What is BungeeCord?
BungeeCord is a Minecraft network proxy. Instead of running one big server, you run multiple smaller servers (lobby, survival, creative, mini-games) and put BungeeCord in front of them. Players connect to one address and can move between servers using /server <name>.
Why use a proxy?
- Server modes — separate lobby, survival, creative, hardcore worlds
- Mini-game networks — separate servers for SkyWars, Bedwars, KitPvP, etc.
- Better performance — distribute load across multiple servers
- Easier maintenance — restart one game mode without kicking all players
- Single connection point — players join one address regardless of mode
How it works
Players connect to your BungeeCord proxy. The proxy forwards them to one of your backend Minecraft servers (Paper, Spigot, Forge, etc.). When they run /server creative, the proxy seamlessly transfers them to a different backend without disconnecting.
Common BungeeCord setups
- Lobby + Survival — players spawn in a lobby with portals to gameplay servers
- Mini-game network — lobby + 5 different mini-game servers
- Survival + Creative — separate worlds for survival and creative play
- Hardcore network — main hub + multiple themed hardcore challenges
BungeeCord vs Waterfall
Waterfall is an actively maintained fork of BungeeCord with bug fixes and improvements. For new networks, Waterfall is generally preferred. See our comparison.
Setup complexity
BungeeCord is more complex to set up than a single server because you need:
- The BungeeCord proxy itself
- One or more backend servers
- Network configuration so the backends only accept connections from the proxy
- Plugins on backends to support BungeeCord (or set
online-mode: false)