Server Configuration

SteelMC is configured through a JSON5 configuration file located at config/steel_config.json5. This page documents all available options.

Basic Settings

Option	Type	Default	Description
`server_port`	u16	`25565`	The port the server listens on (1-65535)
`seed`	String	`""`	World generation seed (empty = random)
`max_players`	u32	`20`	Maximum players allowed simultaneously
`view_distance`	u8	`10`	Maximum view distance in chunks (1-32)
`simulation_distance`	u8	`10`	Maximum simulation distance in chunks (1-32)
`motd`	String	`"A Steel Server"`	Message displayed in server list

Security Settings

Option	Type	Default	Description
`online_mode`	bool	`true`	Use Mojang authentication for player verification
`encryption`	bool	`true`	Enable encryption for client-server communication
`enforce_secure_chat`	bool	`false`	Enforce secure chat (requires online_mode and encryption)

Favicon Settings

Option	Type	Default	Description
`use_favicon`	bool	`true`	Whether to use a custom favicon
`favicon`	String	`"config/favicon.png"`	Path to favicon file (64x64 PNG)

Compression Settings

Network compression reduces bandwidth usage at the cost of CPU.

Option	Type	Default	Valid Range	Description
`compression.threshold`	u32	`256`	≥256	Packet size threshold for compression
`compression.level`	u8	`4`	1-9	Compression level (1=fast, 9=best)

Server Links

Server links are displayed in the multiplayer menu.

Option	Type	Default	Description
`server_links.enable`	bool	`true`	Enable server links feature
`server_links.links`	Array	See below	List of links to display

See Server Links Guide for detailed configuration.

Example Configuration

{
  server_port: 25565,
  seed: "my_awesome_seed",
  max_players: 50,
  view_distance: 12,
  simulation_distance: 10,
  online_mode: true,
  encryption: true,
  motd: "Welcome to my Steel server!",
  use_favicon: true,
  favicon: "config/favicon.png",
  enforce_secure_chat: false,
  compression: {
    threshold: 256,
    level: 4
  },
  server_links: {
    enable: true,
    links: [
      {
        label: { text: "Discord" },
        url: "https://discord.gg/example"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Validation Rules

The server validates configuration on startup:

view_distance must be between 1 and 64
simulation_distance must be between 1 and 32
compression.threshold must be at least 256
compression.level must be between 1 and 9
If enforce_secure_chat is true, both online_mode and encryption must be true