Purpur-Geyser-Floodgate Server Hosting (Java + Bedrock Crossplay)

Who is this package for: Purpur, a Bedrock server or crossplay?

If part of your group plays Java on PC and the rest play Bedrock on phones or tablets, this package is built for you. Mixed groups are common, especially where many players are on mobile, and pulling everyone into one world beats running two separate servers.

Think through three scenarios. If everyone plays Java, plain Purpur or Paper is enough and you avoid Geyser's overhead. If everyone plays Bedrock, a native Bedrock server such as Vanilla Bedrock feels more natural because there's no translation layer at all, but you give up Java's huge plugin ecosystem. If your group is mixed and you want Java plugins like LuckPerms, WorldGuard or an economy, a crossplay server is the only sensible route.

Keep in mind that the server itself is a Java server, and Bedrock players connect through Geyser as guests. Game rules, redstone and world generation all follow Java Edition, so Bedrock-only mechanics, such as its different redstone behavior, don't apply here.

How do Bedrock and Java players connect?

Java players do what they always do: Multiplayer, Add Server, then the IP:port from your panel. Bedrock players go to Play, open the Servers tab, scroll down to Add Server and enter the IP in the address field and the Bedrock port in the port field.

Geyser listens on UDP port 19132 by default, but on a hosted server the Bedrock port has to match the port assigned to your server. The easiest fix is turning on clone-remote-port in Geyser's config, which gives the Bedrock listener the same number as the Java port on every start. Java uses TCP and Bedrock uses UDP, so sharing the number causes no conflict, and you only have one port to tell people.

Console players are a different story. Bedrock on Xbox, PlayStation and Switch has no screen for adding outside servers, so those players rely on DNS-based methods like BedrockConnect, described in Geyser's documentation, or mobile apps that emulate a LAN game. Setup differs by console, so preparing a short guide for them saves a lot of back-and-forth.

What should you check in the Geyser and Floodgate configs?

Geyser's settings live in plugins/Geyser-Spigot/config.yml. For Bedrock players to join without a Java account, auth-type must be set to floodgate. The MOTD and player count shown in the Bedrock server list are managed in the same file.

Floodgate keeps its own config in the plugins/floodgate folder. The key setting is username-prefix: to avoid clashing with a Java player of the same name, Floodgate puts a dot (.) in front of Bedrock names by default. If any plugin works off player names, account for that prefix; spaces in Bedrock names are also swapped for underscores by default. The key.pem file in that folder encrypts Bedrock players' identity data. Never share it, and if you later build a proxy network, the same key has to be copied to the proxy and every backend.

Updates matter more here than anywhere else. Bedrock clients update often, and players on a new version can't connect until Geyser supports it. Geyser also targets only the latest Java version directly, so if your server runs an older one you'll need ViaVersion.

How do the differences between Java and Bedrock affect gameplay?

Geyser bridges the two editions but can't erase every difference. Combat is the clearest example: Java's attack cooldown doesn't exist in the Bedrock UI, so Geyser imitates it with an on-screen indicator. If you're building a PvP-focused server, accept up front that the two sides will feel a little different.

Resource packs aren't converted automatically. Your Java texture pack never reaches Bedrock players; you need a separate Bedrock pack in Geyser's packs folder. Custom-model items and blocks also need their own mappings on the Bedrock side.

Anti-cheat is the other thing to watch. Bedrock clients move and interact differently, so some anti-cheat plugins flag Bedrock players unfairly. Pick an anti-cheat with Geyser/Floodgate support, or set up exemptions for Bedrock players.

The good news: through Floodgate, Bedrock players' skins show up for Java players too, and menu plugins built on the Floodgate API can present Bedrock players with native forms designed for touch screens.

How much RAM does a crossplay server need, and which plan fits?

Geyser constantly converts network packets and chunk data for each Bedrock player, so it uses somewhat more CPU and memory than a plain Purpur server with the same player count. If most of your players come from Bedrock, look one tier above what we'd suggest for plain Purpur.

As a practical guide, Bronze 4GB is enough for a mixed group of 5–10 friends. Silver 6GB fits 10–25 players with a few core plugins, and Gold 8GB is a good start for a Bedrock-heavy community of 25–40. Between 40 and 80 players you'll sit in the Platinum 10GB to Diamond 12GB range.

The 6 vCores on Emerald 16GB are especially valuable for busy crossplay servers, because the extra cores keep Geyser's translation work away from the main game thread. Whatever plan you're on, keep view-distance sensible with mobile devices in mind; lower-end phones struggle with long render distances, and a moderate value lightens the server load as well.