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How to Set Up Velocity for a Minecraft Server Network

A complete guide to placing Velocity in front of Paper servers: configure modern forwarding, share the forwarding secret, align online-mode settings, secure backend ports and fix common UUID or login errors.
Length8 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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To put Velocity in front of a Paper network, configure the proxy for modern player-information forwarding, copy the generated secret to every backend, disable backend authentication, enable Paper’s Velocity support, and restart all servers. Modern forwarding works with Minecraft 1.13 and newer; older backends need a separate forwarding mode.

What Velocity changes in a Minecraft network

Velocity is the public-facing proxy. Players connect to it first, and Velocity routes each connection to a Paper server behind it. The proxy performs the player authentication step and forwards the authenticated player’s identity, address and other login data to the backend.

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The forwarding format is a security boundary, not merely a convenience setting. With modern forwarding, Velocity packages player data in an efficient binary message protected by a message-authentication code (MAC). A backend can verify that the data came from the trusted proxy instead of accepting identity data that a player attempted to forge.

A working installation requires both sides to agree. The proxy’s forwarding mode, the secret stored on the proxy and the secret stored on each Paper backend must match. The backend must also stop performing its own Mojang authentication, because that job belongs to Velocity.

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Requirements and preparation

Before editing files, stop the proxy and backend servers or schedule a maintenance window. Configuration changes are not consistently picked up by a reload, so plan to restart every affected process after saving the files.

  • Use Paper (or a Paper-derived backend) behind Velocity.
  • Use Minecraft 1.13 or newer for modern forwarding. A 1.12-or-older backend cannot use this format.
  • Know the filesystem path for the Velocity installation and for each backend.
  • Keep the backend ports private. Modern forwarding authenticates data arriving through Velocity but does not prevent someone from connecting directly to a backend port.
  • Have a secure way to copy the forwarding secret without adding spaces, line breaks or quotation marks that are not part of the value.

The exact minimum Velocity release required for modern forwarding is not established by the available documentation. Do not choose a release solely because an unofficial guide says a particular version is required; use a currently supported Velocity release and verify its compatibility with the Minecraft and Paper versions in your network.

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Configure the Velocity proxy

Set the global forwarding mode

Open the proxy’s velocity.toml. Set the forwarding option to modern:

player-info-forwarding-mode = "modern"

This tells Velocity to use the signed, binary forwarding format. It is the appropriate default for 1.13-and-newer backends. Do not configure a backend for BungeeCord forwarding while the proxy is set to modern; the two formats are not interchangeable.

The proxy also has an online-mode setting. Paper’s proxies.velocity.online-mode value must match the proxy’s online-mode value. If you change one later, change the other at the same time.

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Locate the generated secret

Velocity creates a file named forwarding.secret in the proxy directory. Open it as plain text and copy its contents exactly. The value is shared authentication material between the proxy and every backend that accepts modern forwarding.

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Do not copy an extra blank line at the end, trim characters, or add quotation marks. One additional space or newline can make a backend reject otherwise valid connections. Treat the secret like a password: keep it out of public issue reports and do not commit it to a repository that other people can read.

Check the proxy before starting it

Save velocity.toml and verify that the setting is spelled exactly as modern, with matching quotation marks. Keep a copy of the original file so you can restore unrelated settings if a network problem appears after the change. Do not start testing yet; configure every backend first so that all destinations use a compatible format.

Configure each Paper backend

Repeat the following three changes on every Paper server that Velocity can reach. A network with a lobby, survival server and minigame server needs the settings on all three backends, not only on the lobby.

1. Hand authentication to Velocity

In the backend’s server.properties, set:

online-mode=false

The backend is no longer the public authentication endpoint. Setting this to false does not make the network unauthenticated when the proxy is correctly configured; Velocity authenticates the player before forwarding the connection.

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2. Disable legacy BungeeCord forwarding

Open spigot.yml and ensure the BungeeCord switch is disabled:

settings:
  bungeecord: false

Velocity modern forwarding and BungeeCord forwarding are different protocols. Leaving the legacy switch enabled can produce incorrect UUIDs, missing skins or other identity problems, especially when an old tutorial has been followed on only one server.

3. Enable Velocity support in Paper

Current Paper versions keep this configuration in config/paper-global.yml. Under proxies, configure the Velocity block as follows:

proxies:
  velocity:
    enabled: true
    online-mode: true
    secret: "value read from forwarding.secret"

Replace the descriptive secret value in the example with the exact contents of the proxy’s forwarding.secret file. The online-mode value shown here must be the same value used by online-mode in velocity.toml; if your proxy is configured differently, use that matching value instead.

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Do not place this block only in an old paper.yml file. Older guides may refer to a velocity-support field or to legacy paths. Current Paper configuration uses config/paper-global.yml and the nested proxies.velocity settings.

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Restart in the right order and test

  1. Save velocity.toml, the backend server.properties, spigot.yml and config/paper-global.yml files.
  2. Stop each Paper backend cleanly, then stop the Velocity proxy if it is still running.
  3. Start the backends and wait for each one to finish loading its world and plugins.
  4. Start Velocity after the destinations are available.
  5. Connect through the proxy address, not through a backend address.
  6. Join a server and check that the account has the expected UUID, skin and permissions. Move between at least two destinations if your network has more than one.

A reload command is not a reliable substitute for a full restart when forwarding settings change. Restarting clears the old proxy and backend state and ensures both sides read the same configuration.

Settings at a glance

Component File Required value Why it matters
Velocity proxy velocity.toml player-info-forwarding-mode = "modern" Uses signed modern forwarding for 1.13-and-newer servers.
Velocity proxy forwarding.secret Generated secret, copied exactly Authenticates forwarded player data.
Paper backend server.properties online-mode=false Leaves authentication to Velocity.
Paper backend spigot.yml settings.bungeecord: false Prevents the backend from using the legacy BungeeCord format.
Paper backend config/paper-global.yml proxies.velocity.enabled: true Turns on Paper’s Velocity integration.
Paper backend config/paper-global.yml proxies.velocity.secret equals the proxy secret Lets Paper verify that the connection came from the trusted proxy.
Paper backend config/paper-global.yml proxies.velocity.online-mode matches the proxy’s online-mode Keeps authentication expectations consistent.

Secure the backend ports

Modern forwarding protects the identity information in a proxied login, but it does not hide a backend that is reachable from the internet. If a player can connect directly to a Paper port, they may bypass the proxy entirely and avoid the forwarding checks.

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Use firewall rules, a private network, or both so that each backend accepts game traffic only from the machine or private address range used by Velocity. The exact firewall syntax depends on your operating system and hosting provider, so define the policy first:

  • Permit the proxy host to reach the backend game ports.
  • Permit administrative access only from your management network.
  • Deny public traffic to backend ports.
  • Expose the public game entry point on the proxy instead.

Test the policy from outside the network after applying it. A successful proxied login combined with a failed direct connection is the intended result.

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Running mixed Minecraft versions

Velocity supports per-server forwarding overrides. The global forwarding mode is the default, represented by INHERIT for an individual destination. A server entry can override that inherited value when a particular backend requires another format.

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Backend situation Forwarding choice Configuration approach
Modern Paper backend running Minecraft 1.13 or newer INHERIT Uses the global modern mode from velocity.toml.
Older backend that cannot use modern forwarding Per-server legacy override Set that destination’s forwarding mode explicitly and configure the backend for the same legacy format.
Backend with an unknown or mixed forwarding setup Do not guess Align the backend and proxy formats first; never combine modern settings on one side with BungeeCord settings on the other.

The legacy example is commonly a 1.8-era backend, but the exact override syntax and compatibility depend on the Velocity and backend versions. Keep the modern configuration for all destinations that support it, and isolate older destinations rather than weakening the whole network to accommodate one server.

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Diagnose a failed connection

Work from the proxy outward. Change one setting at a time, restart the affected processes, and retest through the proxy.

Symptom Likely cause Checks and fix
The server says the player must connect through Velocity. The forwarding mode or secret does not match. Confirm player-info-forwarding-mode = "modern", verify that Paper has proxies.velocity.enabled: true, and recopy the secret exactly on both sides.
The player joins but has the wrong UUID or no skin. Mixed forwarding formats or an old BungeeCord setting. Check the proxy mode, Paper’s Velocity block and spigot.yml bungeecord: false. Restart the proxy and backend after correcting them.
The backend authenticates players itself or rejects proxied logins. server.properties still has online mode enabled, or the online-mode values disagree. Set backend online-mode=false and make Paper’s Velocity online-mode value match the proxy’s value.
Only one destination fails while others work. That backend has a different secret, stale configuration path or per-server override. Compare its files with a working backend, inspect config/paper-global.yml, and check whether the destination overrides the global mode.
Changes appear to have no effect. A reload retained the old forwarding configuration. Stop and start the affected Paper server and Velocity process rather than relying on a reload.
Direct connections to a backend still work. Network exposure is independent of forwarding authentication. Restrict backend ports with firewall rules or network isolation so only Velocity can reach them.

When the secret looks correct but authentication still fails

Compare the actual bytes, not just what appears visually in an editor. Recopy the file contents, remove accidental surrounding whitespace, and ensure the Paper value is placed under the correctly indented proxies.velocity block. Then restart both sides. A secret that differs by one invisible character is still a different secret.

When an old tutorial conflicts with current Paper

Prefer the current file layout: config/paper-global.yml with proxies.velocity. References to paper.yml or a standalone velocity-support option describe older configuration and should not be mixed into a current setup. If a version-specific guide gives different keys, verify those keys against the documentation for the exact Paper build before changing the network.

Maintenance checklist

  • Keep a private backup of velocity.toml, each backend’s forwarding settings and the secret-management procedure, but do not publish the secret itself.
  • Whenever you add a backend, apply the complete three-file Paper configuration before making it reachable from Velocity.
  • Whenever you rotate or replace the forwarding secret, update every backend together and restart them.
  • After upgrading Minecraft, Paper or Velocity, recheck whether the destination still supports modern forwarding and whether any per-server override is still necessary.
  • Periodically test both paths: a normal connection through Velocity and a blocked direct connection to a backend.

Final configuration standard

A correctly configured modern network has one trusted Velocity entry point, modern forwarding enabled globally, one identical secret shared with each compatible Paper backend, backend authentication disabled, legacy BungeeCord forwarding disabled, and Paper’s Velocity integration enabled. Backend ports are isolated from the public internet, and every change is followed by a full restart. If an older destination cannot use modern forwarding, give it an explicit per-server mode rather than mixing formats on a modern backend.

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