Server Lifecycle & Dashboard

The Dashboard is the main control panel for each server. It shows real-time performance metrics and provides server lifecycle controls.

Starting a Server

1. Select your server from the sidebar.
2. Click “Start” on the Dashboard.
3. MC-Vector launches the Java process with the configured JVM settings.
4. The status tile changes to Running (green) when the server is online.

Java required

A Java runtime must be assigned to the server before starting. If no Java is configured, go to General Settings → Java Version and select or download one.

Stopping a Server

Click “Stop” on the Dashboard. MC-Vector sends the stop command to the server’s stdin, allowing a graceful shutdown.

Tip

Always stop the server gracefully before closing MC-Vector or making changes to server files. Forced termination can cause world corruption.

Restarting a Server

Click “Restart” to stop and immediately start the server again. Useful after installing plugins or changing server.properties.

You can also restart via the Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl+K → type “restart”).

Dashboard Metrics

The Dashboard displays live KPIs updated every 2 seconds:

Tile	Description
Status	Running (green) / Stopped (gray)
TPS	Ticks Per Second — 20 is ideal; below 18 indicates lag
CPU	CPU usage of the Minecraft process
Memory	RAM used vs. allocated (e.g., 1.2 GB / 4 GB)
Software	Server type and Minecraft version (e.g., Paper 1.21.1)
Uptime	Time elapsed since last start

Real-Time Charts

The Dashboard also shows three 60-second rolling charts:

• CPU Chart — CPU usage trend
• Memory Chart — RAM usage trend
• TPS Chart — Server tick rate trend

Use TPS as the primary health indicator:

TPS range	Meaning
18–20	Healthy — no action needed
15–17	Minor lag — check for heavy plugins or large farms
Below 15	Significant lag — reduce view distance, restart, or investigate plugins

Version Upgrade Wizard

When a new version of the server software is available, an “Upgrade to Latest” button appears on the Dashboard.

The wizard automatically:

1. Checks the current version against the latest release
2. Creates a full backup before any changes
3. Downloads the new server JAR
4. Replaces the old JAR with the new one

The server must be stopped before running the wizard. Start it again after the wizard completes.