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PumpkinMC

Minecraft Server Software · Rust · Pumpkin-MC (Open Source)

Setting up a PumpkinMC server: from order to login

Rent and set up a PumpkinMC server: pick a version, start the server, connect and apply the first settings. Step by step in the RespawnHost panel.

Last updated September 5, 2026 · RespawnHost

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Setting up a PumpkinMC server
How much RAM does a Pumpkin server need?
Step 1: Order the server
Step 2: Choose the version
Step 3: Start the server
Step 4: Connect
Step 5: First settings
Frequently asked questions

Setting up a PumpkinMC server

A PumpkinMC server is online in under 90 seconds at RespawnHost: pick a plan, order, start. Unlike Java servers there are no JVM flags, no server.properties and no memory start parameter — Pumpkin is a single executable and reads exactly one configuration file: pumpkin.toml.

How much RAM does a Pumpkin server need?

Pumpkin is by far the leanest Minecraft server software available. The project states around 100 MB of memory for an empty server — Vanilla and Paper sit above one gigabyte in the same comparison. The memory you book therefore goes almost entirely into world, chunks and players instead of the server itself.

Plan	Suitable for	Note
0.5 GB	Test and lobby servers, 2–5 players	Enough for first experiments with Pumpkin
1 GB	Small groups, 5–10 players	Our recommendation to start with
2–4 GB	Medium servers, many loaded chunks	Headroom for world generation
8–16 GB	Large servers, networks, plugins	Reserve for WASM plugins and worlds

Note

Player counts are recommendations from our own tests, not hard slot limits. Pumpkin has no mobs yet and no complete redstone simulation, so real-world usage is currently below that of a comparable Paper server — and may rise with future versions.

Step 1: Order the server

Open the PumpkinMC server hosting page.
Choose your billing model at the top: pay-per-use (billed per second, only while the server runs) or fixed plan (prepaid for a set term).
Pick the RAM tier and click Select.
In the configurator you choose region and server name, then the server is installed automatically.

Step 2: Choose the version

Pumpkin publishes new builds daily. In the panel under Settings → Startup variables, the PUMPKIN_VERSION variable controls which build is installed:

Value	Meaning
`nightly`	Latest build, updated daily (default)
`0.1.0-dev+26.2-26.45`	A fixed release, as of 4 September 2026

The version is downloaded during a reinstall. If you change the value, trigger a reinstall so the new binary is used.

Warning

Create a backup before every reinstall. And because Pumpkin is under active development, a new nightly build can change behaviour or introduce bugs — for servers running something that matters, a fixed release is the calmer choice.

Step 3: Start the server

Click Start in the panel. The console shows the boot process; once it says

Server is now running

the server is ready. Pumpkin usually starts in milliseconds rather than seconds — if the console goes quiet right after the click, the server is almost certainly already up.

Step 4: Connect

The address is shown at the top of the server overview in the panel, in IP:port format. Add it in Minecraft under Multiplayer → Add server.

If nobody can connect, check the address in the configuration first: Pumpkin binds to port 25565 by default, but your server has its own port. Open pumpkin.toml in the file manager and make sure your server port is set under [networking.java]:

[networking.java]
enabled = true
address = "0.0.0.0:25565"

Replace 25565 with the port from the panel, save and restart. Every other option is covered in Configuring pumpkin.toml.

Step 5: First settings

The settings worth touching right after the first start:

What	Where in `pumpkin.toml`
Name in the server list	`motd` under `[networking.java]`
Maximum players	`max_players` under `[networking.java]`
View distance	`view_distance` under `[networking.java]`
Difficulty	`default_difficulty` (top section of the file)
Game mode	`default_gamemode` (top section of the file)
Whitelist	`white_list` and `enforce_whitelist`

After every change: save the file, restart the server.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need Java on the server? No. Pumpkin is a native Rust binary and ships no JVM — that is the reason for the fast startup and the low memory usage.

Can I bring my existing world? Yes, Pumpkin reads and writes worlds in the Vanilla region format as well as the Linear and Pump formats. Upload the world folder via file manager or FTP and set its name in default_level_name. Create a backup first — Pumpkin is young software.

Do my Bukkit or Paper plugins work? No. Pumpkin has its own plugin system based on WebAssembly. See the plugin guide.

Can I run Pumpkin behind Velocity? Yes. BungeeCord, BungeeGuard and Velocity are supported, configured under [networking.proxy].

Is Pumpkin ready for production servers? The project describes itself as under heavy development. Mobs, entity AI, redstone and advancements are unfinished. For lobbies, minigames, building projects and tests Pumpkin works well today — for a classic survival server, Paper remains the more stable base.

Rent a PumpkinMC server — billed per second or as a fixed plan.