Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to the most common questions about Lavalink.

General Questions

What is Lavalink?

Lavalink is a standalone audio player node that streams music to Discord voice servers. It’s written in Java and built on Lavaplayer and Koe.By offloading audio processing to a separate server, Lavalink allows your Discord bot to handle audio playback without consuming resources on your bot’s process.

What is Lavalink used for?

Lavalink is used to stream music to Discord voice servers. It’s the backbone of many popular Discord music bots, including:

FredBoat
Dyno
LewdBot
And many more

It handles audio playback, allowing your bot to focus on command handling and user interaction.

Why should I use Lavalink instead of handling audio directly in my bot?

Lavalink provides several advantages:

Reduced memory usage: Audio processing happens on a separate server
Better performance: Optimized for audio streaming
Scalability: One Lavalink node can serve multiple bots
No audio libraries needed: Your bot only needs HTTP/WebSocket capabilities
Cross-platform: Works with bots written in any language

Is Lavalink free to use?

Yes! Lavalink is completely free and open-source under the MIT license. You can use it for both personal and commercial projects.

Installation & Setup

How do I install Lavalink?

There are three main ways to install Lavalink:

Binary Installation - Download and run the JAR file (easiest for beginners)
Docker - Run in a container (recommended for experienced users)
Systemd - Set up as a Linux service (recommended for production)

Choose the method that best fits your needs and technical expertise.

What are the system requirements?

Minimum requirements:

Java: Version 17 LTS or newer (we recommend the latest LTS version)
RAM: 512MB minimum, 1GB+ recommended
CPU: Any modern CPU (ARM and x86-64 supported)
OS: Linux, Windows, or macOS

OpenJDK or Zulu running on Linux AMD64 is officially supported. Other JVMs work on a best-effort basis.

Which Java version should I use?

We recommend using Java 17 LTS or newer. The officially supported JDK distributions are:

Azul Zulu (recommended)
OpenJDK

Avoid using very old Java versions as they lack performance improvements and security updates.

How much RAM does Lavalink need?

RAM requirements depend on your bot’s size:

Small bot (< 10 servers): 512MB - 1GB
Medium bot (10-100 servers): 1GB - 2GB
Large bot (100+ servers): 2GB - 4GB
Very large bot (1000+ servers): 4GB - 8GB+

Allocate memory using the -Xmx flag: java -Xmx2G -jar Lavalink.jar

Configuration

How do I configure Lavalink?

Lavalink can be configured in two ways:

Configuration File - Using application.yml (recommended)
Environment Variables - For containerized deployments

The configuration file method is more flexible and easier to manage for most use cases.

Where should I put the configuration file?

Place your application.yml file in the same directory as Lavalink.jar.When you run java -jar Lavalink.jar, it will automatically detect and load the configuration file from the current directory.

What's the default password?

There is no default password. You must set a password in your application.yml:

lavalink:
  server:
    password: "youshallnotpass"

Always change the password to something secure, especially if Lavalink is accessible from the internet.

What port does Lavalink use?

The default port is 2333. You can change it in your configuration:

server:
  port: 2333

Make sure the port isn’t already in use by another application.

Connecting & Usage

How do I connect my bot to Lavalink?

You need to use a Lavalink client library for your programming language. See the Clients page for a list of available libraries.Each client has its own documentation for connecting to Lavalink. Generally, you’ll need:

Host (e.g., localhost or your server’s IP)
Port (default: 2333)
Password (from your application.yml)

Can I use one Lavalink instance for multiple bots?

Yes! A single Lavalink instance can serve multiple bots simultaneously. This is actually one of Lavalink’s main advantages.Each bot connects with the same credentials but maintains separate player sessions.

Can I run Lavalink on a different server than my bot?

Absolutely! In fact, this is a common setup. Your bot can connect to Lavalink over the network using the server’s IP address or hostname.Just make sure:

The Lavalink port is accessible from your bot’s server
You use a strong password
Consider using a firewall or VPN for security

Does Lavalink support YouTube?

YouTube support requires the YouTube source plugin due to recent changes in YouTube’s policies.Install the plugin to enable YouTube playback. See the Plugins documentation for installation instructions.

Maintenance & Updates

How do I update Lavalink?

For binary installations:

Download the latest Lavalink.jar from GitHub releases
Stop your current Lavalink instance
Replace the old JAR file with the new one
Start Lavalink again

For Docker:

docker compose pull lavalink
docker compose up -d lavalink

Your configuration and plugins are preserved during updates.

How do I run Lavalink in the background?

There are several options:

Screen/tmux - Terminal multiplexers (quick and easy)
Systemd - Linux service (recommended for production)
Docker - Container with restart policies (recommended for containers)

For production environments, we recommend using Systemd (Linux) or Docker.

How do I check my Lavalink version?

You can check the version using the REST API:

curl http://localhost:2333/version

Or check the startup logs when Lavalink starts.

Will updating Lavalink break my bot?

Lavalink follows Semantic Versioning:

Patch updates (4.0.0 → 4.0.1): Bug fixes, always safe
Minor updates (4.0.0 → 4.1.0): New features, backward compatible
Major updates (4.0.0 → 5.0.0): Breaking changes, may require code updates

Always check the changelog before updating.

Troubleshooting

Lavalink won't start. What should I do?

Common causes and solutions:

Java version: Ensure you have Java 17 or higher installed
Port in use: Check if port 2333 is already being used
Configuration errors: Validate your application.yml syntax
Missing files: Verify Lavalink.jar is present and not corrupted

See the Troubleshooting guide for detailed solutions.

My bot can't connect to Lavalink. Help!

Check the following:

Lavalink is running: Verify the process is active
Correct credentials: Host, port, and password match your configuration
Network connectivity: Ensure there are no firewall rules blocking the connection
Client library: Make sure you’re using an up-to-date client library

Enable debug logging to see connection attempts and errors.

Audio isn't playing. What's wrong?

Possible causes:

Voice connection: Ensure you’re properly forwarding sessionId, token, and endpoint from Discord
Bot permissions: Verify your bot has CONNECT and SPEAK permissions
Volume: Check that volume isn’t set to 0
Source issues: Try a different audio source to isolate the problem

See Troubleshooting for more details.

Where can I get more help?

If you can’t find an answer in the documentation:

Troubleshooting Guide - Comprehensive troubleshooting steps
Discord Support - Join the Lavalink support Discord
GitHub Discussions - Ask questions and share knowledge
Issue Tracker - Report bugs

Advanced Topics

Can I extend Lavalink with plugins?

Yes! Lavalink has a robust plugin system. You can:

Install existing plugins from the community
Create your own custom plugins
Add new audio sources
Extend functionality

See the Plugins documentation for more information.

Does Lavalink support load balancing?

Yes! You can run multiple Lavalink nodes and distribute the load across them. Most Lavalink client libraries support automatic load balancing.Lavalink provides statistics via the /stats endpoint to help you balance load effectively.

Can I use Lavalink with Prometheus?

Yes! Lavalink exposes Prometheus metrics for monitoring. Configure it in your application.yml:

metrics:
  prometheus:
    enabled: true
    endpoint: /metrics

Metrics are available at http://localhost:2333/metrics.

What is DAVE support?

DAVE (Discord Audio Voice Encryption) is a protocol for end-to-end encrypted voice. Lavalink v4+ includes DAVE support.DAVE requires compatible hardware and minimum glibc version 2.35 (Ubuntu 22.04+). Check the README for hardware support details.

Still Have Questions?

If your question isn’t answered here:

Troubleshooting

Check the troubleshooting guide for technical issues

Discord Support

Join our Discord community for live help

GitHub Discussions

Browse or start a discussion on GitHub

API Documentation

Explore the complete API reference

Get Started

Configuration

Clients & Plugins

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Installation & Setup

Configuration

Connecting & Usage

Maintenance & Updates

Troubleshooting

Advanced Topics

Still Have Questions?

Troubleshooting

Discord Support

GitHub Discussions

API Documentation

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Configuration

Clients & Plugins

​Frequently Asked Questions

​General Questions

​Installation & Setup

​Configuration

​Connecting & Usage

​Maintenance & Updates

​Troubleshooting

​Advanced Topics

​Still Have Questions?

Troubleshooting

Discord Support

GitHub Discussions

API Documentation

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Installation & Setup

Configuration

Connecting & Usage

Maintenance & Updates

Troubleshooting

Advanced Topics

Still Have Questions?