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Troubleshoot servers

Fix the common problems with servers, from a server that will not start to errors in the console, files and API.

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Find the symptom or the message you see, then follow the fix. Messages appear here exactly as the dashboard or the API shows them, and each section links to the page that covers the task in full.

Start shows at the top of the server page while the server is stopped. When a start is refused, the dashboard shows Could not send the power signal with one of these reasons:

Cannot start while server status is installing
The software is still installing. Wait until the Console tab shows the console, then start the server. The same message names transferring while we move the server to another machine, and install_failed when the install did not finish (The install failed).
Cannot send power actions while server is suspended
The server is suspended. See The server is suspended.
Free servers must be started via the wake endpoint, not a direct power start/restart
This is a free server. Select Wake server on the Console tab (How free servers work).
We are optimising this server's world right now. You can start it again in a moment.
We are removing unused chunks from the world, and the server cannot start until that finishes. Try again shortly.
Another action is already in progress
The server is still carrying out an earlier power action. Wait until the status badge settles, then try again.
The node does not have this server yet; it is being restored there. Try again in a moment.
We are putting the server's files back on the machine it runs on. Try again in a moment.
The node is unreachable, The node could not complete this request or Power action failed
We could not reach the machine the server runs on, or it did not carry out the start. Try again shortly, and ask for help if it keeps happening.
Start is missing
The server is running, starting or stopping, or it is locked (The server is locked). A free server that is asleep shows Wake server on the Console tab instead.
The server starts, then stops by itself
The game stopped. See The server crashed or stopped.

The Container Apps page shows Install failed, and the Console tab says The install did not finish. Fix it or run it again to bring the console back.

We try an install up to 3 times before we mark it failed, and up to 6 times when we could not reach the machine. When the version you chose is no longer published, we install the newest published version instead. So Install failed means every attempt failed.

The dashboard cannot run the first install again. Start a new install from the Software tab instead:

  1. Open the server's Software tab. The Server software panel opens first.
  2. Under Choose the software to run, select the entry marked Current, or other software.
  3. Choose a version. Latest is the safest choice when a specific version failed.
  4. Choose Keep my files, or Start clean to delete everything the failed install left.
  5. Select Change version or Switch software. With Start clean, the button is Wipe and install…: type the server's name to confirm.

When the job shows Succeeded, start the server. Change the server software describes each choice.

Wings reported the install script failed, so the new software is not on disk.
The new install failed too. The message ends with the last lines of the install's output, which often name the cause. When it happens again, ask for help: we can run the install again from our side.

Players join at the address that Copy address at the top of the server page copies, such as 203.0.113.10:10432. When they cannot connect, check these in order:

The server is not running
The status badge must show Running, and the console must have printed the game's Done line. A server that is still starting refuses players. A free server has its own address rules (Joining a free server).
The address has no port
The IP address is shared with other servers, so players must type the port too. Copy the whole address with Copy address.
The primary port changed
After Make primary… on the Ports tab, the address has the new port. Send your players the new address (Manage ports).
The game refuses the server because of its version
The player's game runs another Minecraft version. Pick the server's version in the Minecraft launcher, or change the server's version on the Software tab.
The game says the player is not white-listed
The server's whitelist is on. Send whitelist add followed by the player's name on the Console tab.
Every player is refused through a join address
The join address has PROXY protocol on, and the server does not expect it. Troubleshoot proxies and join addresses explains the fix.

File changes fail with The server is out of disk space., and the game cannot save. The Disk figure on the server page shows how much of the plan's disk is in use.

  1. Open the Files tab and delete what the server does not need: old logs in logs, old reports in crash-reports, worlds you no longer play, and archives you made with Compress…, which go into the server root.
  2. Restart the server once there is room again.

Snapshots are kept in your account's snapshot storage, so deleting snapshots frees no disk on the server. For more room, move to a larger plan.

SFTP signs in with your Coritan account password on port 2022, with a username made of your email address, a full stop and the first eight characters of the server's ID. It does not accept SSH keys or a two-factor code, and it refuses every sign-in while the server is suspended or locked. Connect with SFTP covers each message a client shows.

The Console tab shows what the game printed before it stopped. The same output is in logs/latest.log on the Files tab, and a Minecraft crash leaves a report in crash-reports.

A free server stopped when nobody was playing
A free server stops after 10 minutes without players by default, and sooner while its machine is busy. Select Wake server, or join from the game (How free servers work).
The server ran out of memory
The server is stopped when it runs out of memory altogether. Lower Java memory to the default, or move to a larger plan (Change Java settings).
A plugin or mod stops the server
Turn off the addon you added last on the Installed addons panel, then start the server (Manage installed addons).
A datapack stops the world loading
Select Start in safe mode, which starts the world on the vanilla datapack alone (Start a server in safe mode).
The world was saved by a newer Minecraft version
Minecraft cannot load a world saved by a newer version. Change the server back to the newer version, or restore a snapshot taken before the change.
A schedule stopped it
A Send a power signal task sends Stop, Restart or Kill. Check Run history on the Schedules tab (Schedule server tasks).

The server page shows This server is suspended: It is stopped, and you cannot start it until we lift the suspension. Check the plan's billing status or open a ticket. The console is unavailable, SFTP refuses to sign in, and the server cannot take or restore snapshots.

An unpaid invoice
Select Open Billing and pay the open invoice. Paying it resumes the service (Failed payments and suspended services).
A free server nobody used for 14 days
By default, we take a snapshot of a free server and suspend it after 14 days without activity, and delete it after 21 days. Ask for help to bring it back before then (Free servers nobody uses).
Any other reason
Ask for help. The ticket or email we sent you says why.

When we lift a suspension, we delete the snapshots we took of the server on our own, such as Saved before removal for non-payment, unless you locked them (Snapshots and backups compared).

The server page shows This server is locked with our message, and the API answers 423 with reason set to server_locked:

We have locked this server because activity on it broke our acceptable use policy, and our team is reviewing it. Your files have not been deleted. If you believe this is a mistake, reply to the support ticket we opened with this lock.

While it is locked, you can stop the server but not start it. You can read its files, but you cannot change them or its software, and SFTP refuses to sign in. Select Open review ticket to reply to the ticket, or Open Support when the banner has no ticket.

Too many requests for this action. Please wait and try again.
You repeated an action too often on this server, such as power actions or software installs. The API answers 429, and its Retry-After header says how many seconds to wait. Server limits and rate limits lists each budget.
Connection limit reached. Close other console sessions first.
You have 8 consoles open on this server, or 32 across all servers. Close console tabs you are not using.
Slow down
You sent more than 20 commands in one second on one console. The console drops the extra commands.
401 Invalid or expired token
The access token has run out. Refresh it and send the request again.
404 Server not found
No server has that UUID. Copy it with Copy server ID on the server page.
403 Access denied or Insufficient permissions
The server belongs to another account, and its owner has not shared it with you, or has not given you the permission this request needs (Share a server with other users).
409 with reason set to server_deleting
This server is being deleted. Nothing more can be done with it.
422 on POST /command
The command query parameter is missing or longer than 1,000 characters.
502 or 503 with a message that starts The node
We could not reach the machine the server runs on, or it refused the request. Try again shortly.

Errors explains the shape of every error response.

If none of these fixes the problem, contact support from the dashboard. Include:

  • The server's ID, which Copy server ID on the server page copies.
  • What you did, and the message you saw, exactly as it appeared.
  • The last lines of the console output, when the problem is with the game.