Large servers aren't a single world — a lobby, several game modes and maybe a survival server unite under one address. What makes this possible is a proxy: BungeeCord or its modern alternative Velocity.

The panel does not sell networks

The ArcadeServers network side is built on the BungeeCord model, but the network option in the creation wizard is disabled — you cannot buy a network from the panel. What you can do is run several independent servers: each gets its own address, players move by changing address, and there is no shared inventory. The rest explains how the network model is built, so you know what the choice covers.

How a proxy works

Players connect to the proxy address; the proxy routes them to one of the game servers behind it. The first server you add automatically takes the lobby role and becomes the default entry point. Players hop between servers with a command or a portal plugin, without disconnecting. Each game server is a separate Minecraft server with its own world and its own plugins.

vCPU planning — the most important rule

Every server takes a share of the processor as a separate process, so a network is sold as one pooled set of RAM, cores and disk. The rule is simple: you can add as many game servers as the pool has cores, and the proxy sits outside that count. RAM and disk are shared out too: each server gets at least 1 GB of RAM and 2 GB of disk, and the totals cannot exceed the pool. A network needs a pool of at least 8 GB and 2 cores.

Setup steps

Once the network exists you add servers one at a time; the first becomes the lobby. Then one setup action has the panel write the configuration: every game server goes into backend mode, the proxy's server list is rebuilt and the proxy starts. You never edit config.yml by hand. Renaming a server makes the configuration stale; the panel asks you to reapply it, and rerunning that action is enough.

Security note

Game servers inside a network have no address of their own and are reachable only through the proxy, so nobody can connect straight to a backend and skip authentication. The isolation is part of the setup, not something you configure.

A network never sleeps

A standalone server sleeps after 15 minutes with no players and the clock stops. In a network that setting is unavailable: the proxy is the door, and if it sleeps the address dies with it. The pool bills for every hour the network stays up, and that is the biggest difference against a single server. A started hour counts in full and is charged to your wallet up front; the network bills as one line and the servers inside it are not charged separately. More in sleep mode and hourly billing.

Troubleshooting

  • "Lobby required": no servers yet, or the lobby was deleted. Add one — a network without a lobby repairs itself on the next one.
  • "Still installing": files for the server you just added are still downloading. Wait a few seconds and rerun setup.
  • "Pool exceeded": the RAM or disk you are handing out is no longer free. Shrink it, or take a share back from another server.
  • RAM or disk won't change: a share only changes while that server is stopped. Stop it first, then resize.
  • The lobby won't delete: it cannot go while other servers remain, because it is the default entry point; delete the others first.
  • Balance warning: starting the proxy starts billing, so setup asks for one hour's balance in your wallet.
  • "The network's machine is being prepared": a new network needs a few minutes before its server machine is ready; you cannot add servers until then.

Common mistakes

  • Putting a modded server in a network. Members only run on plugin-capable software: Paper, Purpur, Spigot and CraftBukkit. Fabric, Quilt, Forge, NeoForge and Vanilla cannot be members; see the software comparison.
  • Treating a network as a performance fix. It is several servers sharing one processor; power isn't added, it is divided. If a single server lags, fix TPS first.
  • Trying to split one world. A network does not merge worlds; every server keeps its own world and inventory. Shared economy or chat is plugin work.
  • Planning three servers on a small pool. 8 GB split three ways is three weak servers; plan around the RAM each server ends up with, not the server count.

Network or single server?

  • A single server is enough when you run one game mode, or your concurrent player count is below what your package suggests. The largest package you can buy is 8 GB of RAM, 3 cores and 30 GB of disk — for most communities that is not the ceiling.
  • A network makes sense when you genuinely run two or three separate modes, each with its own world, plugin set and rules. Plugins that clash on one server stop colliding once separated.
  • A network is not the answer when your world is huge or players complain about lag: those are RAM, core and optimisation questions, and splitting a server does not reduce the load.

If you're unsure, start with a single Paper server: the hard part of a network is keeping three servers updated and populated at once.