mc-dad-server

README

MC Dad Server

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

No Docker. No Kubernetes. No nonsense. Download one binary and run mc-dad-server install — 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 21 (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

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
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

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 -r minecraft
# (Press Ctrl+A then D to detach)

# Stop the server
mc-dad-server stop

# Manual backup
mc-dad-server backup

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 by purchasing 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 7 targets

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: What if my server crashes? Systemd will auto-restart it. Backups run daily at 4 AM.

Q: What Java does it install? Adoptium Temurin 21 — 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.