MC Dad Server

Minecraft server in 60 seconds — for busy dads who just want their kids to play.

One binary, zero fuss. Run mc-dad-server install for a bare-metal server, or use the included Containerfile for Docker/Podman — with Bedrock cross-play, Parkour courses, and tuned configs out of the box.

Quick Start

# Download the binary for your platform
curl -fsSL https://github.com/KevinTCoughlin/mc-dad-server/releases/latest/download/mc-dad-server-$(uname -s | tr A-Z a-z)-$(uname -m | sed 's/x86_64/amd64/;s/aarch64/arm64/') -o mc-dad-server
chmod +x mc-dad-server

# Install everything
./mc-dad-server install

Or via go install:

go install github.com/KevinTCoughlin/mc-dad-server/cmd/mc-dad-server@latest
mc-dad-server install

That's it. Your server is running.

Batteries Included

Every Paper server install comes loaded with:

Plugin	What It Does
Geyser + Floodgate	Kids on iPad, Switch, and phones connect to your Java server. No second account needed.
Parkour	Build obstacle courses. Checkpoints, leaderboards, death counters. Kids go nuts for this.
WorldEdit	Fast course building. //set, //stack, //copy — build a parkour map in minutes.
Multiverse-Core	Separate worlds for parkour, creative, survival. Keep things organized.
ChatSentry	Configurable chat filter with blocked words list. Kid-safe by default.

Plus battle-tested PaperMC configs (bukkit.yml, spigot.yml, paper-global.yml) tuned from a real production server.

What It Does

• Installs Adoptium Temurin Java 25 (open-source, no Oracle)
• Downloads Paper MC (optimized, fast, plugin-ready)
• Deploys tuned server configs from a battle-tested PaperMC server
• Downloads and installs plugins (Geyser, Parkour, WorldEdit, Multiverse, ChatSentry)
• Sets up start script with GC selection (G1GC or ZGC)
• Sets up auto-start on boot (systemd or launchd)
• Daily automatic backups with rotation
• Opens firewall ports for Java (25565) and Bedrock (19132)
• Optional playit.gg tunnel — no port forwarding needed
• Optional TypeScript/JS scripting sidecar for custom automation (--experimental-bun)

Works On

Platform	Status
Ubuntu/Debian	Fully supported
Fedora/RHEL	Fully supported
Arch Linux	Fully supported
macOS	Fully supported
Windows (x64/ARM64)	Fully supported
WSL2 (Windows)	Fully supported
Docker / Podman	Fully supported (--mode container)
Raspberry Pi	Works (use --memory 1G)

Options

mc-dad-server install \
  --type paper \
  --memory 4G \
  --port 25565 \
  --difficulty normal \
  --gamemode survival \
  --players 20 \
  --gc g1gc \
  --motd "Our Family Server"

Flag	Default	Description
--edition	java	java or bedrock
--type	paper	paper, fabric, or vanilla
--dir	~/minecraft-server	Install location
--port	25565	Server port
--memory	2G	RAM allocation
--difficulty	normal	peaceful, easy, normal, hard
--gamemode	survival	survival, creative, adventure
--players	20	Max player count
--gc	g1gc	g1gc (Aikar's flags) or zgc (low latency)
--motd	Dads Minecraft Server	Message of the day
--playit	true	Set up playit.gg tunnel (--no-playit to skip)
--chat-filter	true	Install chat filter plugin (--no-chat-filter to skip)
--mc-version	latest	Minecraft version
--experimental-bun	false	Enable TypeScript/JS scripting sidecar

Global Flags

Flag	Default	Description
--dir	~/minecraft-server	Server directory
--session	minecraft	Screen session / container name
--mode	auto	auto, screen, or container — how to manage the server process

Daily Commands

# Start the server (runs in background)
mc-dad-server start

# Check if it's running
mc-dad-server status

# View the server console (screen mode)
screen -r minecraft
# (Press Ctrl+A then D to detach)

# Stop the server (graceful 30s countdown)
mc-dad-server stop

# Manual backup
mc-dad-server backup

Container Deployment

Run the server in Docker or Podman instead of a bare-metal screen session. The Containerfile uses Eclipse Temurin 25 JRE on Alpine Linux and includes Geyser, Floodgate, Parkour, Multiverse, and WorldEdit.

# Build and start with Podman Compose
podman compose up -d

# Or with Docker Compose
docker compose up -d

# CLI auto-detects container mode
mc-dad-server status              # auto-detects running container
mc-dad-server --mode container status   # force container mode

# Manage the container
mc-dad-server stop                # graceful shutdown with player countdown
podman logs -f minecraft          # follow server logs

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
MEMORY	2G	JVM heap size
GC_TYPE	g1gc	g1gc (Aikar's flags) or zgc
PORT	25565	Minecraft server port
RCON_PORT	25575	RCON port (localhost only)
RCON_PASSWORD	changeme	RCON password
MC_VERSION	latest	Minecraft version to download

Systemd Integration (Quadlet)

For always-on servers, install the Quadlet unit for rootless Podman with systemd:

mkdir -p ~/.config/containers/systemd
cp quadlet/minecraft.container ~/.config/containers/systemd/
systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user start minecraft

See compose.yml for volume mounts, port mappings, and security hardening (cap_drop, no-new-privileges, memory limits).

Bedrock Cross-Play (iPad, Switch, Phone)

Your kids on Bedrock Edition connect to the same server as Java players. No extra accounts, no extra servers.

• Java players: connect to your-ip:25565 as usual
• Bedrock players: connect to your-ip on port 19132

Geyser handles the translation. Floodgate means they don't need a Java Minecraft account. Kids on Switch, iPad, phone, Windows 10 — they all just connect.

Parkour

After your first server boot, set up the parkour world:

mc-dad-server setup-parkour

Then in-game:

/mv tp parkour          # teleport to parkour world
/pa setlobby            # set lobby at your position
/pa create MyCourse     # start building a course
/pa checkpoint          # add checkpoint where you stand
/pa finish              # set the finish line
/pa ready MyCourse      # open it up for players

Pre-built Maps

Install 5 curated parkour maps from Hielke Maps — no building required. Maps: Parkour Spiral, Spiral 3, Volcano, Pyramid, Paradise.

Auto Map Rotation

Keep things fresh — rotate the featured parkour map:

# Manual rotation
mc-dad-server rotate-parkour

# Automate with cron (every 4 hours)
0 */4 * * * mc-dad-server rotate-parkour >> ~/minecraft-server/logs/rotation.log 2>&1

When a map rotates, all players get a broadcast and are teleported to the new featured map. See docs/parkour.md for full details.

Support

MC Dad Server is free and fully functional — no features are locked behind a paywall.

If you find it useful, you can support development:

You can also purchase a license — licensed users get clean output without nag messages and a "Licensed to [name]" badge.

mc-dad-server activate-license --key YOUR-LICENSE-KEY

See docs/license.md for license management documentation.

Multiplayer Without Port Forwarding

The installer optionally sets up playit.gg, which creates a tunnel so your kids' friends can connect without you touching your router.

1. Run playit after install
2. Claim your agent at the link shown
3. Create a Minecraft Java tunnel -> localhost:25565
4. Share the address with friends' parents

No port forwarding. No exposing your home IP. Easy.

Building from Source

Quickest path: Open in GitHub Codespaces — the dev container includes Go 1.24, Java 21, Kotlin, and all dev tools pre-configured.

Local prerequisites: Go 1.24+, just, and optionally Java 21+ and Kotlin for plugin work. Run just tools to install the Go dev tools (golangci-lint, gofumpt, goreleaser).

git clone https://github.com/KevinTCoughlin/mc-dad-server.git
cd mc-dad-server
just tools       # install dev tools
just build       # build binary
just test        # run tests
just check       # fmt + vet + lint + test
just build-all   # cross-compile all targets (go build matrix)

# Container
just container-build   # build container image
just container-up      # start with Podman Compose

See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full development guide.

FAQ

Q: How much RAM do I need? 2GB is fine for 2-5 players. 4GB for 5-10. 8GB if the kids go crazy with mods.

Q: G1GC or ZGC? G1GC (default) is battle-tested with Aikar's flags. ZGC is newer, lower latency, great for Java 21+ servers with 8GB+ RAM. Try --gc zgc if you want to experiment.

Q: Can my kids on iPad/Switch join? Yes! Geyser + Floodgate is installed by default. Bedrock players connect on port 19132. No Java account needed.

Q: Can my kids' friends connect from their house? Yes! Use playit.gg (included) or forward port 25565 on your router. For Bedrock friends, also forward 19132/udp.

Q: What's Paper MC? It's Minecraft but faster. Same game, better performance, supports plugins.

Q: Can I add mods? Use --type fabric for mods (plugins won't install). Paper supports plugins (different ecosystem).

Q: Is this safe? Whitelist is on by default — only players you approve can join. Online mode verifies real Minecraft accounts.

Q: Can I run this in Docker/Podman? Yes! Use podman compose up -d (or docker compose up -d). The CLI auto-detects container mode, or force it with --mode container. See Container Deployment.

Q: What if my server crashes? Systemd will auto-restart it. Backups run daily at 4 AM. In container mode, Podman/Docker restarts the container automatically.

Q: What Java does it install? Adoptium Temurin 25 — open source, production-ready, no Oracle licensing nonsense.

Uninstall

# Stop the server
mc-dad-server stop

# Remove systemd service (Linux)
sudo systemctl disable minecraft
sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/minecraft.service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

# Remove files
rm -rf ~/minecraft-server

# Remove cron backup
crontab -e  # delete the mc-dad-server line

License

MIT — do whatever you want with it.

Contributing

PRs welcome! This is for dads, by dads. Keep it simple.