FORGE Server Starter - Simplify Your Server Launch

A lightweight JAR that replaces traditional .sh / .bat files for launching Forge and NeoForge servers. It automates installation, configuration, and startup — just drop it in your server directory and go.

Key Features

• Forge & NeoForge Support — Works with both loaders, including NeoForge 26.x and legacy Forge down to 1.7.10
• Automatic Installation — Guided console installer or fully automatic via forge-auto-install.txt
• Library Check — Ensures the libraries folder exists and detects the installed loader version
• System-Specific Arguments — Uses the correct argument files for Windows or Linux
• Server Launch — Starts the server with pre-defined Java arguments
• Console Output & Commands — Full console passthrough with stdin forwarding (Java 17+ compatible)
• Faster Restart — Type /restart in the server console for a graceful restart without stopping the Server Starter
• Auto Loader Update — Optionally update Forge/NeoForge to the latest version on every start
• Network Check Toggle — Skip the internet check for restricted networks (firewalls, proxies)
• Automatic EULA Creation — Creates eula.txt automatically for faster first startup
• Custom Timezone & Java Path — Configurable in server_starter.conf
• Logging & Debugging — All events logged to file, debug mode available
• Version Checker — Checks for updates on GitHub and notifies in the log
• Auto-Installation File Generation — generate_auto_installation_file.bat/.sh for easy setup
• Java 8–25 Support — Compatible with Java 8 through Java 25

Quick Start

1. Download minecraft_server.jar from the latest release
2. Place it in your server directory
3. Start with: java -Xms1G -Xmx2G -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui
4. On first start, server_starter.conf and start scripts are created automatically

Automatic Installation

Create a forge-auto-install.txt next to the JAR:

minecraftVersion=1.21.1
loaderType=NeoForge
loaderVersion=latest

The Server Starter will download and install the loader automatically.

Building from Source

If you just want to run the project, use the pre-built JAR from the Releases page.

To build locally without Maven:

• Windows: build.bat
• Linux/macOS: ./build.sh

Output: out/compiled/minecraft_server.jar

With Maven installed:

mvn package

Output: target/minecraft_server.jar

Configuration

server_starter.conf is created on first start with these options:

timezone=UTC                  # Your timezone (e.g. Europe/Berlin)
java_path=java                # Custom Java path
debug=false                   # Enable debug logging
log_to_file=true              # Log to file
network_check=true            # Set to false to skip internet check
auto_update_loader=false      # Set to true for automatic loader updates
unique_id_request=true        # Set to false to disable update API calls

What's New?

See the full CHANGELOG.md for a detailed version history.

Highlights of the latest release:

• Network Check Toggle — network_check=false to skip internet check
• Faster Restart — /restart command for fast server restarts
• Auto Loader Update — auto_update_loader=true for automatic updates
• Java 21/25 Support — modern Java compatibility
• NeoForge 26.x Support — 4-segment versions and correct mapping
• Binary Download Fix — installer JARs no longer corrupted
• CI/CD Pipeline — automated Maven build and release

Contributing

Want to help? Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for build instructions and release details.

Credits

• @rex2630 — Java 21/25 support, restart feature, auto-update, guided install fixes
• @DerErizzle — 1.7.10 support

Feedback and Suggestions

We welcome any feedback or suggestions for improvement. Feel free to open an issue or send a bug report.

-> Report Issue here

Optimize your FORGE server launch with our Server Starter and enjoy a seamless gaming experience.