|  |
| [](https://discord.gg/TFJqhsC) |
| [](https://dev.azure.com/glowstonemc/Glowstone/_build/latest?definitionId=1&branchName=dev) |
| [](https://dev.azure.com/glowstonemc/Glowstone/_release?definitionId=1) |
| |
| <img align="right" alt="Glowstone logo" width="100" src="../etc/logo/logo.png"> |
| |
| # Glowstone |
| |
| A fast, customizable and compatible open source server for Minecraft: Java Edition. |
| |
| ## Introduction |
| |
| Glowstone is a lightweight, from scratch, open source |
| [Minecraft](https://minecraft.net) server written in Java that supports plugins |
| written for the Bukkit API and its major forks, Spigot and Paper. |
| |
| The main goals of the project are to provide a lightweight implementation |
| of the Bukkit API and Minecraft server where exact vanilla functionality is |
| not needed or higher performance is desired than the official software can |
| deliver. Glowstone makes use of a thread-per-world model and performs |
| synchronization only when necessitated by the Bukkit API. |
| |
| Still have questions? Check out our [FAQ](https://github.com/GlowstoneMC/Glowstone/wiki/Frequently-Asked-Questions). |
| |
| ## Features |
| |
| Glowstone has a few key advantages over CraftBukkit: |
| * It is **100% open source**. While CraftBukkit and most other mods are open |
| source, they rely on decompiled Minecraft source code. Glowstone's code is |
| completely original. |
| * Because of this, it is easy to contribute to Glowstone's development. The |
| barrier of entry to contributions is lower because there is no need to work |
| around decompiled source or maintain a minimal diff. |
| * Glowstone supports all plugins written for the Bukkit, Spigot and Paper APIs natively. In |
| practice, some plugins may try to make use of parts of the API which are not |
| yet implemented, but in a completed state Glowstone would support all Bukkit plugins. |
| * Glowstone's simplicity affords it a performance improvement over CraftBukkit |
| and other servers, making it especially suited for situations where a large |
| amount of players must be supported but vanilla game features are not needed. |
| |
| However, there are several drawbacks: |
| * Glowstone **is not finished**. Nothing is guaranteed to work, though many things |
| are likely to. If in doubt, file an issue. |
| * Bukkit plugins which expect the presence of CraftBukkit-specific code |
| (that are in the `org.bukkit.craftbukkit` or `net.minecraft.server` packages) |
| will not work on Glowstone unless they are designed to fail gracefully. |
| * Glowstone is not produced by the Bukkit team, and while we do make an effort |
| to produce quality work, Glowstone does not undergo the same rigorious testing |
| as the Bukkit project. |
| |
| For a current list of features, [check the wiki](https://github.com/GlowstoneMC/Glowstone/wiki/Current-Features). |
| |
| ## Downloads |
| |
| The latest LTS and monthly releases, as well as a direct link to our latest build can be found on [our website](https://glowstone.net/#downloads). |
| |
| Older releases can be found on [GitHub](https://github.com/GlowstoneMC/Glowstone/releases). |
| |
| ## Building |
| |
| ### 1. Setup |
| After installing [Oracle JDK](https://oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads) (recommended) or [OpenJDK](https://openjdk.java.net/), and |
| [Maven](https://maven.apache.org), checkout the source: |
| |
| ```sh |
| git clone https://github.com/GlowstoneMC/Glowstone |
| cd Glowstone |
| ``` |
| |
| ### 2. Build |
| |
| ```sh |
| ./scripts/build.sh |
| ``` |
| |
| The final jar will be placed in `target/` named `glowstone.jar`. |
| |
| ## Running |
| |
| Running Glowstone is simple because its dependencies are shaded into the output |
| jar at compile time. Simply execute `java -jar glowstone.jar` along with any |
| extra JVM options desired (we recommend using `java -Xms1G -Xmx1G -XX:+UseG1GC -jar glowstone.jar`). A variety of command-line options are also available - |
| run `java -jar glowstone.jar --help` for more information. |
| |
| By default, configuration is stored in the `config/` subdirectory and logs |
| are stored in the `logs/` subdirectory. The main configuration file is |
| `config/glowstone.yml`, which replaces CraftBukkit's `server.properties` and |
| `bukkit.yml`. Settings from these two files will be copied over to Glowstone's |
| configuration during the default configuration generation process. |
| |
| Glowstone uses [JLine](https://jline.github.io/jline2/) for console input and colored |
| console output. The JLine console can be disabled in the configuration if a |
| flat console is desired. |
| |
| Need more help? Check out [our wiki](https://github.com/GlowstoneMC/Glowstone/wiki#using-glowstone) for some guides that will help you with running, |
| maintaining and configuring your Glowstone server. |
| |
| ## Playing |
| |
| For those of you who just want to play on a Glowstone server, we have one available |
| for testing at `mc.glowstone.net`. Have fun! |
| |
| ## Docs and Support |
| |
| The best place to receive support is on [GitHub issues](https://github.com/GlowstoneMC/Glowstone/issues). |
| When reporting bugs, please retest and include whether the problem reproduces on: |
| |
| * Earlier [builds](https://circleci.com/gh/GlowstoneMC/Glowstone) of Glowstone |
| |
| Javadocs for Glowstone can be found [here](https://glowstone.net/jd/glowstone/). |
| |
| For documentation on the Glowkit API (an updated Bukkit for Glowstone, based on the Paper API, compatible with Spigot's update to Bukkit), see the [Glowkit Javadocs](https://glowstone.net/jd/glowkit/). |
| |
| ## Contributing |
| |
| First of all, thank you for your interest in advancing Glowstone! We always love to see new developers work on the project! You can find all of our resources on how to get started on our [wiki](https://github.com/GlowstoneMC/Glowstone/wiki#contributing). |
| |
| ## Sponsors |
| |
| * **[Aternos](https://aternos.org/) - Minecraft Servers. Free. Forever.** |
| * [Martin Panzer (Postremus)](https://martinpanzer.de/) |
| |
| [More backers](https://github.com/GlowstoneMC/Glowstone/blob/dev/docs/BACKERS.md) |
| |
| Sponsor Glowstone [on Bountysource](https://www.bountysource.com/teams/glowstonemc)! |
| |
| ## Credits |
| |
| * [The Minecraft Coalition](https://wiki.vg/) and [`#mcdevs`](https://github.com/mcdevs) - |
| protocol and file formats research. |
| * [The Bukkit team](https://bukkit.org) for their outstandingly well-designed |
| plugin API. |
| * [The SpigotMC team](https://spigotmc.org/) for updating and enhancing |
| the Bukkit plugin API. |
| * [AquiferMC](https://aquifermc.org/) for further enhancing the Bukkit API. |
| * [The SpongePowered Team](https://www.spongepowered.org/) for |
| creating the Sponge API. |
| * [Trustin Lee](https://github.com/trustin) - author of the |
| [Netty](https://netty.io/) library. |
| * [Graham Edgecombe](https://github.com/grahamedgecombe/) - author of the |
| original [Lightstone](https://github.com/grahamedgecombe/lightstone). |
| * [Tad Hardesty](https://github.com/SpaceManiac) and [all the contributors](https://github.com/GlowstoneMC/Glowstone-Legacy/graphs/contributors) to Glowstone Legacy. |
| * [deathcap](https://github.com/deathcap) for starting Glowstone++. |
| * All the people behind [Maven](https://maven.apache.org/team-list.html) and [Java](https://java.net/people). |
| * [Notch](https://notch.tumblr.com/) and |
| [Mojang](https://mojang.com/about) - for making such an awesome game in the first |
| place! |
| |
| ## Copyright |
| |
| Glowstone is open-source software released under the MIT license. Please see |
| the `LICENSE` file for details. |
| |
| Glowkit is open-source software released under the GPL license. Please see |
| the `LICENSE.txt` file in the Glowkit repository for details. |