Why Gate?

Discover why Gate is the modern choice for Minecraft proxy servers with cloud-native design, minimal resource usage, and built-in cross-play support.

Modern Architecture, Modern Performance

Gate is built from the ground up as a modern, cloud-native Minecraft proxy designed for today’s infrastructure and tomorrow’s scale.

Minimal Resource Footprint

Gate uses approximately 10MB of RAM in typical operation - that’s 5-10x less than traditional Java-based proxies.

# Typical memory usage
Gate:        ~10 MB
BungeeCord:  ~50-100 MB
Velocity:    ~50-100 MB

Lower memory usage means you can run more services on the same hardware, reduce cloud costs, and deploy efficiently even on resource-constrained environments.

Single Binary Distribution

No runtime dependencies. No version conflicts. Just download and run:

Linux/macOS

# Install Gate
curl -fsSL https://gate.minekube.com/install | bash

# Run it
gate

# Install Gate
powershell -c "irm https://gate.minekube.com/install.ps1 | iex"

# Run it
gate

# Run directly with Go
go run go.minekube.com/gate@latest

# Or use Docker
docker run -p 25565:25565 ghcr.io/minekube/gate:latest

No Java required. Gate is a standalone binary compiled from Go - just copy and run.

Key Advantages

Cloud-Native Design

Built for modern infrastructure:

• Native Kubernetes support
• Health checks and readiness probes
• Prometheus metrics
• Graceful shutdown
• Configuration hot-reload

Built-in Bedrock Support

Zero-plugin cross-play:

• Integrated Geyser & Floodgate
• Managed or manual modes
• No backend plugins needed
• Java + Bedrock on same network

Broad Version Support

Support for Minecraft versions:

• 1.7.2 to latest (1.21+)
• Forge mod support
• BungeeCord compatibility
• Velocity forwarding

Lite Mode

Lightweight reverse proxy:

• Route by hostname/domain
• Minimal overhead
• Multiple load balancing strategies
• Proxy-behind-proxy setups

Performance & Efficiency

Powered by Go

Gate is written in Go, Google’s modern systems programming language that powers infrastructure at the world’s largest companies:

Fast Compilation

Build and deploy in seconds, not minutes

Excellent Concurrency

Handle thousands of connections efficiently with goroutines

Modern Tooling

Simple dependency management with Go modules

Go is used by Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Netflix, Uber, Twitch, Dropbox, Docker, Kubernetes, and thousands of other companies for production infrastructure.

Real-World Performance

From pkg/gate/gate.go:1-407, Gate’s core architecture is designed for efficiency:

Gate's Core Design

// Gate runs multiple proxy editions in parallel
type Gate struct {
    javaProxy    *jproxy.Proxy      // Java edition proxy
    bedrockProxy *bproxy.Proxy      // Bedrock edition proxy  
    proc         process.Collection // Parallel running processes
}

// Efficient event system
eventMgr := event.New(event.WithLogger(log.WithName("event")))

// Context-based lifecycle management
func (g *Gate) Start(ctx context.Context) error {
    return g.proc.Start(ctx)
}

This architecture enables:

• Parallel processing of Java and Bedrock connections
• Event-driven plugins with minimal overhead
• Graceful shutdown via context cancellation
• Hot configuration reload without downtime

Deployment Flexibility

Gate runs anywhere:

Local Development

Perfect for testing:

# Download and run
gate

# Or with Go
go run go.minekube.com/gate@latest

Docker

Production containers:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  gate:
    image: ghcr.io/minekube/gate:latest
    ports:
      - "25565:25565"
    volumes:
      - ./config.yml:/config.yml
    restart: unless-stopped

Kubernetes

Cloud-native scaling:

deployment.yml

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: gate-proxy
spec:
  replicas: 3
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: gate
        image: ghcr.io/minekube/gate:latest
        ports:
        - containerPort: 25565
        livenessProbe:
          tcpSocket:
            port: 25565

Bare Metal

Traditional servers:

# Install as systemd service
sudo systemctl enable gate
sudo systemctl start gate

Feature Comparison

This comparison is objective and based on design differences between the projects.

Feature	Gate	BungeeCord	Velocity
Language	Go	Java	Java
Memory Usage	~10MB	~50-100MB	~50-100MB
Startup Time	Less than 1s	2-5s	2-5s
Single Binary	✅ Yes	❌ Requires Java	❌ Requires Java
Version Support	1.7 - Latest	1.7 - Latest	1.7 - Latest
Forge Support	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Plugin System	Go SDK	Java Plugins	Java Plugins
Bedrock Built-in	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No
Lite Mode	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No
Kubernetes Ready	✅ Yes	Manual	Manual
Config Hot-Reload	✅ Yes	❌ No	Partial
Metrics/Observability	✅ Built-in	Plugin	Plugin
Cloud Deployment	✅ Native	Manual	Manual

Built-in Cross-Play

Gate includes integrated Geyser and Floodgate for Bedrock Edition support:

1. Enable in Config

   config.yml

   config:
     bedrock:
       enabled: true
       managed: true  # Gate manages Geyser for you
   
2. Start Gate

   gate
   

   Gate automatically:

   • Downloads Geyser Standalone
   • Generates Floodgate encryption keys
   • Configures Geyser to connect to Gate
   • Starts Geyser process
3. Players Connect

   • Java players: Connect to port 25565
   • Bedrock players: Connect to port 19132

   Both play together on the same backend servers!

No plugins needed on backend servers. Gate handles all Bedrock protocol translation at the proxy layer.

See the Bedrock Guide for more details.

Lite Mode - Unique to Gate

Gate Lite Mode is a lightweight reverse proxy that routes connections based on the hostname players connect with:

config.yml

config:
  lite:
    enabled: true
    routes:
      - host: "survival.example.com"
        backend: "10.0.0.10:25565"
      
      - host: "creative.example.com"
        backend: "10.0.0.11:25565"
      
      - host: "*.minigames.example.com"
        backend: "$1.k8s.svc:25565"  # Dynamic routing
        strategy: least-connections    # Load balancing

Perfect for:

• Simple reverse proxy setups
• Proxy-behind-proxy architectures
• Minimal overhead routing
• Dynamic Kubernetes service routing

See the Lite Mode Guide for more information.

Developer Experience

Gate is designed for developers who want to extend and customize their proxy:

Go SDK

Build plugins in Go with a clean, documented API:

example-plugin.go

package main

import (
    "go.minekube.com/gate/pkg/edition/java/proxy"
    "go.minekube.com/gate/pkg/gate"
)

func main() {
    proxy.Plugins = append(proxy.Plugins, proxy.Plugin{
        Name: "MyPlugin",
        Init: func(ctx context.Context, proxy *proxy.Proxy) error {
            // Listen for player join events
            proxy.Event().Subscribe(&PlayerJoinEvent{}, func(e *PlayerJoinEvent) {
                e.Player().SendMessage("Welcome to the server!")
            })
            return nil
        },
    })
    
    gate.Execute()
}

Type Safety

Compile-time checks catch errors before deployment

Fast Iteration

Rebuild and test in seconds

Rich Ecosystem

Access Go’s vast library ecosystem

Easy Debugging

Use standard Go debugging tools

See the Developer Guide to get started.

Who Should Use Gate?

✅ Great For

• New networks starting fresh
• Go developers wanting to use Go
• Cloud deployments on Kubernetes/Docker
• Resource-constrained environments
• Cross-play networks (Java + Bedrock)
• Networks needing custom proxy logic
• High-performance requirements

⚠️ Consider Alternatives If

• You have existing Java plugins you depend on
• Your team only knows Java (not Go)
• You need SpigotMC plugins at proxy level
• You require specific BungeeCord plugins

Gate doesn’t support Java plugins from BungeeCord or Velocity.

Security & Stability

Modern Forwarding

Support for:

• Velocity Modern forwarding (recommended)
• BungeeCord Legacy forwarding
• BungeeGuard secret protection
• Proxy Protocol (HAProxy)

Rate Limiting

Built-in protection:

• Connection rate limiting
• Login attempt throttling
• IP-based quota system
• Configurable thresholds

Active Development

• Regular updates and releases
• Active community on Discord
• Responsive issue tracking
• Open source (Apache 2.0)

Production Ready

• Used by servers worldwide
• Extensive testing
• Graceful error handling
• Comprehensive logging

Community & Support

Get Help

Join our community:

• Discord: discord.gg/6vMDqWE
• GitHub: github.com/minekube/gate
• Documentation: gate.minekube.com

Getting Started

Ready to try Gate?

1. Install Gate

   curl -fsSL https://gate.minekube.com/install | bash
   
2. Create Config

   gate config -t simple -w
   
3. Start Gate

   gate
   

Quick Start Guide

Complete setup walkthrough

Configuration Reference

All configuration options

Developer Guide

Build custom plugins

Example Projects

Starter template repository