Minecraft Bedrock Server Hosting

What the Bedrock Dedicated Server Is

Minecraft: Bedrock Edition is the version of the game sold on Windows, Android, iOS, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch. Mojang also publishes a free program called the Bedrock Dedicated Server, often shortened to BDS, which runs a Bedrock world without anyone playing on the machine. It has no graphics at all: it loads the world, simulates it, and waits for players to connect over the network.

You can run BDS at home on Windows or Ubuntu, and Mojang's download page says so. In practice that means leaving a computer on day and night, opening a port on the router, and sharing your home upload with everyone who plays. A hosted server moves the same official software into a data centre, gives it a fixed address and a fast connection, and wraps it in a control panel so you never touch a command prompt.

Realms, Hosting a World, or a Dedicated Server

Bedrock gives a group three ways to share a world, and each one suits a different crowd.

A dedicated server is the right pick when you want the world online around the clock, need to edit server.properties or permissions, want to run your own behaviour packs, or have more players than a Realm comfortably holds. Realms suits a small group that wants no setup at all and never needs the server files.

server.properties: The Settings That Matter

Almost everything about a Bedrock world is set in one text file, server.properties. Stop the server, open the file under Configuration Files, change the lines you need and start it again. These are the lines owners change most.

Allowlist, Operators and Permission Levels

Bedrock identifies players by their Xbox gamertag and by an XUID, a long number tied to the Microsoft account. Two files use them. allowlist.json decides who may join at all, and permissions.json decides what each person can do once inside.

1. Set allow-list=true in server.properties and restart.
2. In the Web Console, type allowlist add followed by a gamertag. Put the name in quotes if it contains a space.
3. Ask each player to join once. The console then shows their XUID.
4. Add your own XUID to permissions.json with the level operator, and friends as member or visitor.
5. Run permission reload in the console, or restart, so the new levels are used.

The three levels are simple. A visitor can walk around and look but cannot build or break. A member plays normally. An operator can use commands and manage other players. The line default-player-permission-level sets what anyone not listed in permissions.json receives, so a public server often uses visitor and promotes trusted players by hand.

Installing Behaviour Packs and Resource Packs

Add-ons are Bedrock's own, Mojang-supported way to change the game. A behaviour pack changes how things work: new mobs, items, recipes or rules. A resource pack changes how things look and sound. Many add-ons come as a .mcaddon file holding one of each.

1. Rename the .mcaddon or .mcpack file to .zip and extract it on your computer.
2. Open each pack's manifest.json and note the uuid and version in the header section.
3. Upload the behaviour pack folder into behavior_packs and the resource pack folder into resource_packs.
4. In your world folder, create or edit world_behavior_packs.json and world_resource_packs.json, adding one entry per pack with its pack_id and version.
5. Restart the server and join. Your device downloads the packs automatically.

Packs load in the order you list them, and two packs that change the same mob or item can clash. Add one pack at a time, test it, then add the next. Many add-ons also need the world's experimental toggles that were switched on when the world was created, so read the creator's notes before you upload.

Keeping the Server on the Right Version

Bedrock devices update through their app stores, usually within a day of each other, and a client cannot join a server on an older or newer build. The safest routine is to back up the world as soon as a new release appears, update the server, restart, and only then tell the group to play.

Mojang now numbers releases by year: the Wilderness Bound drop of September 2026 is 26.50, and its hotfix is 26.52. The Bedrock server download carries the same numbers, which makes it easy to check at a glance that the server and the players match. Mojang also publishes a preview server for testing upcoming features; keep preview worlds apart from your main world.

Backups, Moving Worlds and Starting Fresh

The Bedrock server can be backed up while it runs, using a three-step console routine: save hold prepares the files, save query reports when they are ready to copy, and save resume tells the server to carry on. Our panel's backups take care of that for you, and offsite copies are kept for the last 7 days.

To move a world in, copy its folder from your device or from another host, stop the server, upload it into worlds, and set level-name to match the folder name. To start fresh without losing anything, change level-name to a new name and set a level-seed; the old world stays on disk and you can switch back at any time.

What to Compare Before You Rent a Bedrock Server

Bedrock hosting offers can look identical. These are the details that decide whether the server still feels right a few months in.

1. Native Bedrock, not a bridgeCheck that the host runs Mojang's Bedrock Dedicated Server, not a Java server with a translation plugin, if your group only plays Bedrock.
2. Memory, not just slotsA plan with many slots but little RAM struggles once players spread out. Look at the memory you actually get.
3. Access to the filesYou need to edit server.properties, the allowlist and permissions yourself, and to upload packs. Make sure the panel allows it.
4. Same-day updatesAsk how quickly you can update the server after a new release, because the group cannot join until you do.
5. Backups you restore yourselfFind out whether you can roll back without a ticket, and how many days of offsite copies are kept.
6. Locations near your playersPhones on mobile data are sensitive to distance. Pick a host with a location close to most of the group and test it.

Bedrock Server Glossary

Bedrock Dedicated Server (BDS)

Mojang's free server program for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition.

server.properties

The text file holding the world's main settings, from game mode to player limit.

Allowlist

The list of gamertags allowed to join when allow-list is on, stored in allowlist.json.

XUID

The number that identifies a Microsoft account, used in permissions.json.

Operator

A player with permission to run commands and manage others.

Behaviour pack

An add-on that changes how the game works, such as new mobs, items or rules.

Resource pack

An add-on that changes textures, sounds or models.

Tick distance

How far from players the world keeps simulating crops, mobs and redstone.

Realms

Mojang's own subscription service for small private worlds.

NetherNet

The network transport Bedrock dedicated servers use by default since 26.50.

Bedrock Server Help and Next Steps

Useful pages for setting up and running your Bedrock world.

• Bedrock Dedicated Server downloadMojang's official server software and its notes.
• Add a behaviour pack to your Bedrock serverOur step-by-step knowledge base guide.
• Find your XUIDNeeded for operator permissions.
• Minecraft server setup guideOur wider guide to running Minecraft servers.
• Gaming Deluxe control panelWhat the panel does and how to log in.
• Contact support24/7 help with packs, worlds and updates.