Implementation of Dedicated Server in Isolation by kuwacom · Pull Request #498 · smartcmd/MinecraftConsoles

kuwacom · 2026-03-04T23:17:20Z

Description

This PR introduces a Windows64 Dedicated Server executable (Minecraft.Server) and related runtime/build support.
It enables headless hosting with configurable bind IP/port, world bootstrap via server.properties.
Minecraft.Client changes are intentionally minimal and limited to dedicated-server startup compatibility.
#65

Changes

New Behavior

Added dedicated server entrypoint and project:
- Minecraft.Server/Windows64/ServerMain.cpp
- Minecraft.Server/Minecraft.Server.vcxproj (+ filters)
Added dedicated-server runtime modules:
- ServerProperties (server.properties load/normalize/save for level-name / level-id)
- WorldManager (load existing world by level-id, fallback to create new world)
- ServerLogger (log levels: debug|info|warn|error)
Added build/runtime wiring:
- CMakeLists.txt: new MinecraftServer target and post-build asset copy
- cmake/CopyServerAssets.cmake: minimal required server assets only
- MinecraftConsoles.sln, COMPILE.md, .gitignore updates
Dedicated server launch supports:
- -port, -ip/-bind, -name, -seed, -loglevel, -help

Minecraft.Client Changes (Minimum Scope)

Only the following Minecraft.Client files were changed, strictly for dedicated-server bridge behavior:

Minecraft.Client/MinecraftServer.h
- Added NetworkGameInitData::dedicatedNoLocalHostPlayer.
Minecraft.Client/Common/Network/GameNetworkManager.cpp
- Added dedicated path to skip local host ClientConnection creation when hosting as dedicated server.
- Preserved telemetry/game-mode initialization for host path.
Minecraft.Client/Common/Network/PlatformNetworkManagerStub.cpp
- Switched host startup to use configured bind IP/port globals.
- Calls new Winsock overload with bind IP.
Minecraft.Client/Windows64/Network/WinsockNetLayer.h
- Added HostGame(const char* bindIp, int port) overload.
Minecraft.Client/Windows64/Network/WinsockNetLayer.cpp
- Implemented bind-IP-aware host socket setup.
- Kept existing HostGame(int port) as wrapper for compatibility.
- Updated default Win64 host bind IP to 0.0.0.0 (from loopback) for dedicated listening.

- Introduced `ServerMain.cpp` for the dedicated server logic, handling command-line arguments, server initialization, and network management. - Created `postbuild_server.ps1` script for post-build tasks, including copying necessary resources and DLLs for the dedicated server. - Added `CopyServerAssets.cmake` to manage the copying of server assets during the build process, ensuring required files are available for the dedicated server. - Defined project filters in `Minecraft.Server.vcxproj.filters` for better organization of server-related files.

- Introduced ServerLogger for logging startup steps and world I/O operations. - Implemented ServerProperties for loading and saving server configuration from `server.properties`. - Added WorldManager to handle world loading and creation based on server properties. - Updated ServerMain to integrate server properties loading and world management. - Enhanced project files to include new source and header files for the server components.

…g levels

kuwacom · 2026-03-04T23:30:50Z

I hadn’t been merging upstream changes while implementing, so I’m in the middle of merging them now...

# Conflicts: # Minecraft.Client/Common/Network/PlatformNetworkManagerStub.cpp # Minecraft.Client/Windows64/Network/WinsockNetLayer.cpp # Minecraft.Client/Windows64/Network/WinsockNetLayer.h

gizmogoat · 2026-03-04T23:35:49Z

Some things have changed in the past day-ish, watch out for incompatibilities/redundant re-implementations of these:

-name and -port params are already in place in master; -ip param is parsed but not acted upon. add the supplied server to the ui #435 adds the passed server in the launch args to the connect list
Add servers.txt so players can add an arbitrary amount of servers to the "Join Game" list #478 adds a server txt that will add all of the present servers to the connect list
The base client executable has its own dedicated server now when running with -server

kuwacom · 2026-03-04T23:44:25Z

So -server has been added, I see.
From a quick look at the issues, it seems there are still a few world-related bugs remaining.

servers.txt is a nice addition as well.
It’s more user-friendly than -target.

Since 31881af56936aeef38ff322b975fd0 , `skinHud.swf` for 720 is not included in `MediaWindows64.arc`, the app crashes unless the virtual screen is set to HD.

kuwacom · 2026-03-05T01:10:38Z

It was partially affected by #495, but I was able to merge it without any issues.

haychk · 2026-03-05T03:54:51Z

is it still only LAN multiplayer only? or can worlds be opened up to more people?

kuwacom · 2026-03-05T04:14:20Z

It can be accessed from anywhere if you have a suitable network that can be accessed from the global internet (a network line that can open the specified TCP port).

In short, it's a regular server app.

haychk · 2026-03-05T04:15:36Z

oh damn. so i could run this on a vps?

kuwacom · 2026-03-05T04:18:15Z

Yes, but since it still uses a lot of Windows API internally (to maintain compatibility), it requires a Windows system or a system that includes Windows API to run.

I would like to eventually release a Linux version and put it into Docker.

haychk · 2026-03-05T04:20:56Z

i mean, i've tried it on linux and it works fine. i could try and create a docker image if you'd like

gizmogoat · 2026-03-05T04:22:00Z

I would like to eventually release a Linux version and put it into Docker.

You can run it fine on Linux without a GUI launcher via umu

kuwacom · 2026-03-05T04:23:40Z

i mean, i've tried it on linux and it works fine. i could try and create a docker image if you'd like

seriously!
That's nice.

haychk · 2026-03-05T04:25:09Z

wine also works really well. tried lutris and has similar results to umu

kuwacom · 2026-03-05T04:29:02Z

Which one has a smaller image size?
wine or umu

haychk · 2026-03-05T04:33:15Z

wine iirc

kuwacom added 4 commits March 4, 2026 18:12

Merge branch 'main' into feature/dedicated-server

eb75a93

update: implement enhanced logging functionality with configurable lo…

1d9dccb

…g levels

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into feature/dedicated-server

7137c44

# Conflicts: # Minecraft.Client/Common/Network/PlatformNetworkManagerStub.cpp # Minecraft.Client/Windows64/Network/WinsockNetLayer.cpp # Minecraft.Client/Windows64/Network/WinsockNetLayer.h

kuwacom added 2 commits March 5, 2026 09:38

update: update keyboard and mouse input initialization 1dc8a00

965676f

fix: change virtual screen resolution to 1920x1080(HD)

7cb4178

Since 31881af56936aeef38ff322b975fd0 , `skinHud.swf` for 720 is not included in `MediaWindows64.arc`, the app crashes unless the virtual screen is set to HD.

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kuwacom commented Mar 4, 2026

Description

Changes

New Behavior

Minecraft.Client Changes (Minimum Scope)

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