server.properties

Default File

Here is the default server.properties file of an unmodified Minecraft 1.8.1 server.

#Minecraft server properties
#(File modification datestamp)
spawn-protection=16
max-tick-time=60000
generator-settings=
force-gamemode=false
allow-nether=true
gamemode=0
enable-query=false
player-idle-timeout=0
difficulty=1
spawn-monsters=true
op-permission-level=4
resource-pack-hash=
announce-player-achievements=true
pvp=true
snooper-enabled=true
level-type=DEFAULT
hardcore=false
enable-command-block=false
max-players=20
network-compression-threshold=256
max-world-size=29999984
server-port=25565
server-ip=
spawn-npcs=true
allow-flight=false
level-name=world
view-distance=10
resource-pack=
spawn-animals=true
white-list=false
generate-structures=true
online-mode=true
max-build-height=256
level-seed=
use-native-transport=true
motd=A Minecraft Server
enable-rcon=false

Property Explanation

Credit goes to the editors at the Minecraft Wiki for the explanations.

Boolean properties have only two valid values: true and false. Integer properties must be whole numbers. Where a range is specified, the number must be in that range. String properties can consist of any symbol.

Key	Type	Default Value	Description
allow-flight	boolean	false	Allows users to use flight on your server while in Survival mode, if they have a mod that provides flight installed. With allow-flight enabled griefers will possibly be more common, because it will make their work easier. In Creative mode this has no effect. false - Flight is not allowed (players in air for at least 5 seconds will be kicked). true - Flight is allowed.
allow-nether	boolean	true	Allows players to travel to the Nether. false - Nether portals will not work. true - The server will allow portals to send players to the Nether.
announce-player-achievements	boolean	true	Allows the server to announce when a player gets an achievement.
difficulty	integer (0-3)	1	Defines the difficulty (such as damage dealt by mobs and the way hunger and poison affects players) of the server. 0 - Peaceful 1 - Easy 2 - Normal 3 - Hard
enable-query	boolean	false	Enables the GameSpy4 protocol server listener. Used to get information about the server.
enable-rcon	boolean	false	Enables remote access to the server console.
enable-command-block	boolean	false	Enables command blocks.
force-gamemode	boolean	false	Force players to join in the default game mode. false - Players will join in the gamemode they had when they last left. true - Players will always join in the default gamemode.
gamemode	integer (0-3)	0	Defines the mode of gameplay. 0 - Survival 1 - Creative 2 - Adventure 3 - Spectator
generate-structures	boolean	true	Defines whether structures (such as villages) will be generated in new chunks. false - Structures will not be generated. true - Structures will be generated. Note: Dungeons will still generate if this is set to false.
generator-settings	string	blank	The settings used to customize world generation. See Superflat and Customized on the Minecraft Wiki (external links) for possible settings and examples.
hardcore	boolean	false	If set to true, players will be permanently banned if they die.
level-name	string	world	The “level-name” value will be used as the world name and its folder name. You may also copy your saved game folder here, and change the name to the same as that folder’s to load it instead. Characters such as ' (apostrophe) may need to be escaped by adding a backslash (\) before them.
level-seed	string	blank	Add a seed for your world, as in Singleplayer. Some examples are: minecraft, 404, 1a2b3c.
level-type	string	DEFAULT	Determines the type of map that is generated. DEFAULT - Standard world with hills, valleys, water, etc. FLAT - A flat world with no features, meant for building. LARGEBIOMES - Same as default, but all biomes are larger. AMPLIFIED - Same as default, but world-generation height limit is increased. CUSTOMISED - Same as default unless generator-settings is set to a preset.
max-build-height	integer	256	The maximum height in which building is allowed. Terrain may still naturally generate above a low height limit.
max-players	integer (0- 2147483647)	20	The maximum number of players that can play on the server at the same time. Note that if more players are on the server it will use more resources. Note also, op player connections are not supposed to count against the max players, but ops currently cannot join a full server. Extremely large values for this field result in the client-side user list being broken.
max-tick-time	integer (0- (2^63-1))	60000	The maximum number of milliseconds a single tick may take before the server watchdog stops the server with the message: "A single server tick took 60.00 seconds (should be max 0.05); Considering it to be crashed, server will forcibly shutdown". Once this criteria is met, it calls System.exit(1). -1 - disable watchdog entirely
max-world-size	integer (1- 29999984)	29999984	This sets the maximum possible size in blocks, expressed as a radius, that the world border can obtain. Setting the world border bigger causes the commands to complete successfully, but the actual border will not move past this block limit. Setting the max-world-size higher than the default doesn’t appear to do anything. Examples: Setting max-world-size to 1000 will allow you to have a 2000x2000 world border. Setting max-world-size to 4000 will give you an 8000x8000 world border.
motd	string	A Minecraft Server	This is the message that is displayed in the server list of the client, below the name. The MOTD does support colour and formatting codes. If the MOTD is over 59 characters, the server list will likely report a communication error.
network-compression-threshold	integer	256	By default it allows packets that are n-1 bytes big to go normally, but a packet that n bytes or more will be compressed down. So, lower number means more compression but compressing small amounts of bytes might actually end up with a larger result than what went in. -1 - disable compression entirely 0 - compress everything Note: The ethernet spec requires that packets less than 64 bytes become padded to 64 bytes. Thus, setting a value lower than 64 may not be beneficial. It is also not recommended to exceed the MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit), typically 1500 bytes.
online-mode	boolean	true	Server checks connecting players against Minecraft’s account database. Only set this to false if your server is not connected to the Internet. Hackers with fake accounts can connect if this is set to false! If minecraft.net is down or inaccessible, no players will be able to connect if this is set to true. Setting this variable to off purposely is called “cracking” a server, and servers that are presently in offline mode are called “cracked” servers, allowing players with unlicensed copies of Minecraft to join. false - Disabled. The server will not attempt to check connecting players. true - Enabled. The server will assume it has an Internet connection and check every connecting player.
op-permission-level	integer (1-4)	4	Sets permission level for ops. Each level also contains the permissions of the levels below it. 1 - Ops can bypass spawn protection. 2 - Ops can use /clear, /difficulty, /effect, /gamemode, /gamerule, /give, and /tp, and can edit command blocks. 3 - Ops can use /ban, /deop, /kick, and /op. 4 - Ops can use /stop.
player-idle-timeout	integer	0	If non-zero, players are kicked from the server if they are idle for more than that many minutes. Note: Idle time is reset when the server receives one of the following packets: 102 (0x66) WindowClick 108 (0x6c) ButtonClick 130 (0x82) UpdateSign 14 (0xe) BlockDig 15 (0xf) Place 16 (0x10) BlockItemSwitch 18 (0x12) ArmAnimation 19 (0x13) EntityAction 205 (0xcd) ClientCommand 3 (0x3) Chat 7 (0x7) UseEntity
pvp	boolean	true	Enable PvP on the server. Players shooting themselves with arrows will only receive damage if PvP is enabled. false - Players cannot kill other players (also known as Player versus Environment (PvE)). true - Players will be able to kill each other. Note: Indirect damage sources spawned by players (such as lava, fire, TNT and to some extent water, sand and gravel) will still deal damage to other players.
query.port	integer (1- 65534)	25565	Sets the port for the query server (see enable-query).
rcon.password	string	blank	Sets the password for remote connection.
rcon.port	integer (1- 65534)	25575	Sets the port for remote connection.
resource-pack	string	blank	Optional URI to a resource pack. The player may choose to use it.
resource-pack-hash	string	blank	Optional SHA-1 digest of the resource pack, in lowercase hexadecimal. It’s recommended to specify this. This is not yet used to verify the integrity of the resource pack, but improves the effectiveness and reliability of caching.
server-ip	string	blank	Set this if you want the server to bind to a particular IP. It is strongly recommended that you leave this blank.
server-port	integer (1- 65534)	25565	Changes the port the server is hosting (listening) on. This port must be forwarded if the server is hosted in a network using NAT (If you have a home router/firewall).
snooper-enabled	boolean	true	Sets whether the server sends snoop data regularly to http://snoop.minecraft.net. (external link) false - Disable sending of data. true - Enable sending of data.
spawn-animals	boolean	true	Determines whether animals will be able to spawn. false - All animals will immediately vanish, and none will spawn. true - Animals spawn as normal. Tip: if you have major lag, set this to false.
spawn-monsters	boolean	true	Determines whether hostile mobs will be able to spawn. false - All mobs will immediately vanish, and none will spawn anywhere, or at any time of day. true - Mobs spawn as normal; in darkness and at night. This will have no effect if difficulty is set to Peaceful. Tip: if you have major lag, set this to false.
spawn-npcs	boolean	true	Determines if villagers will be spawned. true - Enabled. Villagers will spawn. false - Disabled. No villagers.
spawn-protection	integer	16	Determines the radius of the spawn protection. Setting this to 0 will not disable spawn protection. 0 will protect the single block at the spawn point. 1 will protect a 3x3 area centred on the spawn point. 2 will protect 5x5, 3 will protect 7x7, etc. This option is not generated on the first server start and appears when the first player joins. If there are no ops set on the server, the spawn protection will be disabled automatically.
use-native-transport	boolean	true	Linux server performance improvements: optimized packet sending/receiving on Linux. false - Disabled. Disable Linux packet sending/receiving optimization. true - Enabled. Enable Linux packet sending/receiving optimization.
view-distance	integer (3-15)	10	Sets the amount of world data the server sends the client, measured in chunks in each direction of the player (radius, not diameter). It determines the server-side viewing distance. 10 is the default/recommended. If you have major lag, reduce this value.
white-list	boolean	false	Enables a whitelist on the server. See Managing the Whitelist. With a whitelist enabled, users not on the whitelist will be unable to connect. Intended for private servers, such as those for real-life friends or strangers carefully selected via an application process, for example. false - No whitelist is used. true - The file whitelist.json is used to generate the whitelist. Note: Ops are automatically whitelisted, and there is no need to add them to the whitelist.