Setup and Play a PocketMine Server in Minecraft
in Modpacks
By Nathan Young

![]() | PocketMine | Unknown Version | Checkout |
Overview
Improving your experience on a Bedrock dedicated server isn’t an easy task, as installing behavior packs or optimizing the world is difficult. Fortunately, using PocketMine can allow you to quickly setup plugins, multiple worlds, and overall enhance the gameplay. This server type supports all Bedrock connections, meaning console and mobile gamers can join. Whether you’re wanting to have custom addons or more control over in-game aspects, PocketMine is highly recommended due to its many customizable features. Setting this up only takes a few minutes, as it’s preinstalled in our system for your convenience. However, newcomers to the hosting scene may not know the exact process to get started. With this in mind, we’ve created this Apex Hosting tutorial to show you how to install and configure PocketMine on your Minecraft server.
Server Setup

As mentioned above, setting up PocketMine on your server isn’t time consuming. Simply select it through the panel to begin loading everything up. However, additional steps are required to install plugins, have multiple worlds, among other similar customizations. Some server owners have used this to create large networks, filled with custom addons to greatly improve the gameplay for all players. In the subsections below, we’ll give you critical information to get you started on your new journey. Before any of that, follow these steps to install PocketMine on the server.
- Head towards your Apex server panel and locate the
Game File
section down below. - Proceed to click on the currently selected option, revealing a dropdown menu.
- Search for “PocketMine” in the text box, then press it to begin the installation.
- In the following prompts, click
Change Version
,Change World
, andRestart Now
. - After it loads, join the server to confirm everything is working properly.
PocketMine Configuration

As for tweaking specific settings, such as chunk ticks, you’ll want to access and edit the main configuration file. This is stored in your FTP panel, which is a built-in system that contains many important documents. Using this is easy, especially since files have an editor to quickly make changes. If you need additional details about PocketMine, then review their official wiki. Otherwise, continue to follow the instructions below to learn how to access and edit the settings.
- Navigate to the
FTP File Access
area from the main server panel, near the top left. - Proceed to type your
Password
in the text field, then pressLogin
at the bottom. - Locate and enter the pocketmine directory, revealing the server files.
- Continue to press
Edit
on the far right of pocketmine.yml to view its settings. - Make your desired changes, then click
Save
at the top. - Afterward,
Restart
the server from the main panel to apply the edits.
Important Settings
There are critical options to be aware of when making changes to the pocketmine.yml file, as if they’re incorrectly configured, the server may break. Due to the importance of this, make sure to only edit settings you fully understand and avoid ones you don’t know about. Although, each option has its own description in the file, making it easy to learn them. There are other documents to check out too, such as server.properties, white-list.txt, ops.txt, among others that control specific settings for the server. However, for our purposes, review the information below to see what’s possible with PocketMine’s main configuration file.
Inside the main config, there are multiple areas to tweak chunks and ticks. These include the following categories: max-chunks, chunk-sending, and chunk-ticking. Some of their settings determine how players render the world, while others can control what block types are ticked. This can help optimize in-game experiences for everyone, but make sure to not break the server.
The aliases category allows you to add shortcuts for commands, such as turning “/suicide” into “/kill” for players to use. This PocketMine feature comes in handy for owners that want to develop a simple, yet comprehensive server for all to enjoy. There are detailed examples on making your own aliases in the main configuration file.
Some server owners may want to have multiple worlds loaded, especially if they have hubs or many different gametypes. PocketMine had this in mind when creating the worlds category in the config file. There’s an example of a world there for you to review, including its seed, generator value, and possible presets to use.
Using Plugins
As noted previously, server owners can use PocketMine plugins instead of behavior packs or addons. These can truly enhance your gameplay experience, as there are tons to try out. For instance, you can install one that implements in-game currency or the SkyBlock gamemode. Researching and downloading them requires you to visit here, which has a vast amount of search tools to help. As for installing them to your server, uploading their files to the …/pocketmine/plugins FTP directory is needed. Afterward, simply Restart
from the main panel to apply them in-game.

Chat Commands

Most players know how to run commands, but PocketMine offers a wide collection of them to use that some may not understand. For instance, running “/defaultgamemode creative” will set that mode for everyone and cannot be done on normal Bedrock servers. However, you and others need to be an operator before using commands, besides the default variants. These can be wonderful tools to help you easily and safely configure your PocketMine server. If you’re wanting to learn more about the commands to try out, then type a slash (/) in the chat to make each type appear.
Common Issues
In cases where you cannot join the server, it could be the result of incorrectly entering the connection details. Make sure you’re using the IP Address and Port from the main panel for this process. Each one has to be separated into their respective fields, which can sometimes confuse people. Besides this, make sure you’ve successfully Restarted
the server after enabling PocketMine in the Game File section. Additionally, ensure you’ve generated a new world too. Doing all of this will give you the best chances at making a successful connection.
Most owners switch to PocketMine for better performance, which tends to help with any in-game problems. However, occasionally the situation won’t be fixed by simply using a new server type. Tweaking the Chunks & Ticks or server.properties settings will help relieve the issues. Although, for the best performance and control over the server, using GeyserMC to make it crossplay is highly recommended. This allows players to join from Bedrock and Java on one world, with all the wonderful features to help optimize the game.
Useful Links
PocketMine Official Wiki
PocketMine Plugins
How to Become a Server Operator
Adding Behavior Packs to Bedrock
How To Make a PocketMine Server With Apex Hosting
- Select your server package from our pricing page
- On the ‘Configure Your Server’ page, complete the required fields
- Under ‘Server Version’, select your version from the dropdown list
- Complete the order and your PocketMine server will be created instantly