Instance & World Management

PocketMC manages server configuration, world imports, full-instance export archives, player moderation, and Windows background execution guards.

World Archive Importing

Community world downloads and backups are packaged in many folder layouts. PocketMC's WorldManager locates and extracts world saves safely:

• Archive formats: Accepts standard .zip archives and Bedrock .mcworld export packages.
• Root detection: Recursively scans the archive for level.dat to locate the world root, even if the files are buried several folders deep.
• Placement: Places world files in world/ for Java Edition servers, or under worlds/{level-name} for Bedrock Dedicated Server.
• Path safety: Uses SafeZipExtractor to verify that extracted paths remain inside the target instance directory, blocking directory traversal (Zip Slip) attacks.

Instance Export and Import

PocketMC includes an export and import system to transfer configured servers between Windows PCs or create standalone backups.

Exporting an Instance

Under Instance CardActionsExport Instance, PocketMC packages your server into a single archive:

• Server configuration: Engine settings, server.properties, eula.txt, and loader files (paper.yml, spigot.yml).
• Player data: Permissions (ops.json), allowlists (whitelist.json), ban records, and Bedrock sidecar files.
• Addon files: Installed plugins and mods, their active states (including .disabled markers), and pocket-mc-addons.json metadata.
• World saves: Overworld, Nether, and End dimensions. Transient lock files like session.lock are skipped automatically.

Importing an Instance

Click Import Instance on the home screen and select a compatible .zip bundle. PocketMC checks the archive manifest, confirms port availability, unpacks the files safely, and registers the server in your active instance list.

Configuration Editor

PocketMC provides a structured interface for server.properties:

• Common settings: MOTD, game mode, difficulty, max player count, and world seed.
• Gameplay rules: PvP, flight allowance, command blocks, Nether access, and whitelist enforcement.
• Render settings: View distance and simulation distance sliders.
• Preserves custom fields: Comments and unrecognized engine-specific configuration flags remain intact when saving.

Player Moderation & Bedrock Ban Sidecar

The server dashboard includes tools to manage connected players:

• Player tracking: Displays real-time online players, operator privileges, and ping latency.
• Moderation: Execute Kick, Ban, Pardon, Op, and De-op actions directly from the user interface.
• Bedrock ban sidecar: Vanilla Bedrock Dedicated Server does not include a persistent ban file format. PocketMC maintains pocketmc-bans.json in the instance folder, recording banned player names, XUIDs, reasons, and timestamps to enforce moderation across server reboots.

Preflight Guards & Process Supervision

PocketMC performs system checks before launching servers and monitors background execution: