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Ludovic MarieandClaude Opus 5.5 3c44c45e08 README: the download home of Horizon's standalone server
The server is built from horizon-rust/horizon (horizon-engine, the game run
headless, and the horizon-server supervisor); this repo holds no code. Its
releases will republish Horizon's server archives from each release tag,
checked against the signed checksums (planned, horizon#3974). Online mode on
by default; offline mode stays the owner's choice, with hosting.md's warnings.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <[email protected]>
2026-10-29 22:48:05 +01:00

2.8 KiB

Horizon Server

A standalone Minecraft: Java Edition 26.3 server written in Rust. Download it here if you only want an optimized server. Vanilla Java clients and Horizon clients can both join. Gameplay follows vanilla 26.3: Horizon checks it against the real game with more than 300 parity tests.

Where it comes from

This repo holds no code. The server is built from horizon-rust/horizon, the same code that runs Horizon's single player and LAN worlds:

  • the engine: horizon-engine, the game run headless (horizon-client --dedicated), built without sound or controller support;
  • the supervisor: horizon-server, the program you run. It covers server.toml, the console, the web panel, backups, updates, crash restarts, and a control API on 127.0.0.1.

Report bugs and send pull requests to horizon-rust/horizon. How the server is getting faster, measured against vanilla and Pumpkin: docs/server-next.md.

Downloads

Planned: this repo's releases, one archive per OS. Each one is made from a Horizon release tag (#3974). The release workflow:

  1. runs when horizon-rust/horizon publishes a release;
  2. downloads that release's server archives and checks them against its signed SHA256SUMS;
  3. publishes them here unchanged, under the same tag, with the same checksums.

Nothing is rebuilt here, so a download from either repo is byte for byte the same.

Until then, use Horizon's own releases:

  • Linux: horizon-server-linux-x86_64.tar.gz.
  • macOS and Windows: the game archive, which also holds horizon-server.

Or use the installer:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/horizon-rust/horizon/main/packaging/server/install.sh | sh

On Windows: irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/horizon-rust/horizon/main/packaging/server/install.ps1 | iex.

Game files

The server needs the vanilla 26.3 data, prepared from your own copy of Minecraft. Nothing of Mojang's is redistributed here, and nothing is downloaded for you. Steps: docs/hosting.md.

Accounts

online_mode = true is the default, as on every Minecraft server: each player's account is checked with Mojang's services. You can turn it off, as on vanilla's server, but an offline server checks no accounts. Anyone who reaches it can join under any name, so keep it on your LAN or a tailnet. More in docs/hosting.md, "Before you start".

License

MIT, like Horizon. Minecraft is a trademark of Mojang Studios. This project is not affiliated with Mojang or Microsoft.