On this page
- Get the first ten minutes right before you promote anything
- Set up voting with NuVotifier and VotingPlugin
- Install the vote receiver
- Open the vote port
- Add your server to the vote sites
- Decide what a vote is worth
- Get on server lists without promising what you do not have
- Example: adding your server to CobbleList
- The official Minecraft server list
- Build a Discord that players come back to
- Link it to the game with DiscordSRV
- Make people want to join
- Plan the first week of events
- What not to do
Key takeaways
5- Votes need two parts: NuVotifier receives them and VotingPlugin pays the rewards.
- Open the vote port (8192 by default) and paste the exact public key from plugins/NuVotifier/rsa/public.key into each list.
- Prepare your address, description, vote port and key before filling in a list form such as CobbleList's.
- Link Discord to the game with DiscordSRV and announce events in both places.
- Schedule one event a day for the first week and automate the quiet hours.
This guide is for owners of a new Java server with a handful of players and no audience yet. By the end you will have votes arriving and paying out, a Discord linked to the game, a plan for getting listed, and a first week of events that gives people a reason to return on day two.
Get the first ten minutes right before you promote anything
Promotion only pays off if the player who clicks your listing stays. Before you spend time on lists or Discord, join your own server on a fresh account and check three things: spawn makes it obvious where to go, the server does not lag with two or three people online, and there is something to do in the first few minutes.
- Pregenerate and profile. New chunks are a common cause of early lag. Our Chunky and spark guide covers both steps.
- Let Bedrock friends in. If part of your audience plays on console or phone, Geyser and Floodgate lets them join your Java server without a second one.
- Give returning players a ladder. Ranks that unlock over time are a reason to log in tomorrow. See LuckPerms ranks for building one.
Set up voting with NuVotifier and VotingPlugin
Server list sites let players vote for your server. To turn a vote into a reward, you need two parts: a vote receiver (NuVotifier) that accepts the notification from the list site, and a plugin that decides what the player gets (VotingPlugin).
NuVotifier is a secure alternative to the original Votifier. It runs on Bukkit, Spigot and Paper, and also on BungeeCord, Waterfall and Velocity, where it can forward votes to your other servers.
NuVotifier
Receives votes from server lists and can forward them across a proxy network.
On SpigotMC
VotingPlugin is the reward side. Its SpigotMC page describes rewards for specific vote sites, cumulative votes, milestones and streaks, a VoteParty (a server-wide reward after a set number of votes), top voter tracking, a vote shop and proxy support. It needs a vote listener such as NuVotifier to work, and the page lists it as free.
Install the vote receiver
- Download the NuVotifier jar from its listing and copy it into the
plugins/folder of your server. - Restart the server.
- Check the console for NuVotifier starting without errors.
- Open the File Manager, go into
pluginsand upload the NuVotifier jar (or use SFTP). - Press Restart in the Console.
- Watch the Console for NuVotifier starting without errors.
- Open the Files / FTP page, go into
pluginsand upload the jar. - Restart from the console page and read the output for errors.
On first start NuVotifier creates its config and an RSA key pair. The public key you give to server lists is at plugins/NuVotifier/rsa/public.key. The default port is 8192.
Open the vote port
Vote notifications arrive on that port, so it must be reachable from the internet. NuVotifier's own troubleshooting guide lists a blocked firewall, a missing port forward and a port already in use as the usual reasons votes never arrive.
sudo ufw allow 8192Use the equivalent rule if you run iptables or a cloud firewall. If something else already uses 8192, change the port in NuVotifier's config.yml and open that one instead.
A panel server only gets the ports your host has assigned to it. Ask your host which port you can use for votes, then set that port in NuVotifier's config.yml through the File Manager.
Ask your host which port you can use for votes, then set it in NuVotifier's config.yml on the Files / FTP page.
After editing the config, restart the server so the change applies. If your server sits at home behind a router, you also need a port forward for that port.
Add your server to the vote sites
Each list site needs your server address and, for votes to reach you, the vote port and the public key from public.key. Paste the key exactly, since a mismatched key is one of the listed reasons for failed votes. Then cast a test vote from a second account and watch the console.
Running a proxy? Read the NuVotifier setup guide when you add a second server.
Decide what a vote is worth
Configure rewards in VotingPlugin using its wikiSource site. Its Spigot page warns it is a complicated plugin that needs comfort with YAML, so start small:
- One reward per vote site, small and in-game (currency, a crate key, a bit of XP).
- A streak or milestone reward, so a player who votes daily gets more than someone who votes once.
- A VoteParty with a low target while you are small, so players see the server moving towards a shared goal.
Players need somewhere to vote from in-game. We have a DeluxeMenus vote menu on BuiltByBit, made by our team (five vote links with reward lore and a get-all button). You can also build your own menu with DeluxeMenus or a similar plugin.
If you want a physical place for it at spawn, the Mystic Voting Area is a 75x75 schematic with four NPC slots, made by our team. It needs WorldEdit or FastAsyncWorldEdit and Minecraft 1.20 or newer.
Get on server lists without promising what you do not have
Server list sites are where the voting traffic comes from, and each one has its own rules and listing form. The pattern is the same everywhere:
- Be accurate. Show the real version range, the real game mode and the real address. Players who join and find something else leave and do not vote.
- Write the description for one reader. Say what a new player does in the first ten minutes and what makes you different, rather than listing every plugin.
- Start with a few good lists instead of submitting everywhere. Every list you join is one more vote port to keep working and one more place to keep up to date.
- Add a banner and short description that match your spawn, so the listing and the server feel like the same place.
Example: adding your server to CobbleList
CobbleList is a Minecraft server list. Its front page lets visitors browse servers by category, sort them by popularity or by recent updates, and vote for the ones they like, so it follows the same model as the lists described above. It states that it is not affiliated with Minecraft or Mojang AB.
Use it as a dry run for any list. Have these ready before you start:
- Your public server address and the Minecraft version range you support.
- A short, honest description and the category that matches your game mode.
- Your NuVotifier vote port and the contents of
plugins/NuVotifier/rsa/public.key, if the list asks for them. - A second Minecraft account for a test vote, so you can watch your console and confirm the vote arrives.
The page we could read did not describe the submission form or its rules, so follow the steps and requirements the site shows you when you add a server, and read its Terms and Conditions first.
The official Minecraft server list
According to the Minecraft Wiki, every server on the official list must follow Mojang's Minecraft Usage Guidelines and EULA, and listings are vetted by GamerSafer and the Mojang Enforcement Team. Read the Multiplayer page for the details before you apply.
Build a Discord that players come back to
A Discord is where a player who logged off today finds out what is happening tomorrow. It only works if it is alive, so keep it small at first: a rules and announcements channel, a general chat, a support channel and a suggestions channel are plenty.
Link it to the game with DiscordSRV
DiscordSRV bridges chat both ways between Minecraft and Discord, so people in Discord can talk to people in game. Its Modrinth page also lists account linking with role and group sync, event alerts, ban sync and console forwarding. It runs on Bukkit, Folia, Paper, Purpur and Spigot, is free, and has setup documentation at docs.discordsrv.comSource site. Check its Modrinth page for the Minecraft versions it supports today.
Install it the same way as NuVotifier (upload to plugins/ via shell, File Manager or Files / FTP, then restart) and follow its docs to connect a Discord bot. Think before turning on console forwarding: anyone with access to that channel gets a view of your server console.
Make people want to join
- Put the Discord in game. A rotating chat announcement works better than a sign nobody reads. Our team made an InfiniteAnnouncements config with four styled announcements (Discord, store, vote and rules). It is made by our team and needs the InfiniteAnnouncements plugin.
- Give roles a look. Role icons make ranks visible in the member list. Our 32 Minecraft role icons are made by our team, in Minecraft title style.
- Post something every day for the first two weeks, even if it is only the next event time or a screenshot of a build.
Plan the first week of events
New servers lose players when nothing is scheduled. Give each day one thing to look forward to and announce it in both Discord and game chat.
| Day | What to run | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Launch day | Opening event with a small reward for everyone online | Rewards early players for showing up and gives them something to post |
| Day 2 | Vote party with a low target | Teaches players that votes help everyone |
| Day 3 | Build or PvP contest in a set area | Gives Discord screenshots to share |
| Day 4 | Q&A with staff on voice or text | Shows the team is around |
| Day 5 | Automatic mini-competition | Fills the hours when staff are away |
| Weekend | Larger event with a leaderboard | Gives people a reason to bring a friend |
For the hours when no staff are online, an events plugin can run things on its own. EventPulse, made by our team, runs seven event types on a random timer with a live scoreboard and automatic rewards. It has no required dependencies, and PlaceholderAPI and Vault with an economy plugin are optional.
What not to do
- Do not over-reward voting. If a vote is worth more than an hour of play, players vote and leave. Keep vote rewards as a bonus on top of the game.
- Do not launch with a half-finished server. A listing sends traffic once, and a bad first impression is hard to undo.
- Do not leave the Discord empty. If you cannot post, close channels you do not use.
- Planning a store? The Minecraft Wiki Multiplayer page is a neutral place to start reading about server rules.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need NuVotifier and VotingPlugin?
You need a vote listener to receive votes from list sites, and a plugin to give rewards. VotingPlugin's page says it requires a listener such as NuVotifier, so the two work as a pair.
Why are my votes not arriving?
NuVotifier's troubleshooting guide points to a blocked firewall or missing port forward, a wrong port or bind address, a missing vote plugin and a public key that does not match the one on the list. Check the startup log first.
Is DiscordSRV free?
Its Modrinth page lists it as free and open source. It runs on Bukkit, Folia, Paper, Purpur and Spigot, so check the page for the Minecraft versions it supports.
What is a vote party?
VotingPlugin describes it as a server-wide reward that triggers after a set number of votes. It works well for small servers because everyone shares the goal.
