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User guide

Void User Guide

Complete walkthrough for managing Minecraft servers with Void — from installation to advanced daemon features.

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Overview

Void is a modern Minecraft server management platform. It runs a lightweight daemon on your machine that handles everything — starting and stopping servers, managing files, installing plugins, creating backups, and exposing your server to the internet — all controllable from a web dashboard or desktop app.

There are two ways to run Void: through the CLI daemon (voidmc, ideal for headless servers) or through the Desktop app (a standalone GUI with built-in SelfHost mode). Both connect seamlessly with the dashboard using encrypted end-to-end peer channels.

The Void Ecosystem

Void consists of several components that work together:

Dashboard (Website)

Your main control panel. Manage servers, players, files, backups, and more from any browser.

Desktop App

A standalone app with the same dashboard, plus built-in SelfHost mode that bundles the daemon.

voidmc CLI

The daemon binary that runs on your PC or server. Handles server processes, secure remote communication, and file operations.

Status Page

A public-facing page at /s/your-server-id showing MOTD, player count, version, and online status.

Installation

Install the Void host daemon (voidmc.exe on Windows or voidmc on Linux) using one of the one-liners below.

Windows

PowerShell (run as Administrator)

iwr "https://get.void.borgov.dev/install.ps1" -useb | iex

The installer adds voidmc.exe to %USERPROFILE%\.void\ and automatically to your PATH.

Linux

Bash

curl -fsSL https://get.void.borgov.dev/install.sh | bash

Installs to ~/.void/voidmc and configures PATH.

Desktop App

Download the Void Desktop installer from the download page. The desktop app includes the full dashboard and can manage the daemon through its built-in SelfHost panel.

Verifying Installation

Run the daemon to verify it installed correctly:

Terminal

voidmc

The daemon starts its terminal UI and displays connection status. Press Ctrl+C to stop.

Updating

To update the daemon to the latest release, re-run the install script for your platform:

Windows (PowerShell)

iwr "https://get.void.borgov.dev/install.ps1" -useb | iex

Linux

curl -fsSL https://get.void.borgov.dev/install.sh | bash

This updates the binary while preserving your configuration and Minecraft server directories.

Authentication

Void uses secure session authentication to pair your host machine with your account:

Automated Desktop Pairing (recommended)

Open the desktop app and go to Self-Host in the sidebar.
Click Install CLI to fetch voidmc.
Click Configure Auth — this securely pairs your account session automatically.
Click Start Daemon to launch the daemon as a background service.

Once authenticated, the daemon stays paired with your account and connects automatically across reboots with zero manual configuration.

Your First Server

Once your daemon is running and authenticated, open the dashboard. Your node appears in the node selector. Click Create Server to begin.

Server Types

Paper — High-performance fork with plugin support (Bukkit/Spigot/Paper). Recommended for most servers.
Purpur — Drop-in Paper replacement with extra gameplay customization features.
Fabric — Lightweight, modern modding platform.
Forge — Classic Minecraft modding framework.
Vanilla — Official Mojang server jar without plugins or mods.

Choosing a Version

The dashboard queries Mojang, Paper, Fabric, and Forge APIs dynamically. Pick the version you want, and the daemon downloads the jar automatically.

Dashboard Tour

The dashboard is your central control room. It shows node health, server status, memory consumption, and provides tabbed controls for every aspect of server administration.

Servers Tab

The default tab. Shows all servers on your node with live metrics:

Start / Stop / Restart / Kill — Complete process lifecycle control.
Create Server — Guided wizard for new Minecraft server jars.
Delete Server — Confirmation prompt requires typing the server name.
EULA Acceptance — Prompts you to accept the Minecraft EULA on initial boot.

Properties Tab

Configure your server settings through an intuitive visual form with zero manual configuration files: gamemode, difficulty, max players, PvP, view distance, port, and whitelist settings.

Console Tab

A live terminal pipe connected to your Minecraft process:

Live output — Real-time logs streamed with low-latency encryption.
Command execution — Send commands directly to the server.
Command history — Arrow Up/Down navigation through previous commands.

Players Tab

Inspect and manage connected players: Op/Deop, Whitelist, Kick, Ban, and view inventories and Ender Chests via Spigot/Paper NBT data parsing.

Files Tab

Integrated file manager with sandboxed directory navigation, drag-and-drop file uploads, zip extraction, and direct downloads — eliminating the need for manual filesystem or terminal operations.

Plugins & Mods Tab

Browse and install plugins and mods directly from Modrinth, Hangar, and Spiget with 1-click downloads into plugins/ or mods/.

Backups

Automated local snapshots with FIFO retention rules (limit by count or size) and 1-click restore directly through the dashboard.

Schedules

Automate recurring server tasks: restarts, backups, broadcast messages, and console commands using interval, cron, or one-shot schedules.

MOTD Editor

Visual Message of the Day builder with Minecraft color swatches, bold, italic, and underline styling, and live server list preview.

Status Page

Every server can enable a public status URL at /s/<statusId> or embeddable iframe at /embed/<statusId>.

Access Control

Share server access with teammates by username or UUID with granular permissions: Start, Stop, Console, Files, Plugins, Backups, and Properties.

Internet Exposure

Play with friends over the internet using built-in bore and playit.gg tunnels with zero port forwarding or router setup required.

Self-Hosting

The SelfHost feature in the desktop app bundles everything together — it installs, configures, and runs the Void daemon automatically.

Open the desktop app and go to Self-Host in the sidebar.
Click Install CLI — this downloads the latest voidmc.exe automatically.
Click Configure Auth — this securely configures and pairs your session automatically.
Click Start Daemon — the desktop launches voidmc.exe as a background process.

Once the daemon is running, the desktop's dashboard connects to it automatically. You can see daemon logs in the SelfHost panel's live log viewer.

The SelfHost page also displays the daemon's live process status with an automated poll every 3 seconds.

Troubleshooting

Daemon won't start

Check if another instance is already running. Run taskkill /f /im voidmc.exe (Windows) or pkill voidmc (Linux) to stop any lingering process, then retry.

Dashboard displays "Connecting..."

Make sure the daemon is running and authenticated. Check the SelfHost panel or terminal for errors. Remote connection requires outbound internet access to signaling endpoints.

Tunnel shows blank address or IP

Antivirus or local firewall suites may block outbound tunnel sockets. Add voidmc.exe and the %USERPROFILE%\.void directory to your antivirus exclusions.

Backups never load (infinite spinner)

This happens when the running daemon binary is outdated. Re-run the install script to update to the latest release.

Session expired or token rejected

Re-authenticate through the desktop SelfHost panel — click Configure Auth to sync a fresh session token.