How to Set Up a Minecraft Bedrock Dedicated Server

Want to play Minecraft with friends across PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and mobile? A Bedrock Dedicated Server (BDS) makes true crossplay possible. This guide walks you through the complete setup process.

What is Bedrock Edition?

Minecraft exists in two major editions, and understanding the difference is essential before choosing your server type.

Bedrock vs Java Edition

Why Host a Bedrock Server?

• >Crossplay - The single biggest advantage. Friends on any device can join the same world
• >Better performance - The C++ codebase runs efficiently on modest hardware
• >Wider player base - Bedrock has the largest combined player count across all platforms
• >Console support - Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch players can join
• >Mobile access - Players on iOS and Android can connect on the go

System Requirements

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Step 1: Download Bedrock Dedicated Server

Get the Server Software

Extract the Files

Windows:

Linux:

mkdir ~/bedrock-server
cd ~/bedrock-server
unzip bedrock-server-*.zip

What you get after extraction:

bedrock-server/
├── bedrock_server.exe        # Server executable (Windows)
├── bedrock_server            # Server executable (Linux)
├── server.properties         # Main configuration file
├── allowlist.json            # Allowlisted players
├── permissions.json          # Player permission levels
├── resource_packs/           # Resource packs folder
├── behavior_packs/           # Behavior packs folder
├── worlds/                   # World data folder
├── valid_known_packs.json    # Pack registry
└── release-notes.txt         # Version release notes

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Step 2: Server Configuration

server.properties

The server.properties file controls all core server settings. Open it in any text editor and adjust the values below.

# Server Identity
server-name=My Bedrock Server
gamemode=survival
difficulty=normal

# Player Settings
max-players=10
online-mode=true
allow-cheats=false
default-player-permission-level=member

# Network Settings
server-port=19132
server-portv6=19133
max-threads=8
compression-threshold=1
compression-algorithm=zlib

# World Settings
level-name=Bedrock level
level-seed=
level-type=DEFAULT
allow-nether=true

# Performance Settings
view-distance=32
tick-distance=4
player-idle-timeout=0
content-log-file-enabled=false
server-authoritative-movement=server-auth

# Appearance
texturepack-required=false
force-gamemode=false

Key Settings Explained

allowlist.json

When allow-list=true is set in server.properties, only players listed here can join. This is useful for private servers.

[
    {
        "ignoresPlayerLimit": false,
        "name": "YourGamertag",
        "xuid": "1234567890123456"
    },
    {
        "ignoresPlayerLimit": false,
        "name": "FriendGamertag",
        "xuid": "9876543210987654"
    }
]

Finding a player's XUID:

• >Use an online lookup tool such as cxkes.me/xbox/xuid
• >Or check the server console output when a player first attempts to connect

permissions.json

This file assigns operator permission levels to specific players.

[
    {
        "permission": "operator",
        "xuid": "1234567890123456"
    },
    {
        "permission": "member",
        "xuid": "9876543210987654"
    }
]

Permission levels:

Step 3: Starting the Server

Windows

Option A: Direct launch

Double-click bedrock_server.exe in your server folder. A console window will open showing the server startup output.

Option B: Batch file (recommended)

Create a start.bat file in your server folder:

@echo off
title Bedrock Dedicated Server
bedrock_server.exe
pause

This keeps the console window open if the server stops unexpectedly.

Windows Firewall:

When you run the server for the first time, Windows will prompt you to allow network access. Click Allow access on both private and public networks.

If the prompt was dismissed, add the rule manually:

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Bedrock Server" dir=in action=allow protocol=udp localport=19132
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Bedrock Server IPv6" dir=in action=allow protocol=udp localport=19133

Linux

Make the server executable and start:

chmod +x bedrock_server
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./bedrock_server

Important: The LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. prefix is required because BDS depends on shared libraries in the server directory.

Create a start script:

Create a start.sh file:

#!/bin/bash
cd "$(dirname "$0")"
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./bedrock_server

Make it executable:

chmod +x start.sh
./start.sh

Run as a background service with screen:

# Install screen if needed
sudo apt install screen

# Start server in a detached screen session
screen -S bedrock -dm bash -c 'cd ~/bedrock-server && LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./bedrock_server'

# Reattach to the session
screen -r bedrock

# Detach again: press Ctrl+A then D

Run with systemd (recommended for production):

Create a service file at /etc/systemd/system/bedrock-server.service:

[Unit]
Description=Minecraft Bedrock Dedicated Server
After=network.target

[Service]
User=minecraft
WorkingDirectory=/home/minecraft/bedrock-server
ExecStart=/bin/bash -c 'LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./bedrock_server'
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable bedrock-server
sudo systemctl start bedrock-server

# Check status
sudo systemctl status bedrock-server

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u bedrock-server -f

First Run

On the first start, the server will:

You should see output similar to:

[INFO] Starting Server
[INFO] Version: 1.21.x
[INFO] Level Name: Bedrock level
[INFO] Game mode: 0 Survival
[INFO] Difficulty: 2 NORMAL
[INFO] IPv4 supported, port: 19132
[INFO] IPv6 supported, port: 19133
[INFO] Server started.

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Step 4: Port Forwarding

For players outside your local network to connect, you need to forward the Bedrock server port through your router.

Important: Bedrock Uses UDP

Unlike Java Edition which uses TCP port 25565, Bedrock uses UDP port 19132 for IPv4 and UDP port 19133 for IPv6. Make sure you forward UDP, not TCP.

Router Configuration

Windows:

ipconfig

Linux:

ip addr show

Finding Your Public IP

Visit whatismyip.com to find your public IP address. Share this with friends to connect.

Players will use: your-public-ip with port 19132

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Step 5: Connecting from Different Platforms

PC (Windows 10/11)

• >Server Name: Anything you like
• >Server Address: Your public IP (or localhost if on the same machine)
• >Port: 19132

Mobile (iOS / Android)

Xbox

Connecting Xbox to a custom server requires a workaround because Microsoft does not natively allow adding custom server addresses on console.

Method: BedrockConnect (DNS workaround)

PlayStation

PlayStation uses the same DNS workaround as Xbox:

Nintendo Switch

The Switch also uses the DNS workaround:

Note: BedrockConnect is a community project. DNS addresses may change over time. Check the BedrockConnect GitHub page for the latest information.

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Admin Commands

As an operator, you have access to powerful server commands. Use these in the server console or in-game with the / prefix.

Essential Commands

/op "PlayerName"              # Give operator status
/deop "PlayerName"            # Remove operator status
/gamemode survival "Player"   # Change player's gamemode
/difficulty hard              # Change server difficulty
/time set day                 # Set world time
/weather clear                # Clear weather
/tp "Player1" "Player2"      # Teleport player1 to player2
/give "Player" diamond 64     # Give items to a player
/kick "Player" "reason"       # Kick a player
/ban "Player"                 # Ban a player
/whitelist add "Player"       # Add to allowlist
/stop                         # Safely stop the server
/save hold                    # Prepare for backup
/save query                   # Check backup readiness
/save resume                  # Resume after backup

Server Console Commands

These commands are typed directly into the server console (not in-game):

stop                          # Stop the server gracefully
save hold                     # Pause world saving for backups
save query                    # Query save status
save resume                   # Resume world saving
allowlist add "Player"        # Add player to allowlist
allowlist remove "Player"     # Remove from allowlist
allowlist reload              # Reload the allowlist file
permission reload             # Reload permissions file

---

Backup Strategies

What to Back Up

bedrock-server/
├── worlds/               # Critical - all world data
├── server.properties     # Server configuration
├── allowlist.json        # Player allowlist
├── permissions.json      # Player permissions
├── resource_packs/       # Custom resource packs
├── behavior_packs/       # Custom behavior packs
└── valid_known_packs.json

Safe Backup Procedure

BDS requires you to pause world saving before copying files to prevent corruption:

Automated Backup Script (Linux)

#!/bin/bash
SERVER_DIR="/home/minecraft/bedrock-server"
BACKUP_DIR="/home/minecraft/backups"
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M-%S)
SCREEN_NAME="bedrock"

# Tell server to prepare for backup
screen -S $SCREEN_NAME -p 0 -X stuff "save hold\n"
sleep 5

screen -S $SCREEN_NAME -p 0 -X stuff "save query\n"
sleep 3

# Create backup
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/backup_$DATE.tar.gz" \
    "$SERVER_DIR/worlds" \
    "$SERVER_DIR/server.properties" \
    "$SERVER_DIR/allowlist.json" \
    "$SERVER_DIR/permissions.json"

# Resume saving
screen -S $SCREEN_NAME -p 0 -X stuff "save resume\n"

# Keep only last 7 days of backups
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "backup_*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

echo "Backup completed: backup_$DATE.tar.gz"

Make it executable and add to cron:

chmod +x backup.sh
# Run daily at 4 AM
crontab -e
# Add: 0 4 * * * /home/minecraft/backup.sh

---

Performance Optimization

Tuning server.properties

# Lower view distance to reduce chunk loading (default: 32)
view-distance=16

# Keep tick distance low (4 = minimum, 12 = maximum)
tick-distance=4

# Set max threads based on your CPU cores
max-threads=8

# Enable server-authoritative movement for anti-cheat
server-authoritative-movement=server-auth
server-authoritative-block-breaking-pick-up-range=Disabled

System-Level Optimizations

Linux - Increase file descriptors:

# Add to /etc/security/limits.conf
minecraft soft nofile 65535
minecraft hard nofile 65535

Linux - Set CPU priority:

nice -n -5 ./bedrock_server

Performance Tips

• >Reduce view distance - Lowering from 32 to 16 significantly reduces CPU and memory usage
• >Keep tick distance at 4 - Only simulates nearby chunks, reducing entity processing
• >Limit max players - Each player increases resource usage proportionally
• >Use an SSD - World data reads and writes benefit enormously from SSD speeds
• >Disable content logging - Set content-log-file-enabled=false to reduce disk I/O
• >Avoid large redstone machines - Complex redstone creates significant tick overhead
• >Prune unused chunks - Tools like Amulet Editor can trim excess world data

Bedrock Addons and Behavior Packs

BDS supports resource packs and behavior packs to customize your server experience.

Installing Resource Packs

[
    {
        "pack_id": "pack-uuid-here",
        "version": [1, 0, 0]
    }
]

Installing Behavior Packs

[
    {
        "pack_id": "pack-uuid-here",
        "version": [1, 0, 0]
    }
]

Finding Packs

• >MCPEDL - Large collection of Bedrock addons
• >Minecraft Marketplace Partner Hub - Official creator tools
• >Bedrock Addons subreddit - Community creations

Pack UUID and Version

You can find the pack's UUID and version in its manifest.json file:

{
    "header": {
        "name": "My Resource Pack",
        "uuid": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
        "version": [1, 0, 0]
    }
}

Use the uuid value for pack_id and the version array in your world pack JSON files.

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Updating the Server

When a new Minecraft version releases:

• >server.properties
• >allowlist.json
• >permissions.json
• >worlds/ folder
• >Any custom packs

Warning: Players must also update their Minecraft client to the matching version. Version mismatches will prevent connections.

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Troubleshooting

"Unable to Connect to World"

Console Players Cannot Connect

• >Console platforms (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch) cannot directly add custom servers
• >Use the BedrockConnect DNS workaround described in Step 5
• >Ensure the DNS server address is correct and reachable
• >Try restarting Minecraft after changing DNS settings

"Outdated Client" or "Outdated Server"

• >The client and server versions must match exactly
• >Update BDS to the latest version
• >Have players update their Minecraft app
• >BDS does not support version negotiation like some Java server solutions

High Latency / Rubberbanding

Server Crashes

World Not Saving

chown -R minecraft:minecraft /home/minecraft/bedrock-server/

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Conclusion

You now have a fully functional Minecraft Bedrock Dedicated Server supporting crossplay across all platforms. Here is a quick recap:

• >Download BDS from minecraft.net
• >Configure server.properties, allowlist.json, and permissions.json
• >Forward UDP port 19132 through your router
• >Console players use the BedrockConnect DNS workaround to connect
• >Back up your world regularly using the save hold / save resume method

• >Set up automated backups with a cron job
• >Explore behavior packs and addons for custom content
• >Consider a cloud hosting provider for 24/7 uptime
• >Join the Bedrock server community for support and ideas