file may cause a startup error rather than a partial update.
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Security boundaries that should not be skipped
Offline mode on a backend is safe only when that backend is reachable exclusively through a trusted proxy path. Publicly exposed offline-mode servers can be targeted with forged identities. Use host firewalls, private interfaces or an isolated network so only the proxy can connect.
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Do not assume a plugin mentioned in a forum or search result is a substitute for network isolation. The documented, essential controls are a single public proxy, authenticated proxy connections, explicit forwarding, correctly configured backends and blocked backend ports.
BungeeCord and Velocity: what can be compared safely
Velocity is the other widely named proxy option for a multi-server Minecraft network. The high-level architecture is similar—one proxy in front of multiple backends—but the forwarding configuration is different. BungeeCord uses the ip_forward setting described above; Velocity documentation refers to a modern forwarding method protected by a forwarding secret.
| Comparison point | BungeeCord | Velocity |
|---|---|---|
| Forwarding model | IP forwarding enabled with ip_forward; Spigot/Paper backends enable bungeecord: true. |
Uses a modern forwarding approach and forwarding secret; exact backend steps depend on the installed versions. |
| Documented setup in this guide | Complete proxy, backend and verification sequence. | Not a drop-in configuration for the BungeeCord files shown here. |
| Compatibility and maintenance comparison | Must be checked against the versions and plugins you plan to run. | Must be checked against the versions and plugins you plan to run. |
Choose based on the proxy’s current documentation, the server software you need to support and the plugins your network requires. Do not copy BungeeCord’s ip_forward instructions into a Velocity deployment, or assume that a BungeeCord plugin behaves identically on another proxy.
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Add servers one at a time
When adding a new game mode, allocate its port, create its backend configuration, set the backend forwarding options, add one servers: entry and test it before changing priorities. This isolates a bad address or YAML error instead of taking the lobby offline.
Use names that remain stable
Keep internal keys short and unchanging—such as lobby and survival—even if the displayed MOTD changes. Permissions, priority lists and player-facing integrations often refer to those keys.
Monitor both layers
The proxy log reveals authentication, routing and connection-throttle events. Backend logs reveal world loading, plugin failures and the identity received after forwarding. A healthy network requires both processes to be monitored; a green proxy process alone does not prove that gameplay servers are available.
What a correct final configuration looks like
Before opening the network to players, verify this complete set of conditions:
Quick Recap
- Players have one public address that resolves to BungeeCord.
- The proxy has
online_mode: trueand an explicitly reviewedip_forwardvalue oftrue. - Every backend appears under
servers:with a reachable private address, unique port, MOTD and intentionalrestrictedvalue. - The lobby is first in
priorities:, andforce_default_servermatches the desired reconnect behavior. - Every Spigot or Paper backend has
online-mode=falseandbungeecord: true. - Vanilla backends use an appropriate compatibility layer rather than Spigot-only settings.
- Backend ports are blocked from the public internet.
- A test connection confirms routing, UUID/name forwarding, reconnect behavior and fallback when a server is stopped.
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