This guide walks you through setting up a Minecraft Java Edition server on Legion Hosting -- from choosing a server type to configuring your world and connecting with friends.

1. Choosing a Server Type

When you first set up your Minecraft server, one of the most important decisions is which server software to run. Each type offers different capabilities depending on whether you want plugins, mods, or a clean vanilla experience.

2. First Start

1. Log in to GPanel.
2. Select your Minecraft server from the server list.
3. Navigate to the Startup tab.
4. Choose your desired Server Type (Paper, Vanilla, Forge, etc.) and Minecraft Version from the dropdown menus.
   Important: Make sure the version you select matches the version your players will be running. Mismatched versions will prevent clients from connecting.
5. Click Start on the Console tab to launch the server for the first time.
6. The first startup will automatically:
   • Download the selected server JAR
   • Generate server.properties, eula.txt, and other default configuration files
   • Generate the initial world (this may take a minute or two)
7. Once you see Done! in the console, your server is running and ready to configure.

3. Configuring server.properties

The server.properties file controls most of your server's core behaviour. You can edit it directly from GPanel's File Manager -- click on the file in the root directory to open the built-in editor.

After editing, save the file and start your server. The new settings will take effect immediately on startup.

4. Operator (Admin) Access

Operators (ops) have access to server commands such as /gamemode, /tp, /ban, /kick, and more. There are two ways to grant operator status.

Method 1: GPanel Console (Recommended)

From the Console tab in GPanel, type the following command while the server is running:

op YourPlayerName

You will see a confirmation message in the console. The player is now an operator.

Method 2: Editing ops.json

You can also manually edit the ops.json file in the server's root directory. Each entry looks like this:

[
  {
    "uuid": "player-uuid-here",
    "name": "YourPlayerName",
    "level": 4,
    "bypassesPlayerLimit": false
  }
]

The level field controls what the operator can do:

To remove operator status, use the console command:

deop YourPlayerName

5. Whitelist

The whitelist restricts your server to only approved players. This is useful for private servers or communities where you want to control who can join.

Enabling the Whitelist

Set the following in server.properties:

white-list=true
enforce-whitelist=true

The enforce-whitelist setting will kick any currently connected players who are not on the whitelist when it is reloaded.

Managing the Whitelist

Use these commands in the GPanel console while the server is running:

6. How to Connect

Once your server is running, follow these steps to connect from Minecraft Java Edition:

1. Find your server's IP address and port in GPanel under the Network tab.
2. Open Minecraft Java Edition and click Multiplayer.
3. Click Add Server.
4. Enter a name for your server in the Server Name field (this is just a label for your server list).
5. In the Server Address field, enter your IP and port in the format:

   your.server.ip:port

   For example: 192.168.1.100:25565

6. Click Done, then select the server from your list and click Join Server.

7. World Management

World Save Location

By default, the Minecraft world is stored in a folder called world in your server's root directory. This folder contains all of the world data including terrain, player data, and structures. You will also see world_nether and world_the_end folders for those dimensions (on Paper/Spigot servers; Vanilla stores them as subfolders inside world).

Uploading an Existing World

To upload a world from singleplayer or another server:

1. Stop your server in GPanel.
2. Delete or rename the existing world folder using GPanel's File Manager (or via SFTP).
3. Upload your world folder via SFTP. Make sure the folder is named world (or update the level-name property in server.properties to match your folder name).
   Tip: For large world uploads, SFTP is much faster than the browser-based File Manager. See our SFTP guide for setup instructions.
4. Ensure the world folder structure is correct -- the level.dat file should be directly inside the world folder, not nested in a subfolder.
5. Start the server. It will load your uploaded world.

Backups

It is strongly recommended to keep regular backups of your world, especially before making major changes like updating the server version or installing new mods/plugins.

To create a manual backup:

1. Run save-all in the GPanel console to flush all data to disk.
2. Stop the server.
3. Download the world folder (and world_nether / world_the_end if they exist) via SFTP or the File Manager.
4. Store the backup in a safe location on your computer or cloud storage.

Related Articles

• How to Find Your Server IP and Port
• How to Upload Files via SFTP