How to Set Up Waterfall on Your Free Minecraft Network

Waterfall setup is identical to BungeeCord — same config format, same backend requirements. Here's the complete walkthrough.

Architecture

• Waterfall proxy — players connect here
• Backend servers — Paper, Spigot, or Forge servers running game modes

Step 1: Create your servers on FreeMCServers.org

1. Create a Waterfall server (this is the proxy)
2. Create one or more backend servers (Paper recommended for each game mode)

Step 2: Configure each backend

On each Paper/Spigot backend, edit these files via the dashboard file manager:

spigot.yml — set:

settings:
  bungeecord: true

server.properties — set:

online-mode=false

Restart each backend after these changes. They'll now accept proxy connections.

Step 3: Configure Waterfall

Open config.yml in your Waterfall server root. Edit the servers section:

servers:
  lobby:
    motd: '&6&l> Lobby'
    address: backend-lobby-address:25565
    restricted: false
  survival:
    motd: '&a&l> Survival'
    address: backend-survival-address:25565
    restricted: false
  creative:
    motd: '&b&l> Creative'
    address: backend-creative-address:25565
    restricted: false
listeners:
- host: 0.0.0.0:25577
  priorities:
  - lobby
  max_players: 100
  motd: '&9My Network'

Replace each backend address with the actual address shown in your FreeMCServers.org dashboard. The priorities list defines the default landing server.

Step 4: Restart Waterfall

Click Restart in the dashboard. The console should report:

[INFO] Listening on /0.0.0.0:25577
[INFO] Loaded plugin BungeeCord version git:BungeeCord-Bootstrap...

Step 5: Test it

Connect from Minecraft to your Waterfall proxy address. You should land on the lobby server. Run /server survival in chat to test switching.

Step 6: Lock down your backends

For security, your backend servers should only accept connections from the proxy, not direct from players. On FreeMCServers.org, install BungeeGuard on both the proxy and backends to enforce this. Without BungeeGuard, players who guess the backend address can bypass authentication.

Common issues

• "Outdated server" — proxy and backend Minecraft versions don't match. They must be the same.
• "Authentication failed" — backend has online-mode=true. Set it to false.
• Backend connection refused — wrong address in config.yml or backend not running.
• Players bypassing the proxy — install BungeeGuard.

Recommended plugins

See our list of best BungeeCord/Waterfall plugins.