https://github.com/pocketmc/pocket-mc-windows
Windows desktop app to locally host and manage Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition servers without any mess.
https://github.com/pocketmc/pocket-mc-windows
dotnet minecraft minecraft-server papermc playit server-manager windows wpf
Last synced: about 2 months ago
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Windows desktop app to locally host and manage Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition servers without any mess.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/pocketmc/pocket-mc-windows
- Owner: PocketMC
- License: mit
- Created: 2026-04-14T11:23:09.000Z (2 months ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2026-04-19T20:44:55.000Z (about 2 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-04-19T22:02:04.108Z (about 2 months ago)
- Topics: dotnet, minecraft, minecraft-server, papermc, playit, server-manager, windows, wpf
- Language: C#
- Homepage: https://pocketmc.github.io/pocket-mc-website/
- Size: 40.3 MB
- Stars: 8
- Watchers: 3
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- Funding: .github/FUNDING.yml
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
PocketMC
Run Minecraft Java, Bedrock, and Cross-play servers on Windows.
No terminal. No Java headaches. No mess.
---
## What PocketMC is NOT
- Not a hosting service — runs locally on your PC
- Not a Linux server panel — no Docker, no SSH, no sysadmin skills needed
- Not a Minecraft launcher — it manages servers, not the game
- Not a script pack — replaces manual setup entirely
---
## What it does
PocketMC is a Windows desktop app for creating and managing Minecraft server instances — Java and Bedrock — without touching a command line. Java is bundled automatically. Public sharing is one click via Playit.gg. Without dealing with Java installs, port forwarding, or command-line setup.
Supported server types: **Vanilla · Paper · Fabric · Forge · Bedrock (BDS) · PocketMine-MP**
---
## Features
### 🎮 Server Management
- **Multi-Protocol Support** — Run Minecraft Java, native Bedrock Edition (BDS), and PocketMine-MP instances side-by-side. Includes one-click installation for 45+ Bedrock versions via community manifests.
- **Managed Runtimes** — PocketMC automatically provisions isolated JRE and PHP 8.x runtimes. Nothing touches your system Java/PHP installation.
- **Add-on & Plugin Browser** — Native support for Bedrock `.mcpack`/`.mcaddon` and Poggit (PocketMine) integration. Browse and install Java plugins from Modrinth/CurseForge.
- **Public Tunneling** — Integrated Playit.gg with guided setup. Public addresses are shown as copyable links on the dashboard.
- **Instance Isolation** — Each server runs in its own folder with independent configs, runtimes, and world files.
### 🔭 Observability & Intel
- **Live Metrics** — Real-time CPU, RAM, and player count tracking per instance.
- **Dependency Health Dashboard** — Live status monitoring for Adoptium, Playit.gg, and Modrinth microservices directly in the settings.
- **Modern AI Console** — Colorized logs with multi-keyword search, Regex filtering, command history, intelligent command auto-suggestions and crashes and errors AI analysis.
- **AI Session Summaries** — Generate structured summaries of your server sessions using Google Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Mistral AI, or Groq.
- **Disaster Recovery** — Automated backups with optional off-site replication to Google Drive/Dropbox sync directories and one-click support bundle export.
### 🛡️ Technical Excellence
- **RCON Client Engine** — Standard I/O is deprecated in favor of a robust managed RCON client, eliminating synchronization deadlocks on high-load servers.
- **Artifact Integrity** — Deep SHA1/SHA256 verification for all downloads (Playit daemon, server binaries) ensures your local files are never corrupted or tampered with.
- **Graceful Lifecycle** — A custom 15-second shutdown loop ensures all players are kicked and worlds are saved correctly before the app exits.
- **PII Scrubbing** — Automated RegEx pipelines scrub personal data (IPv4, emails) from console logs before they are processed by AI or exported.
- **UWP Loopback Automation** — One-click "Fix Bedrock LAN" tool to handle UWP network isolation, allowing local connections to Bedrock servers.
---
## Comparison
| Tool | Type | Hosting | Cost | Java | Bedrock | Mods/Plugins | 1-Click Install | Backups | Live Metrics | No Port-Forward | Open Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **PocketMC** | Windows desktop app | Self-hosted | Free | ✅ Vanilla/Paper/Fabric/Forge | ✅ BDS + PocketMine-MP + Geyser | ✅ CurseForge/Modrinth/Poggit | ✅ | ✅ Scheduled + manual | ✅ CPU/RAM/players | ✅ Playit.gg built-in | ✅ MIT |
| SquidServers | Desktop app | Self-hosted | Free | ✅ Vanilla/Paper/Fabric | ✅ via Geyser | ✅ Mods | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| auto-mcs | Desktop + Docker | Self-hosted | Free | ✅ Paper/Purpur/Fabric/Forge/Spigot/Vanilla | ✅ via Geyser | ✅ Modrinth | ✅ | ✅ Auto | ✅ | ✅ playit.gg | ✅ AGPL-3.0 |
| MCSManager | Web panel | Self-hosted | Free | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ marketplace | ✅ scheduled | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ Apache-2.0 |
| Pterodactyl | Web panel | Self-hosted | Free | ✅ | ✅ via eggs | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ manual scripts | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ MIT |
| fork.gg | Windows GUI | Self-hosted | Free | ✅ Vanilla/Paper/Waterfall | ❌ | ⚠️ manual jar replace | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Apex Hosting | Managed host | Cloud | ~$4.49+/mo | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ 1-click modpacks | ✅ | ✅ daily | ✅ graphs | N/A | ❌ |
| Aternos | Managed host | Cloud | Free (ads) | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ CurseForge/Modrinth only, no upload | ✅ | ✅ Google Drive | ❌ | N/A | ❌ |
| CubeCoders AMP | Web panel | Self-hosted | £7.50+ one-time | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ local + S3 | ✅ + analytics | ❌ | ❌ | N/A | ❌ |
| e4mc | Tunnel mod | — | Free | ✅ | ❌ | N/A | N/A | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Essential Mod | Client mod (P2P) | Self-hosted | Free | ✅ | ❌ | ⚠️ must match mods | ✅ Host World | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Minehut | Managed host | Cloud | Free / ~$4-12 | ✅ | ✅ (beta crossplay) | ✅ upload jars | ✅ | ✅ 2/GB RAM | ❌ | N/A | ❌ |
| playit.gg | Tunnel service | — | Free / $3 mo | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | N/A | ❌ | ✅ tunnel stats | ✅ | ❌ |
---
## Installation
Download `Setup.exe` from the [latest release](https://github.com/PocketMC/pocket-mc-windows/releases/latest) and run it.
- No admin rights required — installs per-user.
- .NET 8 Desktop Runtime is prompted automatically if missing.
- Java does **not** need to be pre-installed. PocketMC manages its own JRE stack.
- Updates are handled automatically via Velopack.
---
## Quick Start
**1. Pick a root folder** on first launch. Everything — servers, runtimes, tunnel — lives here.
**2. Create an instance.** Hit **New Instance**, choose a server type and version, accept the EULA, click **Create & Download**. The JAR fetches automatically.
**3. Start your server.** Hit **Start**. Metrics go live. Connect from Minecraft at `localhost` or your LAN IP.
**Optional: Enable public access.** Open the instance, enable Playit.gg tunneling, and follow the one-time account link flow. Your public address appears on the dashboard.
---
✔ Fully isolated — Java and PHP are managed internally
✔ No system setup — no environment variables, no conflicts
✔ Runs multiple servers safely side-by-side
---
## Screenshots
| Dashboard | Server Console |
|-----------|---------------|
|  |  |
| Server Settings | Plugin Browser |
|-----------------|----------------|
|  |  |
---
## System Requirements
| | Minimum |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 1809 (build 17763) or Windows 11 |
| Architecture | x64 |
| RAM | 4 GB (8 GB+ recommended) |
| .NET | .NET 8 Desktop Runtime (auto-prompted on install) |
| Internet | Required for first-run JRE download and Playit.gg |
---
## Roadmap
- [ ] In-app whitelist and op management
- [ ] Forge 1.17+ bootstrapper stability pass
- [ ] Modpack install progress UI
- [ ] Player activity charts and historical metrics
---
## Contributing
Fork the repo, branch off `main`, and open a PR with a clear description of what changed and why. For significant architecture changes, open an issue first.
When testing locally, cover process lifecycle edge cases — crash recovery, orphan process cleanup, tunnel teardown. The full build guide is in [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md).
---
## Community
**Discord:** [discord.gg/h27uNCaxPH](https://discord.gg/h27uNCaxPH)
---
## License
MIT © 2024 PocketMC Contributors — see [LICENSE](LICENSE).
---
