PushMC

A fast, single-binary CLI for setting up and running Minecraft servers. One command: download the core, accept the EULA, write server.properties, pick Java, start the server.

Why PushMC?

Setting up a Minecraft server by hand is a chore: find the right download page, grab the jar, create eula.txt, edit server.properties, figure out which Java you need, write a start script. Do it a few times and it gets old fast. Existing tools that automate this are mostly heavy, Java-based and slow to start. PushMC is one small Rust binary that does it all in a single command.

Features

1. 6 cores out of the box — Vanilla, Paper, Purpur, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge. The latest build for your Minecraft version is resolved automatically.
2. Forge / NeoForge handled properly — the installer is downloaded and run for you, and the server is started through the generated run.sh / run.bat.
3. server.properties from flags — seed, gamemode, difficulty, MOTD, view distance and more, written before the first launch.
4. Bring your own world — --ready-world <path> copies an existing world folder into the new server.
5. Java detection — finds Java installs (JAVA_HOME, PATH, /usr/lib/jvm), lets you pick one, or auto-selects the newest one up to Java 21.
6. Live console — server output is streamed to your terminal and everything you type is passed to the server.
7. Daemon mode — --daemon runs the server in the background, and survives closing the terminal. Manage it with status, cmd, errors and stop.
8. Quick restart — once a server is installed, pushmc run <name> starts it again, no version or core flags needed.
9. Logs — all server output (stdout + stderr) is saved to servers/<name>/server.log in every mode.
10. Escape hatch — --custom-core-url lets you use any jar or installer URL for cores that aren't supported directly.

Installation

Option 1: prebuilt binary (no Rust needed)

Grab the latest binary for your OS from the Releases page and run it directly.

Option 2: build from source

git clone https://github.com/jacobballnarch/PushMC
cd PushMC
cargo build --release

The executable will be in target/release/.

Requirements to build:

• Rust 1.98+
• Either way, you'll also need: Java

Usage

Minimal example (Paper 1.21.4, EULA accepted):

./pushmc start --name survival --version 1.21.4 --core paper --eula

The server is created in ./servers/<name>/, relative to the folder you run PushMC from. Always run it from the same folder to find your servers again. For ready servers strongly recommend use run instead of start.

Managing servers

pushmc run <name>             # start an installed server (live console)
pushmc run <name> --daemon    # start it in the background
pushmc status <name>          # pid, uptime, error count
pushmc cmd <name> say hello   # send a command to the server console
pushmc errors <name>          # lines with ERROR / Exception
pushmc stop <name>            # graceful stop

status, cmd, errors and stop work for both foreground and daemon servers (from another terminal). In foreground mode, type stop in the console for a clean shutdown. Ctrl+C kills the server without saving.

Logs: servers/<name>/server.log (server output), servers/<name>/daemon.log (PushMC's own output in daemon mode).

More examples:

# Fabric, 4 GB of RAM, auto-pick Java
./pushmc start --name fab --version 1.21.4 --core fabric --eula --xms 2G --xmx 4G --java-auto

# Creative, peaceful server with a fixed seed and an existing world
./pushmc start --name build --version 1.21.4 --core purpur --eula \
  --gamemode creative --difficulty peaceful --seed 12345 --ready-world ~/saves/MyWorld

# Cracked server (turn off online-mode)
./pushmc start --name lan --version 1.21.4 --core paper --eula --online-mode false

# Core without built-in support: your own URL
./pushmc start --name custom --version 1.20.1 --core paper --eula \
  --custom-core-url https://example.com/some-server.jar

Flags

Flag	Description	Default
--name	Server folder name	required
--version	Minecraft version	required
--core	vanilla, paper, purpur, fabric, forge, neoforge	required
--eula	Accept the Minecraft EULA. The server won't start without it	off
--experimental	Use experimental builds (Paper)	off
--custom-core-url	Download the jar/installer from this URL instead	—
--xms / --xmx	Initial / max RAM	1G / 2G
--custom-java-path	Path to a Java executable	—
--java-auto	Auto-select the Java for your version	off
--ready-world	Copy this world folder into the server	—
--daemon	Run the server in the background	off
--cmd	Console command to run once the server is ready. Repeat the flag for several	—

server.properties flags: --online-mode, --pvp, --allow-flight (default true, disable with --allow-flight false), --max-players (20), --gamemode (survival), --difficulty (hard), --motd, --white-list, --view-distance (10), --simulation-distance (10), --enable-command-block, --spawn-protection (16), --seed, --world-type (default), --bonus-chest.

These flags are only applied when server.properties doesn't exist yet. If the file is already there, PushMC keeps it untouched. To re-apply flags, delete the file.

Startup commands

--cmd runs a console command as soon as the server is ready. Repeat the flag to run several, in order:

./pushmc start --name survival --version 1.21.4 --core paper --eula \
  --cmd "op Steve" --cmd "whitelist add Alex" --cmd "gamerule keepInventory true"

Put each command in quotes. The commands are saved with the server and run on every start, including pushmc run <name>, so use ones that are safe to repeat (op, whitelist add, gamerule, ...).

Known limitations

• Windows code paths (run.bat / cmd, and daemon mode) are written from the documentation but not tested on a real Windows machine yet. Feedback is very welcome.
• The control channel for status / cmd / stop is a local TCP port on 127.0.0.1. Any process on the same machine can send commands to your server. Don't use it on shared machines.
• While a daemon is running, the PushMC binary can be locked on Windows. Run pushmc stop <name> before rebuilding.
• server.log is not rotated.

Roadmap

v1 (CLI) is done.

v2 (daemon) is done:

• daemon mode for proper working background task
• quick start of installed servers (pushmc run <name>)

for v2.5 planned:

• Extra management commands for running servers
• MC version → required Java version table

for v3 planned:

• SFTP/SSH deploy to a remote server
• Modrinth and CurseForge integration: quick install of modpacks, mods or plugins
• GUI + proper localization

License

This project is licensed under GPL-3.0.
You must accept the Minecraft EULA to run a server. PushMC only writes the acceptance file when you pass --eula explicitly.

Third-party services

• Mojang piston-meta — Vanilla
• PaperMC Fill API — Paper
• Purpur API — Purpur
• Fabric Meta — Fabric
• Forge Maven / NeoForged Maven — Forge / NeoForge