This post will provide some guidance on using ViaVersion on your Minecraft server.
Minecraft servers will generally be on different versions, though most will be on the latest version, there are some that prefer to use other older versions. Traditionally, servers will only allow players to log in only if they are using the same Minecraft client version as the server, and this could cause servers to lose some players before they even log in.
This tutorial will provide you with some advice and highlight a plugin that allows you to accept players from various versions onto your Minecraft server, which is fantastic as it allows you to invite many more players to join your growing community.
Our tutorial uses a 1.19.2 Spigot server hosted by GTX Gaming, and we're using ViaVersion, and ViaBackwards.
Installation And Set Up
Installation is incredibly simple. Download the free .jar files and go to your /File Manager and then to /Plugins. Upload or drag and drop the files into your Plugins folder, and now restart or reload your server.
Because we are using ViaBackwards, players can join our 1.19.2 server from all the versions back to 1.9. If we wanted additional versions to be compatible, for example from 1.7, we would use ViaRewind.
Once the plugins are installed, your players are able to start joining your server without a problem! There is a config.yml within the ViaVersion folder that allows you to customise your server just a little bit more, and you should read this wiki for more info on what the various settings will do. The settings pertain to the various Minecraft versions and you can control what you allow players to do based on their version - we recommend that you take a look through the config and make sure that everything is how you want it to be on your server.
It's as simple as that!
Why You Should Allow Other Minecraft Versions On Your Server
Letting your player join on different Minecraft versions means your advertising efforts can reach an even wider pool of potential players who could join your community. Once these players experience your server for the first time, they may decide to stick around and join your community long-term - so you should make sure that your server spawn gives the right impression and directs your player exactly where they need to go. Read our helpful post that gives you some tips on how to set up your spawn here.
By widening the pool of potential players, you make your social media posts and any advertising more effective because it will impact more players - which is great for your server!
When you are in the planning stages of creating your server, it's important to research how you can widen the scope of your potential players, for example, we would recommend researching cross-platform (for example, via Geyser), as well as version compatibility, in addition to how you can get your server name out there, such as by making YouTube or TikTok videos, and making posts on other social media. By getting a strategy prepared, it will make it easier for when you finally launch your server and release it to the world.
Consider Being a Cross-Platform Server
You should consider being a cross-platform server, this means that your players can join on Java and Bedrock and play together! This breaks down barriers between game versions and Xbox, Windows, Mobile and other players can all enjoy your server together, making friends and building your community.
We have a handy tutorial here that goes over how you can create a self-hosted Geyser server, but you may want to use other systems or use a server host instead. We'd recommend you spend some time researching how you can use a cross-platform server and how this will benefit your server.
We hope this post has given you some ideas on how you can grow your server and bring in new players to join your budding community!
You may also find our other tutorials useful, such as how to create a custom fishing event, how to set up your server spawn, and how to set up player ranks.
If you're brand new to Tebex you may find our getting started guide useful, and if you have any questions our friendly support team will be happy to help, just send them an email at support@tebex.io.