Running the Server

This guide covers running Steel and understanding its behavior.

Starting the Server

# From the SteelMC directory
cargo run --release

# Or run a pre-built binary
./steel

On startup, Steel will:

1. Load or create config/steel_config.json5
2. Validate the configuration
3. Initialize the dual async runtimes
4. Start listening on the configured port (default: 25565)

Connecting

Use Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.11 to connect:

1. Open Minecraft and go to Multiplayer
2. Add a server with address localhost (or your server’s IP)
3. Connect and play

Graceful Shutdown

Press Ctrl+C to stop the server. Steel will:

1. Stop accepting new connections
2. Save all modified chunks to disk
3. Exit cleanly

You’ll see output like:

Saved 42 chunks

World Data

Steel stores world data in the current directory:

• config/ - Configuration files
• world/ - World save data (chunks in NBT format)

Server Status

The tab list displays real-time performance metrics:

• TPS - Ticks per second (target: 20)
• MSPT - Milliseconds per tick (lower is better)

Tick Rate Modes

Steel supports different tick rate modes for debugging:

• Normal - Standard 20 TPS
• Frozen - Paused (no ticks)
• Sprint - Maximum speed

Troubleshooting

Port Already in Use

If you see a bind error, another process is using port 25565. Either:

• Stop the other process
• Change server_port in your config

Client Can’t Connect

Ensure:

• The client is running Minecraft 1.21.11
• online_mode matches your setup (set to false for offline/cracked clients)
• Firewall allows connections on the configured port

Configuration Errors

If Steel exits immediately, check the error message. Common issues:

• simulation_distance greater than view_distance
• compression.threshold less than 256
• enforce_secure_chat enabled without online_mode and encryption