How to Set Up a Minecraft Server Network with Velocity

When your server outgrows a single instance or you want multiple gamemodes, it's time for a network.

Velocity vs BungeeCord

Velocity (recommended): Modern, better security, better performance, developed by the PaperMC team. BungeeCord: Older, larger plugin library, still widely used.

Architecture

``` Players → Velocity Proxy (25565) → Hub (25566) → Survival (25567) → Skyblock (25568) ```

Setup Steps

1. Install Velocity

Download from papermc.io, configure `velocity.toml`:

• Define backend servers and their ports
• Set `try = ["hub"]` as the default server
• Generate a modern-forwarding-secret

2. Configure Backend Servers

Each Paper server needs:

• Unique port in server.properties
• `online-mode=false` (proxy handles auth)
• Velocity forwarding enabled in paper-global.yml with the matching secret

3. Build a Hub

Keep it lightweight: small lobby, server selector (NPCs or compass), info boards.

4. Cross-Server Plugins

• LuckPerms → Shared MySQL database for global permissions
• HuskChat → Cross-server chat
• Plan → Cross-server analytics

Security

Critical: Firewall backend server ports so only the proxy can connect. With online-mode=false, anyone connecting directly to a backend can impersonate any player.

Hardware

• Proxy: 512MB-1GB RAM
• Hub: 1-2GB RAM
• Each gamemode: 4-8GB RAM

Start with 2 servers (hub + one gamemode) and expand as needed. List your network on ServerList.cc.