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Quick Start

This guide will help you install and configure Gate as a Minecraft proxy for your server network. For extending Gate with custom plugins, see the Developers section.

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Install Gate

Choose your preferred installation method: 
curl -fsSL https://gate.minekube.com/install | bash
This script installs Gate to /usr/local/bin/gate and adds it to your PATH.
For detailed installation instructions, see the Installation guides.

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Run Gate

After installation, start Gate with the default configuration: 
gate
You should see output similar to this: 
INFO	gate/root.go:93	logging verbosity	{"verbosity": 0}
INFO	gate/root.go:94	using config file	{"config": ""}
INFO	config	gate/gate.go:205	config validation warn	{"warn": "java: No backend servers configured."}
INFO	java	proxy/proxy.go:299	Using favicon from data uri	{"length": 3086}
INFO	java	proxy/proxy.go:472	listening for connections	{"addr": "0.0.0.0:25565"}
Gate is now running on 0.0.0.0:25565 and ready to accept connections!
The warning about “No backend servers configured” means Gate is running but has nowhere to route players. Let’s fix that in the next step.

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Configure Backend Servers

Gate needs to know about your Minecraft servers. You can generate a simple configuration file: 
gate config -t simple -w
This creates a config.yml file in the current directory. Edit it to add your server addresses:
config.yml
config:
  bind: 0.0.0.0:25565
  onlineMode: true
  
  servers:
    lobby: localhost:25566
    survival: localhost:25567
    creative: localhost:25568
  
  try:
    - lobby
    - survival

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Configuration Breakdown

  • bind: The address Gate listens on for player connections
  • onlineMode: Whether to authenticate players with Mojang (set to false for offline mode)
  • servers: A map of server names to their addresses
  • try: The order in which to try connecting players (fallback list)

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Test Your Setup

1

Start your backend servers

Make sure your Minecraft servers (lobby, survival, etc.) are running on the ports you specified.
2

Restart Gate

gate
You should now see messages about registered servers:
INFO	java	proxy/proxy.go:450	registered server	{"name": "lobby", "addr": "localhost:25566"}
INFO	java	proxy/proxy.go:450	registered server	{"name": "survival", "addr": "localhost:25567"}
3

Connect from Minecraft

Open Minecraft and connect to localhost:25565 (or your server’s address). You should be connected through Gate to your lobby server!
4

Try server switching

Use the /server command in-game:
/server survival
You’ll be seamlessly transferred to the survival server without disconnecting!

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Next Steps

Now that you have Gate running, explore these features:

Bedrock Cross-Play

Enable Bedrock Edition players (Mobile, Console, Windows) to join your Java server

Configuration

Learn about all available configuration options

Lite Mode

Use Gate as a lightweight hostname-based reverse proxy

Security

Secure your network with player information forwarding

Deployment

Deploy Gate to production with Docker or Kubernetes

Plugin Development

Build custom plugins with Gate’s Go API

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Common Issues

Make sure:
  • Gate is running and listening on the correct address
  • Your firewall allows connections on port 25565
  • You’re connecting to the right IP address
Verify that:
  • Your backend servers are actually running
  • The addresses in config.yml are correct
  • There are no firewall rules blocking Gate → server connections
This is expected! Gate forwards players to different backend servers. Use cross-server plugins or Gate’s event system to sync player data.
Make sure builtinCommands: true is set in your config.yml. If you want to use permissions, see Built-in Commands.

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Getting Help

Need more help? Check out these resources:

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