Bedrock and Java are different servers that happen to share a name. They use different software, different file formats, different add-on systems, and they cannot join each other. If you have read a Minecraft hosting guide before, most of it does not transfer. This one covers the official Bedrock dedicated server: how to size it, how crossplay actually works, where the settings live, and which Minecraft panel tools apply to Bedrock and which do not.
Bedrock or Java
Pick this one if your players are on console, mobile, tablet, or the Windows edition from the Microsoft Store. Pick Java if everyone is on the desktop edition bought from Minecraft.net and you want mods or server plugins.
| Bedrock | Java | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Console, mobile, Windows edition | Windows, macOS, Linux desktop |
| Crossplay across those platforms | Yes | Not applicable |
| Add-ons and behaviour packs | Yes | No, uses mods and plugins instead |
| Server plugins | No | Yes |
| Worlds interchangeable with the other edition | No | No |
Warning: A Bedrock player cannot join a Java server and a Java player cannot join a Bedrock server. This is a limitation in the game, not in hosting
Tip: If your group is split across both editions, the honest answer is two servers. Anything else involves a proxy layer with real compatibility trade-offs
The Minecraft Java hosting guide covers the other edition.
Sizing a Bedrock Server
Bedrock is lighter than Java. There is no JVM heap to tune, and memory tracks loaded chunks and add-ons far more than it tracks head count. The official minimum is 4 GB, and 4 GB carries a vanilla world comfortably past ten players.
| Players | Memory | Cores | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 10 | 4 GB | 2 | 30 GB |
| Up to 20 | 6 GB | 3 | 50 GB |
| Up to 30 | 8 GB | 3 | 80 GB |
Ten is the convention for a Bedrock server and it is the default the server ships with. Going past thirty is possible but the returns fall away quickly, and the practical limit on a busy world is chunk loading rather than memory.
Tip: Add-on packs cost memory. If you run several behaviour and resource packs, size as though you had twice the players
Tip: Storage is about world growth and backups rather than the install, which is small. A long-lived world with regular backups is what fills a Bedrock box
Build it on the order page, or read the Bedrock hosting page for what ships with every build.
What You Get, and What You Do Not
This is worth being direct about. Loafhosts ships a large suite of Minecraft panel tools, and that suite is built against the Java server. Bedrock is a different server binary with different files, so those tools do not apply to it.
On a Bedrock server you get:
- The full LoafHub panel: live console, file manager with a recycle bin, scheduled backups, sub-users with per-permission control, an activity log, and auto-restart on a schedule you set
server.propertieseditable in the panel file editor- Startup settings for the server name, gamemode, level name, player cap, allow list, online mode, and the Bedrock version to run
- Crossplay across console, mobile and Windows, handled by the game
- Add-ons and worlds uploaded over SFTP
You do not get the Java plugin manager, the modpack installer, the datapack manager, the world manager, or the EULA helper. Those are Java tools and they are scoped to the Java server.
Note: Bedrock does not require an EULA acceptance step the way the Java server does, so there is nothing to accept before your first start
Deploying on LoafHub
After checkout the server deploys in about 60 seconds. There are no setup fees.
- Configure your build, pick a region, and complete checkout
- Log in to the LoafHub panel at hub.loafhosts.com
- Open your new Bedrock server
- Wait for the deploy to finish and the server to report ready
- Open the Console tab
- Press Start and watch it reach a running state
Tip: Bookmark hub.loafhosts.com. Everything below happens there
Where the Settings Actually Live
Bedrock keeps its settings in a plain server.properties file, one setting per line, and you can open it in the panel file editor. Before you do, there is a split worth understanding, because it is the reason people report that Bedrock settings “do not save”.
Six of the most-changed settings are not owned by the file. The panel writes them into server.properties from the server’s startup settings on every boot:
| Setting | Where to change it |
|---|---|
server-name | Startup settings |
gamemode | Startup settings |
level-name | Startup settings |
max-players | Startup settings |
allow-list | Startup settings |
online-mode | Startup settings |
Edit any of those in the file and the change holds until the next restart, then quietly reverts. Change them in the panel’s Startup tab instead and they persist.
Everything else in server.properties is yours, and the file editor is the right place for it:
| Key | What it does | Common value |
|---|---|---|
difficulty | World difficulty | normal |
allow-cheats | Enables commands for operators | false |
view-distance | Chunks sent to each player | 32 |
tick-distance | Chunks simulated around players | 4 |
level-seed | Seed for a newly generated world | blank |
default-player-permission-level | Permission new players get | member |
Warning:
level-seedonly affects a world that does not exist yet. Setting it on a server that already has a world changes nothing
Tip:
view-distanceis the setting with the largest effect on server load. Dropping it from 32 to 16 on a busy world is the cheapest performance win available
Warning: Leave
online-modeset totrueunless you have a specific reason not to. Turning it off lets anyone connect using any username. It lives in the Startup settings
The startup settings also carry a Bedrock version control, set to the latest release by default. Pin it to a specific version if you need the server to stay put while your players catch up, and set it back to latest when you are ready to move.
Crossplay and Connecting
Crossplay is handled by the game rather than by a setting you enable. A Bedrock server accepts console, mobile and Windows players as long as they are all on a compatible game version.
- Copy the server address and port from the panel
- In Minecraft, open Play, then Servers, then Add Server
- Enter a name, the address, and the port
- Save and join
Console players add a server the same way, though some platforms hide the option behind a Featured Servers list. On those, the address goes in the same Add Server form once you scroll past the featured entries.
Tip: Clients and the server have to be on the same major version. After a Bedrock update, players usually cannot join until the server has restarted and updated too
Tip: Share the address and port together. Bedrock does not default to the standard port on every client
Add-ons and Worlds
Bedrock uses behaviour packs and resource packs rather than mods. They are uploaded rather than installed from the panel, because there is no Bedrock add-on manager.
- Connect over SFTP with the credentials in the panel
- Upload behaviour packs to the
behavior_packsfolder and resource packs toresource_packsfolder - Add the pack’s UUID and version to
world_behavior_packs.jsonorworld_resource_packs.jsoninside your world folder - Restart the server
Uploading an existing world works the same way: stop the server, upload the world folder, set level-name to match the folder, and start.
Warning: Stop the server before uploading or replacing a world. Copying files under a running server is the most reliable way to corrupt one
Tip: Take a backup first. The panel has scheduled backups, and a manual one before a world swap costs you nothing
Keeping It Healthy
Tip: Schedule a daily restart during a quiet hour
Tip: Schedule backups, and take a manual one before uploading a world or a pack
Tip: Watch the console after a game update. Version mismatches show up there first
Note: Game servers come with a 3-day money-back guarantee. Dedicated servers are non-refundable
Frequently Asked Questions
How much RAM does a Minecraft Bedrock server need?
4 GB is the official minimum and carries a vanilla world past ten players comfortably. Move to 6 GB around twenty players, and 8 GB at thirty. Add-on packs cost more memory than players do, so size up if you run several.
Can Bedrock and Java players play together on one server?
No. They are different server programs with different network protocols, and neither can join the other. If your group is split, run one server for each edition.
Do the Minecraft panel tools work on Bedrock?
The general panel tools do: console, file manager, scheduled backups, sub-users, activity log and auto-restart. The Minecraft-specific tools such as the plugin manager, modpack installer, datapack manager and world manager are built for the Java server and do not apply to Bedrock. Bedrock does have its own startup settings, including a control for which Bedrock version the server runs.
How many players can a Bedrock server hold?
Thirty is a sensible practical ceiling and ten is the shipped default. The limit is set by max-players in server.properties and by how much chunk loading your build can keep up with, not by a seat count we sell.
How do I install add-ons on a Bedrock server?
Upload the behaviour or resource pack over SFTP, then register its UUID and version in the world’s world_behavior_packs.json or world_resource_packs.json, and restart. There is no one-click add-on installer for Bedrock.
Why can my players not join after a Minecraft update?
Bedrock clients and servers have to be on the same major version. Restart the server so it picks up the update, then have players try again.
Can I upload a world from my console or phone?
Yes, if you can export it. Export the world from the device, stop the server, upload the world folder over SFTP, set level-name to the folder name, and start the server.
Does Bedrock hosting include DDoS protection?
Yes. Terabit DDoS Protection is included on every build at no extra cost, with no tier to choose.