First Steps

This page helps you:

1. start Endstone for the first time,
2. make a few essential configuration changes, and
3. join from a Bedrock client.

Start the server

If you installed with uv + pip

Open your project folder and activate the virtual environment, then start Endstone:

source .venv/bin/activate
uv run endstone

If you’re using Docker

Follow the instructions on the Run with Docker page.

Basic configuration

Most base-game settings live in the Bedrock server.properties file. After the first run, stop the server, edit the file, and start the server again.

Quick Tweak

Typical options you may want to set:

server-name=Endstone Server
gamemode=survival
difficulty=normal
max-players=10
allow-cheats=false
allow-list=false
server-port=19132
server-portv6=19133

• server-name The name shown to clients in the server list. Cosmetic only; doesn’t affect reachability.

• gamemode (survival | creative | adventure) Default gamemode for new players. Existing players keep their current mode unless changed with commands.

• difficulty (peaceful | easy | normal | hard) World difficulty. Can be changed at runtime with /difficulty, but set it here to persist.

• max-players Hard cap on simultaneous connections. Higher numbers increase CPU/RAM and bandwidth needs.

• allow-cheats (true/false) When true, the server allows cheats-like commands (like /give, /tp). You still need elevated permissions (see Permissions).

• allow-list (true/false) When true, only players listed in allowlist.json can join. Good for private servers.

• server-port / server-portv6 The UDP ports the server listens on. If you’re behind a router/firewall, you must open/forward these (UDP, not TCP).

Make yourself an operator

From the server console, grant operator privileges to your player name (Gamertag):

op <YourGamertag>

Join from a Bedrock client

1. Make sure your firewall allows UDP on the Bedrock port (default 19132).
2. If you’re on the same LAN, the server usually appears under the Friends / LAN tab. Otherwise:
3. On your device, go to Play → Servers → Add Server and enter:
   • Server Address: your PC’s IP (or your public IP if port forwarded)
   • Port: 19132 (or whatever you set in server-port)
4. Save and Join.