Ngrok Tunnel (Port Forwarding Elimination)

MC-Vector integrates Ngrok to create a public TCP tunnel for your Minecraft server. Friends can connect without you needing to configure router port forwarding.

How It Works

Ngrok creates an encrypted tunnel from your local server to a public Ngrok endpoint. Players connect to the Ngrok address, and traffic is forwarded to your server.

Player → tcp://0.tcp.ngrok.io:XXXXX → Ngrok Cloud → Your PC → Minecraft Server

Prerequisites

• A free Ngrok account
• Your Ngrok authtoken (available at dashboard.ngrok.com)

Free tier limitation

A free Ngrok account allows one active tunnel at a time. The public address changes every time Ngrok restarts.

Setup

1. Open the server’s General Settings.
2. Enable “Port Forwarding Elimination”.
3. Paste your Ngrok authtoken in the field that appears.
4. MC-Vector automatically downloads the Ngrok binary if it’s not already installed.
5. Click “Save”.

Starting the Tunnel

The tunnel starts automatically when the server starts. The public address is shown in the Console and General Settings panel:

tcp://0.tcp.ngrok.io:12345

Share this with your friends. They enter it in Minecraft → Multiplayer → Add Server:

• Server Address: 0.tcp.ngrok.io:12345

Stopping the Tunnel

The tunnel stops when you stop the server, or you can disable Ngrok in General Settings without stopping the server.

Troubleshooting

Tunnel not connecting:

• Verify the authtoken is correct in General Settings.
• Check that you don’t have another Ngrok tunnel running (free tier: one at a time).
• Ensure the server is running before Ngrok tries to connect.

Friends cannot connect:

• Make sure you share the current Ngrok address — it changes on each restart.
• Try the ping_server debug: open the Console and run list to confirm the server is online.

Ngrok binary not found:

• Click “Re-download Ngrok” in General Settings to force a fresh download.