Build a server network with a lobby
A network is several Minecraft servers that feel like one. Players join a single address, land in a lobby, and move to survival, creative or a minigame without leaving the game.
The piece that makes it work is a proxy, a small program in front of your servers that passes each player on to the right one. On modern networks that proxy is Velocity.
Do you need a network?
A network makes sense when you want different kinds of play with their own rules and worlds: a survival world next to a creative plot world, or a hub with minigames. It also spreads the load, because each world runs on its own server.
For a group of friends on one survival world, it is overhead you do not need. One server with Multiverse, or simply one world, is simpler.
What you need
- Two or more servers in your account. A lobby can be small: 2 to 4 GB is plenty for a hub without farms.
- Paper, Purpur or another server that supports Velocity on each of them. Fabric servers can join a network too with a forwarding mod.
- The same Minecraft version on all of them makes life easiest.
Build it from the panel
- Open the server that should be the lobby and go to Settings, then Server network.
- Pick the other servers that should be part of the network.
- Click Build the network. The panel creates the Velocity proxy, installs its settings, connects your servers to it and restarts them.
- When it is done, the panel shows the address players use. Your server addresses now lead into the network.
Behind a proxy, the servers only accept players that come through the proxy. That is on purpose: nobody can skip the lobby or pretend to be someone else by connecting to a server directly.
Moving between servers
Out of the box, players switch with a command: /server survival sends them to the server called survival, and /server alone lists all servers. Most networks add something friendlier in the lobby:
- An NPC or a sign that players click, from a plugin such as a server selector or a portal plugin.
- A compass in the hotbar that opens a menu with the servers.
Plugins on a network
Plugins now live in two places. Most stay on the individual servers: claims on survival, WorldEdit on creative. A few belong on the proxy, because they need to see the whole network: a network chat, a global ban list, or a server selector.
Permissions deserve thought. LuckPerms runs on Velocity and on each server; connect them to one shared database from the Databases tab and a rank given once applies everywhere.
Common problems
| Message | Cause |
|---|---|
| Unable to connect you to lobby | The lobby server is off or still starting |
| If you wish to use IP forwarding, please enable it in your BungeeCord config | A server is not set up for the proxy yet; build the network again or check that server's forwarding setting |
| Players have wrong skins or are in offline mode | Forwarding is not set up the same on the proxy and that server |
Questions
Can Bedrock players join a network?
Yes, if Geyser runs on the proxy. They then enter through the same lobby as Java players.
Can I use BungeeCord instead of Velocity?
It still works, but Velocity is faster, more secure and actively maintained. New networks should use Velocity, which is what the panel builds.
Do all servers need the same Minecraft version?
It is easiest. With ViaVersion on the proxy, players on newer versions can still join older servers, but mixing versions brings its own small issues.
Checked against Velocity and Paper for Minecraft Java 26.2, September 2026. Written by the Cheapest Minecraft Hosting team, updated .