Getting started

Install SpawnLoft, create or import a Minecraft server, and bring your world online. Everything runs on your own PC.

v1.4.0 · FREE DESKTOP APP

Windows10 / 11 · x64macOSApple SiliconmacOSIntelLinuxUbuntu / Debian · x64

Other Linux: Ubuntu / Debian · arm64 · Fedora / RHEL · x64 · Fedora / RHEL · arm64 · command line only, for a server

Signed Windows and Mac installers · macOS 13+ · Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+, Fedora, RHEL 9 · MIT licence
Managed MySQL needs macOS 15+ on Mac and x64 on Linux. Minecraft needs Java.First time here? Read the setup guide →

Three steps

1. Install SpawnLoft. Download the installer for your system, run it, and let the first-run check look for Java.
2. Add a server. Choose Add a server, pick the software and Minecraft version, and the jar downloads with real progress. To use a server you already run, point SpawnLoft at its folder instead: nothing is moved or rewritten, and its ports and RCON password are read from its own server.properties.
3. Press Start. Watch the console until it prints Done (…s)!. Type list in the console. Open Plugins and install something. Take a backup.

To let friends join, see Sharing your server.

What you need

Requirement	Detail
Java	Not bundled. Minecraft servers are Java programs.
Operating system	Windows 10 or 11 (x64), macOS 13+, or Linux (Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+, Fedora, RHEL 9 family; x64 or arm64)
Source CLI only	Node 20 or later

Minecraft version	Java
1.18 to 1.20.4	17
1.20.5 to 1.21.x	21
26.x	25

Temurin 25 is a good default. Use a JDK rather than a JRE if you want Spigot or CraftBukkit built on your machine.

The app checks for Java on first run and marks a missing or outdated Java in the header. SpawnLoft searches PATH and the usual install folders (Program Files, the per-user Programs folder, JAVA_HOME), so a Java the installer did not add to PATH, or one installed after SpawnLoft started, is still found. When a server is created, SpawnLoft picks the newest installed Java that fits its Minecraft version, and refuses a version nothing installed can run before downloading anything, with a link to the Java it needs. Point one server at a specific Java with Settings or spawnloft set <name> java=<path>.

Install on Windows

Run the installer. It installs per user with no administrator prompt.

SmartScreen

The installer is signed, but Windows SmartScreen judges by reputation rather than signature, and a new publisher earns reputation through real installs. Until then Windows may show "Windows protected your PC". Click More info, then Run anyway.

Install on Mac

Choose the DMG for your chip: check Apple menu → About This Mac, then pick Apple Silicon for an M-series chip or Intel for an Intel processor. Open the DMG, drag SpawnLoft into Applications, launch it, and follow the Java check. Both installers are Developer ID signed and Apple-notarized. Your application data lives outside the app bundle, and the app updates itself after installation.

Install on Linux

sudo apt install ./SpawnLoft-<version>-linux-amd64.deb       # Ubuntu, Debian
sudo dnf install ./SpawnLoft-<version>-linux-x86_64.rpm      # Fedora, RHEL family, openSUSE
sudo apt install openjdk-25-jre-headless                      # Java, Ubuntu and Debian

Open SpawnLoft from the applications menu, or run spawnloft-desktop. spawnloft is the command line. Schedules after logout and servers with no screen are covered in Downloads & platforms.

From the command line

The same engine runs from a terminal. Installed packages provide spawnloft and mcctl (see CLI setup); from a source checkout use node spawnloft.mjs.

spawnloft new survival --paper 1.21.4 --accept-eula    # create; downloads Paper
spawnloft start survival                               # blocks until ready
spawnloft cmd survival "tps"                           # RCON command, reply printed
spawnloft backup survival
spawnloft ui                                           # the panel, http://127.0.0.1:8770

Register a folder you already have, in place:

spawnloft adopt survival "D:\Servers\Survival" --memory 6G

Create a disposable copy of a server's plugins and config, with fresh worlds on its own port, to reproduce a bug without touching the real server:

spawnloft clone survival ecotest && spawnloft start ecotest

mcctl accepts the same commands, so existing scripts keep working. The full list is in the command reference.

Next steps

Goal	Guide
Add plugins	Plugins
Protect your world	Backups
Have friends join	Sharing your server
Something failed	Troubleshooting
Learn the tools	The panel

Where next

• Host a server for your friends, from the first start to a server that looks after itself.
• Paper, Fabric or NeoForge, if you are not sure which to pick.
• Try a plugin or update without risking your world.