Server Configuration

SteelMC is configured through a TOML configuration file located at config/config.toml. This page documents all server options.

World settings are documented in World Configuration.

Basic Settings

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

Security Settings

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

Caution

Disabling online_mode allows cracked clients to connect. Only disable if you know what are you doing, or for private networks and development.

For debugging and bots it’s recommended to disable encryption (only for testing!)

Favicon Settings

Option	Type	Default	Description
server.use_favicon	bool	true	Whether to use a custom favicon
server.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
server.compression.threshold	u32	256	>=256	Packet size threshold for compression
server.compression.level	i32	4	1-9	Compression level (1=fast, 9=best)

Server Links

Server links are displayed in the multiplayer menu.

Option	Type	Default	Description
server.server_links.enable	bool	true	Enable server links feature
server.server_links.links	Array	4 links	List of links to display

See Server Links Guide for detailed configuration.

Logging Settings

Option	Type	Default	Description
log.time	String	"uptime"	Time format: none, date, or uptime
log.module_path	bool	false	Whether the module path should be displayed
log.extra	bool	false	Whether extra log data should be displayed

Example Configuration

/config/config.toml

[server]
server_port = 25565
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

[server.compression]
threshold = 256
level = 4

[server.server_links]
enable = true

[[server.server_links.links]]
label = "bug_report"
url = "https://github.com/4lve/SteelMC/issues"

[log]
time = "uptime"
module_path = false
extra = false

Validation Rules

The server validates configuration on startup:

• unknown fields are rejected
• server.view_distance must be between 1 and 32
• server.simulation_distance must be less than or equal to server.view_distance
• server.compression.threshold must be at least 256
• server.compression.level must be between 1 and 9
• if server.enforce_secure_chat is true, both server.online_mode and server.encryption must be true

If validation fails, the server will exit with an error message.