Updated 2026-10-27 · All guides

How to add a live web map to your Minecraft server with BlueMap

BlueMap turns your Minecraft world into a 3D map you can explore in any web browser, with player positions updating live. It's great for planning builds, finding your way back to a base, or just showing off your world to people who don't play. It's free and open source, and runs on the server itself, so there's no separate website to pay for.

What you need

• A Paper, Purpur or Fabric server. BlueMap is a plugin on Paper and Purpur, and a mod on Fabric. It doesn't run on a plain Vanilla server; see Paper vs Fabric vs Vanilla if you need to switch.
• Minecraft 1.17 or newer for current BlueMap versions.
• The right Java version for that BlueMap version. Newer BlueMap releases need newer Java. If BlueMap doesn't load and the console mentions a class file version, download an older BlueMap release, or update the server's Java.
• Some free disk space. The map's tiles take roughly as much space as the world itself, sometimes more for a large, well-explored world.

1. Install BlueMap

Download the version for your server software and Minecraft version from Modrinth. Check both the loader (Paper or Fabric) and the game version before downloading.

• Paper / Purpur: put the jar in the plugins folder.
• Fabric: put it in the mods folder. Fabric API is also required.

Start the server. BlueMap creates its settings folder (plugins/BlueMap on Paper, config/bluemap on Fabric) and then prints a message in the console saying it needs you to accept a download.

2. Accept the resource download

To draw blocks, BlueMap needs Minecraft's textures, which it downloads from Mojang. Because those files are covered by the Minecraft EULA, BlueMap asks you to confirm first. Stop the server, open core.conf in BlueMap's settings folder, and change:

accept-download: false

to

accept-download: true

Start the server again. BlueMap downloads the textures, then starts rendering the world in the background. On a big world the first render takes a while, from minutes to hours, but you can use the map while it works; unrendered areas just appear as you go.

3. Open the map

BlueMap has a small built-in web server on port 8100. On the server PC, open a browser and go to:

http://localhost:8100

You'll see the world from above. Drag to move, scroll to zoom, right-drag (or two fingers on a phone) to tilt into 3D. Players online appear as markers with their skins, updating every few seconds. Use the menu to switch between the Overworld, Nether and End.

If the page doesn't load, check the console for a BlueMap error. A common one is that port 8100 is already in use, for example by a second server with BlueMap. Change port in webserver.conf to another number like 8101.

4. Useful commands

5. Share the map with friends

By default the map is only for you, or for people on the same network. Think before you share it more widely: anyone with the link can see your whole world and where every player is, including bases. For a private group of friends that's usually fine. For a public server, consider hiding player markers.

Same Wi-Fi: friends on your network can open http://192.168.1.100:8100, using your PC's local IP from ipconfig. Windows Firewall needs to allow TCP port 8100.

Over the internet there are a few ways, the same as for the game itself:

• Port forwarding: forward TCP port 8100 on your router, just like 25565 for the game. Friends then use http://your-public-ip:8100. See the port forwarding guide.
• A tunnel: services like Cloudflare Tunnel give you an https:// link that reaches the map without opening any ports. Cloudflare's free "quick tunnel" gives a random address that changes each time it starts.
• A virtual LAN like Tailscale, if your friends already use it to join the game. See hosting without port forwarding.

6. Keep it running smoothly

• Pre-generate first. If you pre-generate the world with Chunky, let it finish before BlueMap renders, so the map doesn't keep re-rendering new land.
• Limit the render area on huge worlds with the min-x, max-x, min-z and max-z settings in each map's config file.
• Lower render threads if rendering makes the game lag. In core.conf, render-thread-count sets how many CPU threads BlueMap uses. A lower number renders more slowly but leaves more for the game.
• Store the map on an SSD if you can. The map is thousands of small files.

BlueMap or Dynmap?

Dynmap is the older, very popular alternative. It draws a flat or angled 2D map and has a built-in web chat. BlueMap renders a true 3D view that you can fly around, and generally looks more modern. Both are free. For a friends' server where the goal is "see the world and where everyone is", BlueMap is usually the nicer experience.

HostCraft can install and configure BlueMap for you, accept the download when you accept the EULA, show the map in a Live map tab inside the app, and make a free Cloudflare link to share it.