Best server.properties Settings for a Vanilla Minecraft Server

The server.properties file is the only configuration a Vanilla server has. Here are the settings that matter most and how to tune them on your free FreeMCServers.org Vanilla server.

Performance settings

• view-distance=8 — lower this to 6 if you have lag. Default is 10.
• simulation-distance=6 — controls how far entities/redstone tick. Lower for performance.
• max-tick-time=60000 — how long the watchdog waits before killing a stuck server.
• network-compression-threshold=256 — enable compression for packets larger than 256 bytes.

Gameplay settings

• difficulty=normal — peaceful / easy / normal / hard
• gamemode=survival — survival / creative / adventure / spectator
• hardcore=false — set to true for one-life mode
• pvp=true — disable to prevent player-vs-player damage
• spawn-protection=16 — radius around spawn that non-ops can't break. Set to 0 to disable.

World settings

• level-name=world — name of the world folder
• level-seed= — leave blank for random, or paste a seed string
• level-type=minecraft\:normal — normal / flat / amplified / large_biomes
• generate-structures=true — controls whether villages, strongholds etc. spawn

Player settings

• max-players=20 — concurrent player limit
• white-list=false — set to true and use /whitelist add for invite-only
• online-mode=true — verify Mojang accounts (always leave on)
• enforce-secure-profile=true — required for 1.19+ chat reporting

Want plugin-style features?

Vanilla can't add commands or world protection. If you want those, switch to Paper — it's a drop-in upgrade that supports plugins.