How to Add Resource Packs and Behavior Packs to Your Minecraft Server

Resource Packs vs Behavior Packs vs Data Packs

• Resource Packs (RP) — Change how the game looks: textures, sounds, models, fonts, and UI. Available in both Java and Bedrock
• Behavior Packs (BP) — Change how the game works: mob AI, loot tables, crafting recipes. Bedrock Edition only
• Data Packs — Java Edition equivalent of behavior packs: custom recipes, loot tables, world generation, advancements, and functions

Java Edition: Server Resource Pack

1. Host your resource pack as a .zip file on a publicly accessible direct download URL (not a Google Drive share page or Dropbox preview — it must be a direct link that immediately starts downloading)
2. In the game panel, go to Files and open server.properties
3. Set resource-pack= to your direct download URL
4. Set resource-pack-sha1= to the SHA-1 hash of your .zip file (optional but recommended for download verification)
5. Set require-resource-pack=true if you want to force players to accept the pack or be disconnected
6. Save and restart

Important: The pack.mcmeta file must be at the root of the zip file, not inside a subfolder. Incorrect zip structure is a common cause of resource pack failures.

Java Edition: Data Packs

1. In the game panel, go to Files → your world folder (usually world) → datapacks
2. Upload the .zip data pack file
3. Either restart the server, or run /reload in the console
4. Verify with /datapack list — your pack should appear as enabled

Where to find data packs:

• Modrinth
• Planet Minecraft

Bedrock Edition: Resource and Behavior Packs

1. Upload your resource pack folder into resource_packs/
2. Upload your behavior pack folder into behavior_packs/ (create these folders if they do not exist)
3. The manifest.json must be directly inside each pack folder — not nested deeper
4. Restart your server

Troubleshooting

• Pack not loading (Java) — Make sure the URL is a direct download link. Test by pasting it in your browser — it should immediately start downloading a .zip file
• Wrong folder structure — The pack.mcmeta (Java) or manifest.json (Bedrock) must be at the root of the pack, not in a subfolder
• "Invalid pack" or JSON errors — Validate your JSON files at jsonlint.com
• Resource pack too large — Very large packs (100MB+) may fail to download for players with slow connections

Note: Custom pack installation falls under our unmanaged server policy. We are happy to help with basic setup, but for pack-specific issues, refer to the pack creator documentation.