Creating your first server

Click Create Server on the Servers page. You'll choose:

• Server Type — Vanilla, Paper, Forge, Fabric, NeoForge, Quilt. Paper is recommended for plugins; Forge/Fabric for mods.
• Minecraft Version — Pick the version that matches your players. Always check mod/plugin compatibility first.
• RAM — Minimum 2GB for vanilla, 4GB+ for modpacks. More players = more RAM needed.
• Port — Auto-assigned. Players connect to your public address shown in the server card.

Server types explained

How players connect

Your server's public address is shown on the server card. It looks like prior.playit.pub or prior.playit.game depending on which tunnel was assigned.

Players open Minecraft → Multiplayer → Add Server → paste the address. No port needed if it's port 25565; otherwise append :PORT.

Start / Stop / Restart

Use the buttons on your server card or in the Overview tab of the config modal. Always use Stop gracefully — avoid killing the process, as it can corrupt world saves.

Console

The Console tab gives you a live view of server output and a command input. Type commands without the leading / — e.g. type op Steve not /op Steve.

Common commands:

Settings tab

Edit server.properties visually — difficulty, max players, game mode, view distance, whitelist, PVP, and more. Changes require a server restart to take effect.

Reset World

Found in the Overview tab. Deletes all world folders (world/, world_nether/, world_the_end/). The server must be stopped first.

For modpack servers, the original modpack world is automatically re-downloaded and restored instead of generating a blank world.

Auto-stop & Auto-restart

• Auto-stop — Stops the server after X minutes with no players online. Saves resources. Default: 5 minutes.
• Auto-restart — Restarts the server every X hours. Useful for keeping performance fresh. Default: disabled.
• Wake on Join — Starts the server automatically when a player tries to connect, even when stopped.

What's the difference?

Installing mods/plugins via the panel

1. Open your server config → Plugins or Mods tab
2. Search Modrinth or CurseForge using the source tabs
3. Click the mod/plugin → select a version matching your server's MC version
4. Click Install
5. Restart the server for changes to take effect

Installing via File Manager

Download a .jar file from the mod's website → go to Files tab → navigate to mods/ or plugins/ folder → upload the file → restart server.

Prior Plugins

The Prior Plugins tab in your server settings holds Prior Exclusive plugins made for the Prior Network, like Prior Raids. Click Install, then restart your server. They work on Paper servers (Paper, Purpur, Folia).

What is Prior Raids?

A Prior Exclusive plugin that adds haunted raids, bandit campsites, stalkers and boss fights with legendary loot. Install it from the Prior Plugins tab in your server settings, then restart the server.

Raids are opt-in

Nobody is raided unless they choose to. Players type /raid opt to join and the same command again to leave. Their choice is saved through restarts and rejoins. Players who are opted out can't be targeted and raid mobs can't hurt them.

Raids start on their own every 20 to 45 minutes for one random opted-in player, or when an opted-in player has been very active (mining, fighting, earning advancements). Survive every wave to earn a reward chest and bonus XP.

Commands

/raid opt              Join or leave raids (everyone starts out)
/raid campopt          Turn campsites on or off for yourself
/raid info             Who is in or out, and who is being raided
/raid vote enable      Start a server vote to turn raids on or off
/raid yes | /raid no   Vote

Operators:

/raid start <player> [tier]   Start a raid (tier 1-5)
/raid all [tier]               Raid every opted-in player
/raid stop                     Cancel all raids
/raid enable | disable         Turn raids on or off
/raid spawncamp <player>       Spawn a campsite near a player
/raid campsites <on|off>       Turn campsite spawning on or off
/raid reload                   Reload config.yml

Raid tiers

Automatic raids get harder as your world survives more of them: Tier 2 after 10 raids, Tier 3 after 25, Tier 4 after 50 and Tier 5 after 100. Higher tiers bring more waves, stronger mobs, a bigger boss and better loot.

Campsites

Bandit camps appear near players, guarded by 3 to 5 camp guards who taunt you as you approach. Clear the guards and loot the barrel. Camps stay away from players and their beds, and after you clear one you get a short break before the next appears near you. Players can turn campsites off for themselves with /raid campopt.

Creating a modpack server

1. Click Create Server → select Modpack as the server type
2. Choose a source: Modrinth or CurseForge
3. Search for your modpack and select a version
4. Enter a server name and click Create
5. The panel downloads the modpack, installs all mods, the correct loader, and configures everything automatically

What clients need to install

For modpack servers, players must install the same modpack on their client. Two ways:

• CurseForge App — Search the modpack name → Install → Launch → Connect
• Prism Launcher — Add instance → Modrinth/CurseForge → Search → Install
• Prior Minecraft Launcher — Enter the config code from your server's Installer tab → auto-installs everything

CurseForge vs Modrinth modpacks

• Modrinth (.mrpack format) — Open format, faster installs, growing library. Recommended.
• CurseForge — Larger library, older packs. Requires API access (already configured). Some mods have distribution disabled and will be skipped.

Navigating files

The Files tab shows your server's directory. Common folders:

Editing config files

Click any text file (.yml, .toml, .properties, .json) to open the built-in editor. Make your changes and click Save. Most config changes require a server restart.

Uploading files

Navigate to the destination folder → click Upload. You can upload mod JARs, world zips, resource packs, etc.

Creating a backup

Go to the Backups tab in your server config and click Create Backup. This creates a ZIP of your entire server directory including worlds, configs, and plugins.

Auto Backups

Configure automatic backups with a custom interval (e.g., every 6 hours) and max backups to keep. Auto backups are copied to your Prior Vault and rotate within your vault storage: your two most recent backups are always kept.

Emergency Recovery Vault

When your vault storage is full, backups don't stop. New backups go into the Emergency Recovery Vault instead, so you always have a recent copy. You can see them at the bottom of the Backups tab; loading them needs the 100 GB vault upgrade.

Restoring a backup

1. Stop the server
2. Download the backup ZIP from the Backups tab
3. Extract the ZIP and upload the files via the File Manager
4. Restart the server

What are UDP ports used for?

Some Minecraft features require a dedicated UDP port in addition to the standard TCP port. Common uses:

• Simple Voice Chat / Plasmo Voice — Proximity voice chat for players
• GeyserMC — Lets Bedrock Edition players (mobile, console, Windows 10/11) join your Java server

Claiming a UDP port

1. Open your server config → Network tab
2. The availability bar shows how many ports are free across Prior Network
3. Click Claim a Port — first come, first served
4. You'll receive a Plugin Port (for your server config) and a Player Address (for players to connect)

Auto-configuring plugins

After claiming a port, compatible plugins appear below. Click Install to install the plugin, start/stop the server once to generate its config, then click Auto-Configure — the panel writes the correct port into the config file automatically.

GeyserMC — Bedrock players

GeyserMC translates between Java and Bedrock protocols, letting phone/console/Windows 10 players join.

• Install GeyserMC via the Network tab after claiming a UDP port
• Auto-Configure sets auth-type: offline — Bedrock players authenticate via Xbox, no Java Edition required
• Bedrock players: open Minecraft → Servers → Add External Server → enter the Player Address shown in the Network tab
• Tip: tell Bedrock players to set their in-game render distance to match the server's view-distance (e.g. 7). Setting it higher just shows a "chunk still loading" message — the server won't send chunks beyond its view-distance. Lower (6) is smoother on phones.

What is the Launcher?

Prior Minecraft Launcher is a desktop app that automatically installs the correct mods, resource packs, and configs on a player's computer so they can join your server instantly.

Download it from the Launcher page in the sidebar.

Sharing with players (config code)

1. Open your server config → Installer tab
2. Click Generate Config Code
3. Share the code (starts with pri_) with your players
4. Players open Prior Minecraft Launcher → enter the code → click Connect → everything installs automatically

Browse & install mods with the Launcher

The Launcher has a built-in browser for Modrinth and CurseForge — search for mods, click Install, and they go straight into your .minecraft/mods folder.

Setting up Discord integration

1. Open your server config → Discord tab → click Generate API Key
2. In your Discord server, run: /mc connect api_key:YOUR_KEY
3. Set a chat channel: /mc setchat server_id:ID channel:#your-channel
4. Set a console channel (optional): /mc setconsole server_id:ID channel:#console
5. Start the connection: /mc start server_id:ID

What the Discord bot does

• Live chat bridge — Messages in Discord appear in-game with [DC] prefix, and vice versa
• Event notifications — Player joins/leaves, deaths, advancements, server start/stop
• Console logs — Server output streamed to a Discord channel
• Server controls — Link your Discord account to start/stop/restart from Discord

Join the Prior community

Updates, new features, news and maintenance notices are often posted in our Discord server first, and it's the quickest place to get help from the Prior team and other server owners.

Join the Prior Discord

Linking your Discord account

Go to server config → Discord tab → enter your Discord User ID and click Link. This lets you use the Start/Stop/Restart buttons that appear in Discord chat messages.

To find your Discord User ID: Enable Developer Mode in Discord settings → right-click your name → Copy User ID.