Server Start & Stop Guide¶

This guide consolidates all methods for starting, stopping, and restarting Minecraft servers managed by mcctl.

Overview¶

There are several ways to manage server lifecycle:

Method	Scope	Best For
mcctl CLI	Individual server or all servers	Day-to-day management
Docker Compose	Full infrastructure or individual containers	Advanced users
Web Console	Individual servers via browser	Visual management
PM2	Management Console services	Console lifecycle
Auto-Scale	Automatic start/stop based on player activity	Hands-off operation

mcctl CLI Commands¶

Start All Infrastructure¶

Start mc-router and all Minecraft servers:

mcctl up

This is equivalent to docker compose up -d. It starts the entire platform including mc-router and all registered servers.

Stop All Infrastructure¶

Stop all servers, mc-router, and remove the Docker network:

mcctl down

This runs docker compose down, stopping all mc-* containers.

Start Individual Server¶

# Start a specific server
mcctl start myserver

# Start all Minecraft servers (not mc-router)
mcctl start --all

Option	Short	Description
`--all`	`-a`	Start all Minecraft servers (not router)

Stop Individual Server¶

# Stop a specific server
mcctl stop myserver

# Stop all Minecraft servers (not mc-router)
mcctl stop --all

Option	Short	Description
`--all`	`-a`	Stop all Minecraft servers (not router)

Restart a Server¶

To restart a server (e.g., after configuration changes):

mcctl stop myserver && mcctl start myserver

When to Restart

You need to restart a server after:

Changing config.env settings
Modifying server.properties
Adding or removing mods/plugins
Changing memory allocation

Manage mc-router Independently¶

mcctl router start     # Start mc-router only
mcctl router stop      # Stop mc-router only
mcctl router restart   # Restart mc-router

mc-router must be running for players to connect to any server via hostname routing.

Docker Compose (Direct)¶

For advanced users who prefer direct Docker Compose commands. All commands should be run from the platform root directory (default: ~/minecraft-servers).

Start Everything¶

cd ~/minecraft-servers
docker compose up -d

Stop Everything¶

cd ~/minecraft-servers
docker compose down

Start/Stop Individual Containers¶

# Start a specific server container
docker compose up -d mc-myserver

# Stop a specific server container
docker compose stop mc-myserver

# Restart a specific container
docker compose restart mc-myserver

View Container Status¶

docker compose ps

Prefer mcctl CLI

While direct Docker Compose commands work, mcctl commands handle additional tasks like mDNS registration and compose file management. Use Docker Compose directly only when needed for troubleshooting or advanced scenarios.

Web Console¶

The Management Console provides a browser-based interface for server management at http://localhost:5000.

Prerequisites¶

Management Console must be installed and running:

mcctl console init       # First-time setup
mcctl console service start   # Start the console

Server Controls via Web UI¶

From the Dashboard, each server card shows quick action buttons:

Button	Action	Available When
Play (Start)	Start the server	Server is stopped
Stop	Graceful shutdown	Server is running
Restart	Stop then start	Server is running

Server Detail Page¶

Click on a server card to access detailed controls:

Start/Stop/Restart buttons in the server controls section
Console Panel - Execute RCON commands including stop to stop the server
Real-time Status - SSE-based live status updates (no polling)

REST API¶

For programmatic control, use the API endpoints:

# Start a server
curl -X POST http://localhost:5001/servers/myserver/start

# Stop a server
curl -X POST http://localhost:5001/servers/myserver/stop

# Restart a server
curl -X POST http://localhost:5001/servers/myserver/restart

See the API Reference for authentication details.

PM2 Service Management¶

PM2 manages the Management Console services (mcctl-api and mcctl-console), not the Minecraft servers themselves.

Console Service Commands¶

# Start Management Console services
mcctl console service start

# Stop Management Console services
mcctl console service stop

# Restart Management Console services
mcctl console service restart

# Check service status
mcctl console service status

Direct PM2 Commands¶

# View all managed processes
pm2 list

# View logs
pm2 logs mcctl-api
pm2 logs mcctl-console

# Restart services
pm2 restart mcctl-api
pm2 restart mcctl-console

PM2 vs Minecraft Servers

PM2 manages the Management Console (API + Web UI), not the Minecraft servers. Minecraft servers are managed by Docker containers.

Auto-Scale (mc-router)¶

mc-router supports automatic server start/stop based on player activity. This is the recommended approach for resource optimization.

How It Works¶

Auto-Scale Up: When a player connects to a sleeping server's hostname, mc-router automatically starts the Docker container
Auto-Scale Down: When a server has no players for the configured idle timeout, mc-router stops the container

Player connects → mc-router detects → Docker container starts → Player joins
                                                                    ↓
                                                          No players for 10m
                                                                    ↓
                                                    mc-router stops container

Configuration¶

Configure auto-scaling in .env:

# Enable auto-start on player connect
AUTO_SCALE_UP=true

# Enable auto-stop when idle
AUTO_SCALE_DOWN=true

# Idle timeout before stopping (1m, 5m, 10m, 30m, 1h)
AUTO_SCALE_DOWN_AFTER=10m

# Container start timeout in seconds
DOCKER_TIMEOUT=120

# Custom MOTD shown while server is starting
AUTO_SCALE_ASLEEP_MOTD=§e§lServer is sleeping§r\n§7Connect to wake up!

After changing settings, restart mc-router:

mcctl router restart

Player Experience¶

When auto-scale is enabled:

Sleeping server: Player sees the custom MOTD and is asked to retry
Starting server: Player waits briefly while the container starts (typically 30-120 seconds)
Running server: Normal gameplay, no difference from a manually started server

Auto-Start on Connect

With auto-scale enabled, you don't need to manually start servers. Just let players connect and the server starts automatically.

Quick Reference¶

Common Scenarios¶

Start EverythingStop EverythingRestart One ServerStart All Servers OnlyStop All Servers Only

mcctl up

mcctl down

mcctl stop myserver && mcctl start myserver

mcctl start --all

mcctl stop --all

Command Summary¶

Task	Command
Start all (router + servers)	`mcctl up`
Stop all	`mcctl down`
Start one server	`mcctl start <name>`
Stop one server	`mcctl stop <name>`
Start all servers (not router)	`mcctl start --all`
Stop all servers (not router)	`mcctl stop --all`
Start mc-router only	`mcctl router start`
Stop mc-router only	`mcctl router stop`
Restart mc-router	`mcctl router restart`
Start console services	`mcctl console service start`
Stop console services	`mcctl console service stop`

Infrastructure vs Servers¶

Understanding the difference between infrastructure and server commands:

Scope	Start	Stop	What It Affects
Full Infrastructure	`mcctl up`	`mcctl down`	mc-router + all servers + network
All Servers	`mcctl start --all`	`mcctl stop --all`	All Minecraft servers (not router)
Single Server	`mcctl start <name>`	`mcctl stop <name>`	One Minecraft server
Router Only	`mcctl router start`	`mcctl router stop`	mc-router only
Console Services	`mcctl console service start`	`mcctl console service stop`	API + Web UI (PM2)