Wispdock’s control panel isn’t built yet. Where a step says “in your control panel”, use whatever your host gives you for files, the console and start/stop. The Minecraft side works the same everywhere.
Include the Minecraft and Java versions when asking about a Java server; for modpack setups, add the exact pack release too.
Where the logs are
logs/latest.logcovers the current session, from the last start until now. Check it first.- Older sessions sit in the same folder, gzipped and named by date, like
2026-11-01-1.log.gz. The number at the end counts up when the server started more than once that day. crash-reportsgets a new file each time the server crashes, named likecrash-2026-11-01_18.42.10-server.txt. If the server stopped by itself, look there.- The console in your control panel shows the same lines as
latest.logas they happen, but usually only the recent ones.
You can open all of them with the file manager in your control panel, or download them. A .gz file needs unpacking first: 7-Zip opens it on Windows, macOS unpacks it with a double-click, and on Linux zcat 2026-11-01-1.log.gz prints it.
Restarts move things around. When the server starts, the previous latest.log gets packed into one of the dated files. If the problem happened before a restart, the log you want has a date in its name.
If one player crashes or can’t join and the server log looks clean, their own game keeps logs too: .minecraft/logs/latest.log and .minecraft/crash-reports on their PC.
How a log line reads
[18:42:10] [Server thread/INFO]: Starting minecraft server version 1.21.4
[18:42:12] [Server thread/ERROR]: Error occurred while enabling ExampleHomes v2.4.0 (Is it up to date?)
[18:43:05] [Server thread/WARN]: Can't keep up! Is the server overloaded? Running 2043ms or 40 ticks behindEach line has the time, the thread in brackets, and the level. Most lines are INFO and don’t matter. WARN is worth a glance. ERROR and FATAL are what you’re after. Plugins and mods usually put their name in square brackets at the start of the message, like [LuckPerms], so you can see who said what. Your console may show a shorter version of the same line.
The server has finished starting when it prints Done (6.912s)! For help, type "help". Anything that stops it from starting shows up before that line.
Search for ERROR, WARN and Exception. Start with the first error after startup, not the last one. Later errors are often side effects of the first: a plugin that failed to load causes errors in every plugin that depends on it. With shell access, grep -n ERROR logs/latest.log lists them with line numbers, and zgrep does the same for the gzipped files.
Read a stack trace
An error usually comes with a stack trace: an exception line, a block of lines starting with at, and sometimes Caused by: with another block under it. Here is a shortened one from a made-up plugin called ExampleHomes:
[18:42:12] [Server thread/ERROR]: Error occurred while enabling ExampleHomes v2.4.0 (Is it up to date?)
java.lang.IllegalStateException: Could not load homes.yml
at com.example.homes.storage.YamlStorage.load(YamlStorage.java:88)
at com.example.homes.ExampleHomes.onEnable(ExampleHomes.java:31)
at org.bukkit.plugin.java.JavaPlugin.setEnabled(JavaPlugin.java:281)
...
Caused by: org.yaml.snakeyaml.scanner.ScannerException: mapping values are not allowed here
in 'reader', line 12, column 9:
at org.yaml.snakeyaml.scanner.ScannerImpl.fetchValue(ScannerImpl.java:902)
... 12 moreRead it in this order:
The exception line says what went wrong, in Java’s words. Here: a file couldn’t be loaded.
The
atlines say where, most recent call first. Skip packages that start withjava.,net.minecraft,org.bukkit,io.papermcor a loader such asnet.fabricmcornet.neoforged. The first package left over belongs to the plugin or mod involved. Here,com.example.homesis ExampleHomes.Caused by:is the error underneath. When there are several, the last one is usually the root of it. Here it’s a YAML syntax error on line 12 of a config file, which means a typo, not a bug.
Package names don’t always match the plugin’s name. EssentialsX, for example, lives in com.earth2me.essentials. They’re still close enough to search for, and some servers print the jar file name at the end of each at line, which settles it.
Read a crash report
A crash report starts with ---- Minecraft Crash Report ----, a one-line joke, the time and a Description: line. Under that is the stack trace. Near the bottom, -- System Details -- lists the Minecraft version, Java version, memory and, on modded servers, the mod list.
- Read the
Description:line, then the exception under it and its lastCaused by:. Between them they usually say what went wrong. - Check the Java version and memory in System Details. A wrong Java or a tiny
-Xmxshows up there in plain text. - Forge and NeoForge crash reports often list suspected mods. Treat that as a good first guess, not a verdict.
A single server tick took 60.00 seconds (should be max 0.05)means the server froze rather than crashed, and the watchdog stopped it aftermax-tick-time. That is a lag problem, so profile with spark next. Paper also writes the main thread’s stack trace intolatest.logwhen the server stops responding, which shows what it was busy with.
For a specific startup error, follow the detailed checks for Unable to access jarfile, FAILED TO BIND TO PORT, UnsupportedClassVersionError.
Common errors and what they mean
Can't keep up! Is the server overloaded?
The server fell behind by the time shown. One or two during startup, or while someone flies into new terrain, is normal. A steady stream means the server is lagging, and reducing lag covers how to find out why.
**** FAILED TO BIND TO PORT!
Followed by java.net.BindException: Address already in use. Something else is already listening on that port, most often a second copy of the same server that never shut down. Stop everything, then start once. On a host, server-port has to be the port you were assigned. If the server starts fine but nobody can join, that’s a different problem: see fixing “Can’t connect to server”.
java.lang.UnsupportedClassVersionError
The server jar or a plugin was built for a newer Java than the one running it. The message names the class file version it needs, as in class file version 65.0, this version of the Java Runtime only recognizes class file versions up to 61.0.
| Class file version | Java version |
|---|---|
| 52 | Java 8 |
| 55 | Java 11 |
| 60 | Java 16 |
| 61 | Java 17 |
| 65 | Java 21 |
| 69 | Java 25 |
Minecraft 1.20.5 and newer need Java 21, and 1.18 to 1.20.4 need Java 17. Change the Java version in your control panel’s startup settings. If only one plugin wants a newer Java than your Minecraft version uses, find a build of that plugin made for your version instead.
Plugin or mod version mismatches
On Paper, Could not load 'plugins/Example.jar' with Unsupported API version means the plugin was built for a newer Minecraft than your server. UnknownDependencyException means it needs another plugin that isn’t installed; the message names it. The plugin install guide covers picking the right build.
Fabric, Forge and NeoForge check versions before the world loads and print a list of which mod wants which version of Minecraft, the loader or another mod. Fix the first line of that list and run again. On Forge and NeoForge, Attempted to load class net/minecraft/client/… for invalid dist DEDICATED_SERVER means a client-only mod is in the server’s mods folder. Take it out.
java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space
The server used all the memory -Xmx allows. Either the limit is too low for what you run, or something is filling memory that shouldn’t, such as a huge farm or a leaking mod. The RAM guide has sensible sizes.
You need to agree to the EULA in order to run the server
First start on a fresh server. Open eula.txt, change eula=false to eula=true if you accept Mojang’s EULA, and start again.
moved too quickly!
A warning that a player moved further in one tick than the server allows. Lag spikes cause it, and so do some movement cheats. On its own, it’s harmless.
Share a log
Upload the file to mclo.gs and send the link. It is built for Minecraft logs and hides IP addresses. Don’t paste a whole log into a chat; it gets cut off and nobody can read it.
Send the log from the session where the problem happened. After a restart, that is no longer latest.log but one of the dated files. Send the whole file rather than the ten lines you think matter, because the cause is often a few hundred lines above the error.
Skim it before posting it somewhere public. mclo.gs takes out IPs, but it can’t know that a plugin printed your database password in a connection error.
When you ask for help, say what changed right before it broke. “I updated Paper and three plugins” narrows things down faster than any log.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Minecraft server log file?
In the logs folder inside the server directory. logs/latest.log is the current session, and older sessions are gzipped files named by date. Crash reports go into a separate crash-reports folder.
What does UnsupportedClassVersionError mean?
The server jar or a plugin was built for a newer Java than the one running it. Minecraft 1.20.5 and newer need Java 21. Change the Java version in your control panel’s startup settings, or use a plugin build that matches your Java.
How do I find which plugin or mod caused a crash?
Look at the stack trace under the first error and find the first package name that doesn’t belong to Java, Minecraft, Bukkit, Paper or the mod loader. That package belongs to the plugin or mod involved. Then read the last Caused by line for the underlying reason.
Is it safe to share my server log?
Mostly. Upload it to mclo.gs, which hides IP addresses. Skim it first for anything else you’d rather keep private, such as a database password a plugin printed in an error.
Why did my server stop without a crash report?
Something ended the Java process from outside, so Minecraft never got to write a report. A common cause is the host’s memory limit when -Xmx is set too close to the plan’s RAM. The last lines of latest.log show what the server was doing when it stopped.
Wispdock’s draft plans are 4 GB for vanilla and plugins and 8 GB for modpacks. The pricing page has the details; prices are drafts and ordering isn’t open yet.
Still stuck? Send us the details and your latest.log.