Running several worlds on one server with Multiverse
Create a separate creative, mining or event world, move between them, and keep inventories apart — with the storage cost in mind.
One Minecraft server normally runs one world, plus its Nether and End. Multiverse-Core lets a Paper server run as many as you like side by side: a creative build world next to survival, a resource world you reset every month so the main world stays untouched, a superflat world for minigames. Players move between them with a command or a portal.
Multiverse is a Paper, Purpur and Spigot plugin. There is no direct equivalent for modded servers.
Install it
Upload Multiverse-Core to the plugins folder and restart. On first start it finds your existing worlds and manages them. Add the companion plugins only if you need them:
- Multiverse-Inventories — keeps separate inventories per world, so items cannot be carried from creative into survival. Almost essential if you add a creative world.
- Multiverse-Portals — build portals that lead to a world, instead of using commands.
- Multiverse-NetherPortals — links each world to its own Nether and End.
Multiverse 5 changed some command options compared to version 4. /mv help always lists the exact form for the version you have installed.
Create a world
/mv create creative normal— a new normal world calledcreative./mv create mining normal— a resource world./mv create mining_nether nether— a Nether-type world.
Creating a world generates its spawn area straight away, so the server pauses for a few seconds. Do it while few people are online.
Move between worlds
/mv tp creative takes you there; /mv tp Steve creative sends someone else. /mv list shows every world Multiverse manages. For players, give them the permission for the worlds they may visit (multiverse.access.creative and so on) and either a command or a portal.
Per-world settings
/mv modify changes a world’s own settings without touching others: game mode, difficulty, PvP, whether animals and monsters spawn. A creative world usually wants game mode creative, monsters off and PvP off. Game rules are per world as well — run /gamerule while standing in the world you want to change. See Minecraft game rules.
Importing and removing worlds
/mv import oldworld normal— manage a world folder that is already on the server, for example one you uploaded through the file manager./mv remove name— stop managing a world but leave its files./mv delete nameand then/mv confirm— delete the world and its folder. This is permanent./mv regen name— regenerate a world from scratch, optionally with a new seed. The usual way to reset a resource world.
The cost
Every extra world takes disk space and, while loaded, memory. A busy resource world reset each month stays small; a creative world where people build huge projects grows like any other.
On a Cobbly free server, all worlds share the 10 GB storage limit and the 3 GB of memory. Two or three worlds with a handful of players fit comfortably; five busy worlds with players spread across them will not. Worlds nobody is in still keep a small spawn area loaded unless you turn that off in the world’s settings. Also keep the main survival world named world — the World tab’s upload, download and reset tools work on that folder.
A common setup
For a group of friends, a well-tested shape is: the main survival world, a creative world with Multiverse-Inventories keeping inventories apart, and a mining world regenerated every few weeks. The main world stays beautiful, and nobody ever has to dig up the land around spawn for iron.