Implementation of Dedicated Server in Isolation by kuwacom · Pull Request #498 · smartcmd/MinecraftConsoles

kuwacom · 2026-03-04T23:17:20Z

Description

This PR introduces a Windows64 Dedicated Server executable (Minecraft.Server) and related runtime/build support.
It enables headless hosting with configurable bind IP/port, world bootstrap via server.properties.
Minecraft.Client changes are intentionally minimal and limited to dedicated-server startup compatibility.
#65

Changes

New Behavior

Added dedicated server entrypoint and project:
- Minecraft.Server/Windows64/ServerMain.cpp
- Minecraft.Server/Minecraft.Server.vcxproj (+ filters)
Added dedicated-server runtime modules:
- ServerProperties (server.properties load/normalize/save for level-name / level-id)
- WorldManager (load existing world by level-id, fallback to create new world)
- ServerLogger (log levels: debug|info|warn|error)
Added build/runtime wiring:
- CMakeLists.txt: new MinecraftServer target and post-build asset copy
- cmake/CopyServerAssets.cmake: minimal required server assets only
- MinecraftConsoles.sln, COMPILE.md, .gitignore updates
Dedicated server launch supports:
- -port, -ip/-bind, -name, -seed, -loglevel, -help

Minecraft.Client Changes (Minimum Scope)

Only the following Minecraft.Client files were changed, strictly for dedicated-server bridge behavior:

Minecraft.Client/MinecraftServer.h
- Added NetworkGameInitData::dedicatedNoLocalHostPlayer.
Minecraft.Client/Common/Network/GameNetworkManager.cpp
- Added dedicated path to skip local host ClientConnection creation when hosting as dedicated server.
- Preserved telemetry/game-mode initialization for host path.
Minecraft.Client/Common/Network/PlatformNetworkManagerStub.cpp
- Switched host startup to use configured bind IP/port globals.
- Calls new Winsock overload with bind IP.
Minecraft.Client/Windows64/Network/WinsockNetLayer.h
- Added HostGame(const char* bindIp, int port) overload.
Minecraft.Client/Windows64/Network/WinsockNetLayer.cpp
- Implemented bind-IP-aware host socket setup.
- Kept existing HostGame(int port) as wrapper for compatibility.
- Updated default Win64 host bind IP to 0.0.0.0 (from loopback) for dedicated listening.

- Introduced `ServerMain.cpp` for the dedicated server logic, handling command-line arguments, server initialization, and network management. - Created `postbuild_server.ps1` script for post-build tasks, including copying necessary resources and DLLs for the dedicated server. - Added `CopyServerAssets.cmake` to manage the copying of server assets during the build process, ensuring required files are available for the dedicated server. - Defined project filters in `Minecraft.Server.vcxproj.filters` for better organization of server-related files.

- Introduced ServerLogger for logging startup steps and world I/O operations. - Implemented ServerProperties for loading and saving server configuration from `server.properties`. - Added WorldManager to handle world loading and creation based on server properties. - Updated ServerMain to integrate server properties loading and world management. - Enhanced project files to include new source and header files for the server components.

…g levels

kuwacom · 2026-03-04T23:30:50Z

I hadn’t been merging upstream changes while implementing, so I’m in the middle of merging them now...

# Conflicts: # Minecraft.Client/Common/Network/PlatformNetworkManagerStub.cpp # Minecraft.Client/Windows64/Network/WinsockNetLayer.cpp # Minecraft.Client/Windows64/Network/WinsockNetLayer.h

gizmogoat · 2026-03-04T23:35:49Z

Some things have changed in the past day-ish, watch out for incompatibilities/redundant re-implementations of these:

-name and -port params are already in place in master; -ip param is parsed but not acted upon. add the supplied server to the ui #435 adds the passed server in the launch args to the connect list
Add servers.txt so players can add an arbitrary amount of servers to the "Join Game" list #478 adds a server txt that will add all of the present servers to the connect list
The base client executable has its own dedicated server now when running with -server

kuwacom · 2026-03-04T23:44:25Z

So -server has been added, I see.
From a quick look at the issues, it seems there are still a few world-related bugs remaining.

servers.txt is a nice addition as well.
It’s more user-friendly than -target.

Since 31881af56936aeef38ff322b975fd0 , `skinHud.swf` for 720 is not included in `MediaWindows64.arc`, the app crashes unless the virtual screen is set to HD.

kuwacom · 2026-03-05T01:10:38Z

It was partially affected by #495, but I was able to merge it without any issues.

haychk · 2026-03-05T03:54:51Z

is it still only LAN multiplayer only? or can worlds be opened up to more people?

kuwacom · 2026-03-05T04:14:20Z

It can be accessed from anywhere if you have a suitable network that can be accessed from the global internet (a network line that can open the specified TCP port).

In short, it's a regular server app.

haychk · 2026-03-05T04:15:36Z

oh damn. so i could run this on a vps?

kuwacom · 2026-03-05T04:18:15Z

Yes, but since it still uses a lot of Windows API internally (to maintain compatibility), it requires a Windows system or a system that includes Windows API to run.

I would like to eventually release a Linux version and put it into Docker.

haychk · 2026-03-05T04:20:56Z

i mean, i've tried it on linux and it works fine. i could try and create a docker image if you'd like

gizmogoat · 2026-03-05T04:22:00Z

I would like to eventually release a Linux version and put it into Docker.

You can run it fine on Linux without a GUI launcher via umu

kuwacom · 2026-03-05T04:23:40Z

i mean, i've tried it on linux and it works fine. i could try and create a docker image if you'd like

seriously!
That's nice.

haychk · 2026-03-05T04:25:09Z

wine also works really well. tried lutris and has similar results to umu

kuwacom · 2026-03-05T04:29:02Z

Which one has a smaller image size?
wine or umu

haychk · 2026-03-05T04:33:15Z

wine iirc

kuwacom · 2026-03-05T10:33:22Z

Currently there are two approaches: the separated version (this pull request) and the -server option version (merged yesterday) that starts the client directly as a server. Which one should be prioritized?

The separated version modifies the world-saving logic and changes the startup logic, so integrating it into the client side would be a bit tricky.

Alternatively, it would also be possible to keep both.

codeHusky · 2026-03-05T14:03:24Z

Realistically speaking a completely separate Server executable should be our preferred way for this to work. The -server command line option is moreso jank and this is far cleaner.

kuwacom · 2026-03-05T23:54:28Z

If we're planning to merge the separated server in the future, I was considering removing the -server option and the unnecessary client-side logic as well. Would it be okay to leave them as they are for now?

smartcmd · 2026-03-05T23:58:43Z

If we're planning to merge the separated server in the future, I was considering removing the -server option and the unnecessary client-side logic as well. Would it be okay to leave them as they are for now?

Yeah

haychk · 2026-03-06T04:29:42Z

seems to be a bug where i cannot change the game's difficulty and enable some settings (trust players, pvp etc)

doing this all on a vps too

kuwacom · 2026-03-06T04:40:05Z

Sorry, that’s not written in the description, but it’s still a dummy for now.
It’s only included in the default server.properties generation ahead of time (so it can be implemented later).

kuwacom · 2026-03-06T04:41:28Z

doing this all on a vps too

Would it be possible to send the Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml?

haychk · 2026-03-06T04:52:02Z

doing this all on a vps too

Would it be possible to send the Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml?

not using a docker image, which is surprising. i took your pr build and ran it on my vps. works REALLY well, minus the default server settings being awful (peaceful mode, no pvp etc)

…erver # Conflicts: # .gitignore # CMakeLists.txt # Minecraft.Client/Common/Network/GameNetworkManager.cpp

…ing sources - remove stale Windows64 Miles (mss64) link/copy references from server build - add Common/Filesystem/Filesystem.cpp to Minecraft.Server.vcxproj - add Windows64/PostProcesser.cpp to Minecraft.Server.vcxproj - fix unresolved externals (PostProcesser::*, FileExists) in dedicated server build

Since the crash caused by the 720p `skinHud.swf` not being included in `MediaWindows64.arc` has been resolved, switching back to 720p to reduce resource usage.

kuwacom · 2026-03-06T10:51:54Z

There’s something I’m currently unsure about regarding these implementations.

This may come down to differences in interpretation, but it feels quite odd to me.
Since commit aadb511, the behavior was intentionally changed so that a newly created world is not immediately saved to disk.

My interpretation is that Exit without saving should only mean exiting without saving the actions performed inside the world. When a new world is created, I think the freshly generated world should already be saved to a file at that point.

If this interpretation is the majority view, I’d like to revert the change and modify it so that the world is written to disk as soon as it is created.

kuwacom · 2026-03-06T11:40:43Z

I’ve mostly finished the Docker implementation.

Since the binary is now included inside the image, anyone should be able to easily run a server on a VPS or similar by just pulling the image from a registry.

add with entrypoint and build scripts

…ft-LegacyConsoleEdition into feature/dedicated-server

on the server side, I fixed the behavior introduced after commit aadb511, where newly created worlds are intentionally not saved to disk immediately.

void2012 · 2026-03-06T13:13:02Z

All comments and files must be in English and source code files must be in UTF-8, sorry.

kuwacom · 2026-03-06T13:16:54Z

All comments and files must be in English and source code files must be in UTF-8, sorry.

Got it.
I’ll change some of the Japanese text to English.

kuwacom · 2026-03-06T13:32:14Z

It didn’t feel right to me to put world-related GameRules in server.properties, so while looking into the original implementation I discovered something interesting.

Some world-related settings are actually stored in the PNG thumbnail of the world, specifically in the tEXt metadata inside the PNG.

https://github.com/kuwacom/Minecraft-LegacyConsoleEdition/blob/feature/dedicated-server/Minecraft.World/ConsoleSaveFileOriginal.cpp#L769
https://github.com/kuwacom/Minecraft-LegacyConsoleEdition/blob/feature/dedicated-server/Minecraft.Client/Common/Consoles_App.cpp#L8285

haychk · 2026-03-06T15:18:17Z

for those having issues while using a VPS and getting a display error, try this command:

Xvfb :1 -screen 0 1024x768x16 &
export DISPLAY=:1

works fine for me

codeHusky · 2026-03-06T15:20:56Z

Some world-related settings are actually stored in the PNG thumbnail of the world, specifically in the tEXt metadata inside the PNG.

wtf? We should probably change that lolll that’s crazy

codeHusky · 2026-03-06T15:23:16Z

If this interpretation is the majority view, I’d like to revert the change and modify it so that the world is written to disk as soon as it is created.

For Singleplayer, I don’t believe we should save the world unless a save has actually occurred, that’s how LCE has historically worked. On the server, it makes sense to save it as it’s generated since the server is not a singleplayer experience. However on the actual client it shouldn’t save unless we want to. Forcing the save on load/generate causes save spam with the DLCs

kuwacom · 2026-03-06T16:02:22Z

for those having issues while using a VPS and getting a display error, try this command:
Xvfb :1 -screen 0 1024x768x16 &
export DISPLAY=:1
works fine for me

That’s an error I didn’t encounter on WSL2 on Windows.
Does it fail to start if the virtual screen is too small?

kuwacom · 2026-03-06T16:06:21Z

Some world-related settings are actually stored in the PNG thumbnail of the world, specifically in the tEXt metadata inside the PNG.

wtf? We should probably change that lolll that’s crazy

It seems that this approach was simply easier given the filesystem constraints on the PS Vita and PS3.

If this project is going to move toward being focused on general-purpose platforms, it might be better at some point to change the world file saving logic and design a new save format.

kuwacom · 2026-03-06T16:10:48Z

If this interpretation is the majority view, I’d like to revert the change and modify it so that the world is written to disk as soon as it is created.

For Singleplayer, I don’t believe we should save the world unless a save has actually occurred, that’s how LCE has historically worked. On the server, it makes sense to save it as it’s generated since the server is not a singleplayer experience. However on the actual client it shouldn’t save unless we want to. Forcing the save on load/generate causes save spam with the DLCs

I see, so that issue was occurring.

In this Dedicated Server, the world file saving during initial world generation is implemented in a custom WorldManager, so it does not affect the client.

codeHusky · 2026-03-06T16:20:20Z

Sounds good. Also to verify, this doesn’t spawn a new console or anything? It just outputs to the console it was launched in?

haychk · 2026-03-06T16:20:35Z

That’s an error I didn’t encounter on WSL2 on Windows.

Does it fail to start if the virtual screen is too small?

yes, for me it fails to start. but using this works just fine for me

…in the classes to `server.properties`

kuwacom · 2026-03-06T16:21:36Z

I added basically all configuration options that are implemented in the classes to server.properties.

codeHusky · 2026-03-06T16:23:31Z

Is there a lan discovery toggle option?

kuwacom · 2026-03-06T16:24:47Z

Is there a lan discovery toggle option?

Would it be better to have it?
If it isn’t necessary, one option would be to assign it to an arbitrary unused non-public port.

kuwacom · 2026-03-06T16:26:57Z

Sounds good. Also to verify, this doesn’t spawn a new console or anything? It just outputs to the console it was launched in?

Yes, it's the same as a normal CLI application.

kuwacom · 2026-03-06T16:30:04Z

for those having issues while using a VPS and getting a display error, try this command:
Xvfb :1 -screen 0 1024x768x16 &
export DISPLAY=:1
works fine for me

One question.

I’ve added environment variables for the Xvfb configuration in the Docker / docker-compose setup. Would it work if they are changed there?

environment:
  XVFB_DISPLAY: ${XVFB_DISPLAY:-:99}
  XVFB_SCREEN: ${XVFB_SCREEN:-64x64x16}

codeHusky · 2026-03-06T16:33:27Z

Is there a lan discovery toggle option?

Would it be better to have it? If it isn’t necessary, one option would be to assign it to an arbitrary unused non-public port.

For dedicated servers there’s not as much reason to have it on - it could even be potentially a security issue in a data center. It’s make sense to have a toggle to completely disable it

kuwacom · 2026-03-06T16:35:12Z

That’s true.
I was assuming it would be blocked by the firewall, but I’ll add a toggle for it in server.properties.

kuwacom added 4 commits March 4, 2026 18:12

Merge branch 'main' into feature/dedicated-server

eb75a93

update: implement enhanced logging functionality with configurable lo…

1d9dccb

…g levels

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into feature/dedicated-server

7137c44

# Conflicts: # Minecraft.Client/Common/Network/PlatformNetworkManagerStub.cpp # Minecraft.Client/Windows64/Network/WinsockNetLayer.cpp # Minecraft.Client/Windows64/Network/WinsockNetLayer.h

kuwacom added 2 commits March 5, 2026 09:38

update: update keyboard and mouse input initialization 1dc8a00

965676f

fix: change virtual screen resolution to 1920x1080(HD)

7cb4178

Since 31881af56936aeef38ff322b975fd0 , `skinHud.swf` for 720 is not included in `MediaWindows64.arc`, the app crashes unless the virtual screen is set to HD.

void2012 marked this pull request as draft March 5, 2026 07:45

kuwacom added 2 commits March 6, 2026 17:59

Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/main' into feature/dedicated-s…

0068ed5

…erver # Conflicts: # .gitignore # CMakeLists.txt # Minecraft.Client/Common/Network/GameNetworkManager.cpp

kuwacom force-pushed the feature/dedicated-server branch from ee9d630 to b4eb98e Compare March 6, 2026 09:46

update: changed the virtual screen to 720p

392dfda

Since the crash caused by the 720p `skinHud.swf` not being included in `MediaWindows64.arc` has been resolved, switching back to 720p to reduce resource usage.

Merge branch 'smartcmd:main' into feature/dedicated-server

dd779e7

kuwacom added 3 commits March 6, 2026 21:38

add: add Docker support for Dedicated Server

06bff53

add with entrypoint and build scripts

Merge branch 'feature/dedicated-server' of github.com:kuwacom/Minecra…

e7f12e7

…ft-LegacyConsoleEdition into feature/dedicated-server

fix: add initial save for newly created worlds in dedicated server

b8d6289

on the server side, I fixed the behavior introduced after commit aadb511, where newly created worlds are intentionally not saved to disk immediately.

update: add basically all configuration options that are implemented …

31bfb7e

…in the classes to `server.properties`

codeHusky mentioned this pull request Mar 6, 2026

Multiplayer player count from 8 -> actual max byte increase + small connection optimizations #722

Merged

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kuwacom commented Mar 4, 2026

Description

Changes

New Behavior

Minecraft.Client Changes (Minimum Scope)

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