What the Minecraft Bedrock Dedicated Server is and runs on

The Minecraft Bedrock Dedicated Server (BDS) is the free server software for hosting a multiplayer world in Bedrock Edition. You run it yourself on Windows or Ubuntu Linux, and players on Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, mobile and Nintendo Switch can join it. Facts here were read on 24 October 2026. We read the pages cited below and did not run the software.

What it is and where it runs

BDS is a ZIP download from Minecraft.net. It is a separate program from the game, and you host it on a machine you control. Minecraft.net lists the requirements as an Intel Core i3 3210 or AMD A8 7600 APU or equivalent, 4 GB of RAM and 180 MB to 1 GB of disk space. The Windows version needs Windows 10 version 10.0.15063 or later, or Windows Server 2016 or later. The Linux version needs Ubuntu 22.04 or later, and other distributions are not supported.

Two details differ between pages. The Microsoft Learn getting-started page (last updated 25 June 2025) still says Ubuntu 18 or later. The Minecraft.net FAQ also mentions at least 1 GB of RAM for small servers, against 4 GB in its requirements box. Treat the Minecraft.net requirements as the stricter figure. The Minecraft Help Center adds that the software is not available for Mac.

Minecraft.net says players on Windows PCs, Xbox and PlayStation consoles, mobile devices and Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 can all join with the same address and port. See Is Minecraft cross platform for how the devices pair up.

How it differs from a Java server and from Realms

The Minecraft Wiki states that the two server.properties files are not compatible, though they use similar syntax. A Bedrock key list does not carry over to Java. For the general idea of a server, read What a Minecraft server is. Port numbers are compared in Minecraft server port defaults.

Realms is the paid option. Microsoft Learn also says the experimental script APIs described below work only on BDS, not on Realms gameplay servers.

What it supports for add-ons and scripting

BDS creates behavior_packs and resource_packs folders at startup. Packs in the top-level folders are available to every world on the server. Packs inside a world's own folder load only for that world. Only one world is active at a time, set by the level-name property. Add-ons are Bedrock only, so Java mods do not run here. What carries over from Java mods to Bedrock explains the gap. What add-ons are and how to install add-ons cover the pack side.

Scripting is the feature that sets BDS apart. Microsoft Learn says it supports JavaScript APIs, plus more powerful experimental ones from the Beta APIs program, including connections to outside web services. The default config/default/permissions.json allows five modules: @minecraft/server-gametest, @minecraft/server, @minecraft/server-ui, @minecraft/server-admin and @minecraft/server-editor. Microsoft warns that beta functionality may change or be removed between releases.

What server.properties controls

Microsoft Learn calls server.properties the file that controls most BDS options. It lists defaults such as gamemode survival, difficulty easy, allow-cheats false, online-mode true, view-distance 32 and tick-distance 4. Higher max-players, view-distance and tick-distance values carry a performance cost, according to the same reference. It also holds script debugger and watchdog settings, plus disable-client-vibrant-visuals, which defaults to true. Learn warns that remote connections need Xbox Live authentication whatever online-mode says.

Limits and what the sources do not say

• You supply the hardware, the network setup and the updates. The Help Center does not offer support for privately made servers.
• No Mac build exists, and Linux support covers Ubuntu only.
• None of the pages we read gives player-count or performance figures for BDS, so we state none.
• Before changing worlds, read how to back up worlds on Java and Bedrock.