Basic configurations
The server.properties keys most operators change first.
server.properties is the main BDS config, a plain text file of key=value lines at the root of your server folder. Open it in any text editor, change a value, save, and restart the server for it to take effect.
Out of the full file, these are the handful most operators touch first. The exhaustive list - networking, server-authoritative play, chat policy - lives in the server.properties reference.
Identity
| Key | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
server-name | Endstone Server | The name shown in the in-game server list. No semicolons. |
level-name | Bedrock level | Folder under worlds/ for the active world. Point this at a world you bring in. |
Gameplay
| Key | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
gamemode | survival | Default mode for new players (survival, creative, adventure). |
force-gamemode | false | When true, overrides each client's saved gamemode with the value above. |
difficulty | easy | World difficulty (peaceful, easy, normal, hard). |
allow-cheats | false | Enable cheat commands like /give and /tp. |
level-seed | (empty) | World generation seed. Only read when a new world is created; empty means random. |
Access
| Key | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
max-players | 10 | Concurrent player cap. Higher values cost more CPU, memory, and bandwidth. |
online-mode | true | Require Xbox Live authentication. Leave on for any server reachable from the Internet. |
allow-list | false | When true, only players in allowlist.json can join. |
default-player-permission-level | member | Permission tier for new players (visitor, member, operator). |
Lagging as players join or spread out? The keys that trade CPU, memory, and bandwidth for smoothness - view-distance, tick-distance, max-threads, and compression - are covered in Troubleshooting.