Java or Bedrock: Which Server Do You Need?

Minecraft is two different games that share a name. Buying the wrong kind of server is one of the easiest mistakes to make, and the symptom is always the same: some of your friends simply cannot connect. This page tells you which one you need before you order, and what to do if your group is split.

1Work Out What Your Players Actually Own

• Java Edition runs on Windows, macOS and Linux only. It is bought once from Minecraft.net and launched from the Minecraft Launcher.
• Bedrock Edition is everything else: Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, and the Windows version bought from the Microsoft Store.
• A player on a console or a phone is on Bedrock. There is no choice involved for them.
• Someone on a PC could have either, and plenty of people own both.

2Pick the Server to Match

• If everyone is on PC with Java Edition, order a Minecraft Java server. It has the larger plugin and modpack ecosystem, so it is the better choice when you have the option. See the Minecraft guides.
• If anyone is on a console or a phone, they need Bedrock. A Bedrock client cannot join a Java server on its own, no matter what settings you change.
• Bedrock used to be the simpler of the two, with no server types to choose and nothing to extend it. That is no longer true. You can now switch a Bedrock server to PocketMine-MP or PowerNukkitX and run plugins on it, so the gap is narrower than most comparisons written a year ago will tell you. See changing your server version.

3If Your Group Is Split

There is one good answer and one bad one.

• The good answer: run a Java server and install the Geyser plugin. Geyser translates Bedrock connections so phone, console and Bedrock PC players can join a Java server. You keep the Java plugin ecosystem and everybody gets in. Install it from the panel's Plugins page, see how to install plugins.
• The bad answer: running two servers, one of each. Two worlds, two sets of progress, and your group split in half. It is almost never what people actually want.
• Geyser is the right call because it keeps everyone in one world. A Bedrock server with PocketMine-MP still cannot let Java players in, so switching software does not solve a split group.
• Geyser is usually paired with Floodgate so Bedrock players do not need a Java account. Both install the same way.

Good to Know

• The version numbers are not comparable. Java and Bedrock have separate release schedules. A Bedrock client on the newest update cannot join a Java server and the numbers matching means nothing.
• Worlds are not interchangeable. A Java world does not open on a Bedrock server or the other way round. Converting is possible with third party tools and is lossy.
• Plugins are not interchangeable either. A Spigot or Paper plugin does not run on PocketMine-MP, which has its own ecosystem on Poggit. Java's is much larger, and that is still the strongest argument for Java when your group has the choice.
• Console players are restricted either way. Even on a Bedrock server, consoles cannot add a custom address without a workaround. See joining on Xbox, PlayStation or Switch.

Finished

You know which server your group needs. If you already have one and want to change, open a ticket and we will tell you what is involved before you commit to anything.