Bedrock Crossplay

Enable cross-platform play between Java and Bedrock Edition players using Gate’s built-in Geyser integration

Bedrock Crossplay

Enable seamless cross-play between Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition players on your server network with zero backend plugins required. Gate provides built-in Geyser integration that handles all Bedrock protocol translation automatically.

Overview

Gate’s Bedrock support uses a proxy-in-front-of-proxy architecture with built-in Floodgate protocol support:

How It Works

1. Bedrock Players connect to Geyser on UDP port 19132 (customizable)
2. Geyser translates Bedrock protocol to Java Edition and forwards to Gate
3. Gate handles Floodgate authentication internally and routes connections
4. Backend servers see all players as normal Java Edition connections

Key Benefits

• No backend plugins - Gate handles all Bedrock logic internally
• Zero configuration - Managed mode handles everything automatically
• Cross-platform - Supports all Bedrock platforms (mobile, console, Windows)
• Secure - Uses AES-128 encryption for player authentication

Quick Start

Get Bedrock support running in 30 seconds with managed mode:

1. Enable Bedrock in config

   Add the following to your config.yml:

   config:
     bind: 0.0.0.0:25565
     onlineMode: true
     servers:
       server1: localhost:25566
     try:
       - server1
   
     # Enable Bedrock support - that's it!
     bedrock:
       managed: true
   
2. Start Gate

   Launch Gate with your configuration:

   gate --config config.yml
   

   Gate automatically:

   • Generates encryption keys
   • Downloads Geyser
   • Creates optimized configs
   • Manages the Geyser process
3. Connect

   Players can now connect:

   • Java Players: localhost:25565
   • Bedrock Players: localhost:19132

The managed: true shorthand enables both Bedrock support and managed mode in one line!

Configuration

Basic Configuration

For most users, managed mode provides the perfect balance of simplicity and control:

Minimal Setup

bedrock:
  managed: true

bedrock:
  # Custom username format to avoid conflicts
  usernameFormat: '.%s' # .Steve instead of Steve

  # Custom listen address for Geyser connections
  geyserListenAddr: 'localhost:25567'

  # Custom key path (optional - auto-generated if not specified)
  floodgateKeyPath: '/path/to/key.pem'

  managed:
    enabled: true
    autoUpdate: true # Keep Geyser up-to-date automatically

Configuration Options

Option	Description	Default
usernameFormat	Format string for Bedrock usernames (use %s for username)	".%s"
geyserListenAddr	Address where Gate listens for Geyser connections	localhost:25567
floodgateKeyPath	Path to Floodgate encryption key	floodgate.pem

Managed Mode Options

Option	Description	Default
enabled	Enable automatic Geyser management	false
autoUpdate	Automatically update Geyser JAR	true
javaPath	Path to Java executable	java
dataDir	Directory for Geyser files	.geyser
extraArgs	Additional JVM arguments	[]

Network Configuration

Default localhost:25567 works for most setups where Geyser runs on the same machine.

Use 0.0.0.0:25567 for:

• Docker Compose with separate containers
• Remote Geyser on different server
• Kubernetes pod-to-pod communication

Advanced Configuration

Custom Geyser Settings

Override any Geyser configuration option using configOverrides:

Performance Tuning

bedrock:
  managed:
    enabled: true
    configOverrides:
      # Optimize for performance
      bedrock:
        port: 19132
        compression-level: 8
        mtu: 1200
      use-direct-connection: true
      max-players: 500

bedrock:
  managed:
    enabled: true
    configOverrides:
      # Customize server branding
      bedrock:
        motd1: 'My Amazing Server'
        motd2: 'Cross-Play Enabled!'
        server-name: 'MyServer Bedrock'
      xbox-achievements-enabled: true

bedrock:
  managed: true
  configOverrides:
    # Use a different Bedrock port
    bedrock:
      port: 25565 # Use same port as Java (if on different IPs)

Username Formatting

Prevent conflicts between Java and Bedrock usernames:

Prefix with Dot

bedrock:
  managed: true
  usernameFormat: '.%s' # Steve becomes .Steve

bedrock:
  managed: true
  usernameFormat: '%s_BE' # Steve becomes Steve_BE

bedrock:
  managed: true
  usernameFormat: 'Mobile_%s' # Steve becomes Mobile_Steve

Manual Setup (Advanced)

For users who want to manage their own Geyser installation:

1. Generate Floodgate key

   Create a 16-byte AES-128 key:

   openssl rand -out key.pem 16
   chmod 600 key.pem
   
2. Download Geyser Standalone

   wget https://download.geysermc.org/v2/projects/geyser/versions/latest/builds/latest/downloads/standalone -O geyser-standalone.jar
   
3. Configure Gate

   bedrock:
     enabled: true
     geyserListenAddr: 'localhost:25567'
     usernameFormat: '.%s'
     floodgateKeyPath: '/path/to/key.pem'
   
4. Configure Geyser

   Edit Geyser’s config.yml:

   bedrock:
     port: 19132
     address: 0.0.0.0
   
   remote:
     address: localhost
     port: 25567
     auth-type: floodgate
     use-proxy-protocol: true
   
   floodgate-key-file: /path/to/key.pem
   
5. Start in order

   # 1. Start Gate first
   gate --config config.yml
   
   # 2. Start your backend servers
   
   # 3. Start Geyser Standalone
   java -Xmx1G -jar geyser-standalone.jar
   

Manual setup requires careful coordination of configurations, startup order, and key management. Managed mode is recommended for most users.

Troubleshooting

Bedrock Players Can't Connect

Solutions:

1. Check UDP port - Ensure port 19132 is open for UDP traffic:

   nc -u -l 19132  # On server
   nc -u server-ip 19132  # From client
   

2. Verify managed mode status - Check Gate logs for Geyser startup:

   INFO bedrock.managed geyser standalone process started pid=1234
   INFO [GEYSER] Done (5.2s)! Run /geyser help for help!
   

3. Check firewall - Allow UDP 19132 and TCP 25567:

   sudo ufw allow 19132/udp  # Bedrock clients
   sudo ufw allow 25567/tcp  # Geyser to Gate
   

Authentication Errors

Solutions:

1. Verify key generation - Check if Floodgate key was created:

   ls -la floodgate.pem
   # Should show: -rw------- (0600 permissions)
   

2. Check key permissions:

   chmod 600 floodgate.pem
   chown gate:gate floodgate.pem
   

3. Regenerate if corrupted:

   rm floodgate.pem
   gate --config config.yml  # Auto-generates new key
   

Performance Issues

Solutions:

1. Tune Geyser settings:

   bedrock:
     managed:
       enabled: true
       configOverrides:
         bedrock:
           compression-level: 8
           mtu: 1200
         use-direct-connection: true
   

2. Increase memory for Geyser:

   bedrock:
     managed:
       enabled: true
       extraArgs: ['-Xmx2G', '-XX:+UseG1GC']
   

Supported Features

Fully Supported

• Cross-platform play - All Bedrock devices can join Java servers
• Authentication - Secure Xbox Live authentication via Floodgate
• Chat & commands - Full compatibility between editions
• World interaction - Building, mining, crafting work normally
• Device detection - Server can identify player platforms
• Inventory sync - Items transfer correctly between editions

Partial Support

• Custom items - Java-specific items may render differently
• Resource packs - Bedrock packs need special conversion
• Some plugins - Java-specific plugins may not work with Bedrock players

Not Supported

• Bedrock-exclusive features - Education Edition content, some UI elements
• Java mods - Forge/Fabric mods don’t work with Bedrock clients
• Complex redstone - Some advanced redstone may behave differently
• Lite Mode - Gate Lite isn’t compatible with Bedrock Edition (coming soon)

For more information about Geyser and Floodgate, visit the GeyserMC Wiki.