Tutorial

This page covers how to use each feature in Sea Lantern.

Creating Your First Server

Import Server JAR

1. Click the "Create Server" button on the main screen
2. In the setup wizard, click "Choose File" to import your server JAR
3. If you don't have a server JAR yet, check the Server JAR Guide

Select Java Version

After importing the JAR, Sea Lantern will list all detected Java versions on your system. Choose the one that matches your Minecraft version:

Minecraft Version	Recommended Java
1.16.5 and below	Java 8 / 11
1.17 ~ 1.20.4	Java 17
1.20.5+	Java 21

TIP

If no suitable Java is listed, click the "Download Java" button — Sea Lantern will automatically download and install the required version.

Name and Configure

Give your server a name. You can also adjust initial memory allocation here, but everything can be changed later.

Accept EULA

On first launch, Sea Lantern will prompt you to accept the Minecraft EULA. The server won't start until you agree.

Console

The console is the core interface of Sea Lantern, providing the following features:

Viewing Logs

All server output is displayed in real-time, including:

• Server start/stop messages
• Player join/leave events
• Chat messages
• Errors and warnings

Entering Commands

Type Minecraft server commands in the input box at the bottom of the console (no / prefix needed) and press Enter to execute.

Common commands:

say Welcome to the server!
op Steve
whitelist add Alex
stop

Command History

Press ↑ / ↓ arrow keys to browse previously executed commands.

Quick Command Panel

The console toolbar provides shortcut buttons for common actions like safely stopping the server or restarting.

server.properties Configuration

Sea Lantern provides a graphical server.properties editor so you don't need to edit the file manually.

Common Settings

Setting	Description	Default
server-port	Server port	25565
max-players	Maximum players	20
difficulty	Game difficulty	easy
gamemode	Default game mode	survival
motd	Server description (shown in server list)	A Minecraft Server
online-mode	Online authentication	true
pvp	Allow PVP	true
white-list	Enable whitelist	false

Search and Filter

Settings are organized by category and support keyword search for quick access.

WARNING

You must restart the server for configuration changes to take effect.

Player Management

Whitelist

When enabled, only whitelisted players can join the server.

• Add player: Enter the player name and click add, or run whitelist add PlayerName in the console
• Remove player: Click the remove button in the list
• Toggle whitelist: Set white-list to true or false in server.properties

Ban Management

• Ban a player: Click ban in the player list, or run ban PlayerName
• Unban: Click unban in the ban list, or run pardon PlayerName
• IP ban: Run ban-ip IPAddress

OP Permissions

OP (operator) players have the highest server privileges.

• Grant OP: Run op PlayerName
• Remove OP: Run deop PlayerName

WARNING

Grant OP permissions carefully — OP players can execute any server command.

Plugin Installation

INFO

Plugins only work with plugin-compatible servers like Paper / Spigot. Vanilla, Forge, and Fabric servers do not support Bukkit plugins.

Finding Plugins

Common plugin download sources:

• SpigotMC — Largest Spigot plugin community. Requires a free account. Check plugin compatibility versions and ratings.
• Modrinth — Modern plugin/mod platform
• Hangar — PaperMC's official plugin platform
• Polymart — Similar to SpigotMC with a more modern interface
• Bukkit — Classic plugin platform
• GitHub — Search for open-source plugin projects. Downloads are usually in the Releases section.

Installation Steps

1. Preparation

   • Make sure the server is stopped (if running)
   • Find the plugins folder in your server directory
   • If no plugins folder exists, create one manually

2. Place the plugin file

   • Copy the downloaded plugin .jar file into the plugins folder
   • Make sure the file name has no special characters or spaces
   • It's best to install one plugin at a time to avoid conflicts

3. Configure the plugin

   • Start the server — the plugin will auto-generate its config files
   • Find the plugin's config folder inside plugins
   • Edit the config file as needed (usually config.yml)

4. Restart the server

   • Restart the server for the plugin to take effect
   • Check the console log to confirm the plugin loaded successfully
   • Use the plugins command to view loaded plugins

Recommended Plugins

Management plugins:

Plugin	Function
EssentialsX	Core commands (teleport, homes, economy, etc.)
LuckPerms	Permission management
WorldEdit	Powerful map editing tool
WorldGuard	Region protection and permission management

Game enhancement plugins:

Plugin	Function
CoreProtect	Block logging/rollback
Multiverse-Core	Multi-world management
DiscordSRV	Server-Discord integration

Economy plugins:

Plugin	Function
Vault	Economy/permission API (requires an economy plugin)
Shopkeepers	NPC merchant system

Plugin Compatibility Notes

• Make sure the plugin is compatible with your server and Minecraft version
• Check for dependencies between plugins
• Avoid installing plugins with overlapping functionality
• Update plugins regularly for new features and security fixes
• Back up your server data before installing new plugins

Advanced Settings

Memory Allocation

Minecraft servers need significant memory. Recommended allocation by player count:

Players	Recommended RAM
1-5	2-4 GB
5-15	4-6 GB
15-30	6-8 GB
30+	8 GB+

Adjust memory allocation in Sea Lantern's server settings.

JVM Arguments

Sea Lantern lets you customize JVM startup arguments. For Paper servers, Aikar's Flags are recommended:

-XX:+UseG1GC -XX:+ParallelRefProcEnabled -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200
-XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+DisableExplicitGC
-XX:+AlwaysPreTouch -XX:G1NewSizePercent=30
-XX:G1MaxNewSizePercent=40 -XX:G1HeapRegionSize=8M
-XX:G1ReservePercent=20 -XX:G1HeapWastePercent=5
-XX:G1MixedGCCountTarget=4 -XX:InitiatingHeapOccupancyPercent=15
-XX:G1MixedGCLiveThresholdPercent=90
-XX:G1RSetUpdatingPauseTimePercent=5 -XX:SurvivorRatio=32
-XX:+PerfDisableSharedMem -XX:MaxTenuringThreshold=1

WARNING

If you're unfamiliar with JVM arguments, stick with the defaults. Incorrect settings may cause server instability.

Safe Shutdown

When you close Sea Lantern, it automatically sends a stop command to the server and waits for a safe shutdown. This prevents save corruption.

DANGER

Never force-close a running server via Task Manager — this may cause save data loss or corruption.