# LeafSMP frequently asked questions *From https://leafsmp.com/faq, the server's own website. Written by the person who runs LeafSMP.* Everything people ask before applying. Each answer is also linkable on the HTML page at its own anchor. ## Joining ### How do I join LeafSMP? Join the LeafSMP Discord, read the #about channel, and press the "Apply for Whitelist" button. That is the only way in, and it is free. The button opens a short form asking for your Minecraft username, your age and a few sentences about yourself. A human reads it, usually within an hour or two, and your name goes on the whitelist as soon as it is approved. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#how-do-i-join-leafsmp) ### Is LeafSMP whitelisted? Yes. LeafSMP is [whitelist-only](/join) and the whitelist is enforced, so connecting without being approved is refused at the door. The whitelist is the reason the server is worth playing on. It is what makes it reasonable to leave your chests unlocked. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#is-leafsmp-whitelisted) ### Can cracked players join LeafSMP? No. LeafSMP does not allow cracked, pirated or offline-mode clients, including TLauncher, and you need a purchased Minecraft: Java Edition account to play. Nobody has to police this. The server runs in online mode, which means every login is verified with Microsoft before the connection is let through, so a cracked client is refused automatically and never reaches the world. There is no /login command here because there is nothing for it to do. Some servers run a plugin that lets paid and cracked accounts in side by side. This one does not, and that is not going to change. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#can-cracked-players-join-leafsmp) ### Do I need to buy Minecraft to play on LeafSMP? Yes. You need your own purchased copy of Minecraft: Java Edition, on the Microsoft account that owns it. Playing here is free and there is nothing on this server to buy, but the game itself is not mine to hand out. If you already own Java Edition, that is all you need. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#do-i-need-to-buy-minecraft-to-play-on-leafsmp) ### How old do you have to be to play on LeafSMP? You have to be 16 or over. There is no upper limit and plenty of people here are well past their twenties. It is asked on the application and it is the one requirement that is not flexible. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#how-old-do-you-have-to-be-to-play-on-leafsmp) ### How long does a LeafSMP application take? Usually an hour or two. Applications that land overnight are read the next morning. There is no queue and no quota, so nothing is waiting on a decision round. One person reads them and answers. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#how-long-does-a-leafsmp-application-take) ### Can I join if I do not live in the UK? Yes. The server is hosted in the UK but there is no regional restriction and players from outside the UK are welcome. The practical consideration is ping and overlap rather than permission: the server is busiest in UK evenings, so if you are many hours offset you will spend more time playing alone. Some people prefer that. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#can-i-join-if-i-do-not-live-in-the-uk) ### Do I need Discord to play on LeafSMP? Yes. Applications happen in Discord and there is no other route in. After that you can ignore it if you want to. Chat is bridged between Discord and the game, so people do talk in both, but nobody is required to. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#do-i-need-discord-to-play-on-leafsmp) ### Do I need a microphone or to use voice chat? No. Voice chat is entirely optional and plenty of people never use it. If you do want it, the server runs Simple Voice Chat, which is proximity based - you hear whoever is standing near you. It needs a client mod, which is in [our modpack](/mods). Without the mod you just do not have voice, and nothing else changes. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#do-i-need-a-microphone-or-to-use-voice-chat) ### Can I apply again if I am turned down? Yes. A no is not permanent and reapplying is not held against you. Most declines are because [an application](/join) said almost nothing, which is easy to fix by writing a bit more the second time. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#can-i-apply-again-if-i-am-turned-down) ### What should I write in my application? Write a few honest sentences about who you are and what you like doing in Minecraft. That is genuinely all that is being looked for. There is no correct answer and nobody is scoring your building ability. The only applications that are hard to approve are the ones that say nothing at all, because there is nothing in them to say yes to. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#what-should-i-write-in-my-application) ## Gameplay ### Is LeafSMP vanilla? Yes, and more strictly than most servers that say so. Every default that changes how the game behaves is the Mojang one, so duplication mechanics, piston behaviour, mob AI, redstone timing and item merging all work the way they do in singleplayer and the way the wiki describes. The server runs on Paper, which is a faster build of the same game. Only its performance work is kept; every one of its behaviour-changing defaults is turned back. The single deliberate exception is per-player mob spawn caps, so one person AFK at a farm cannot consume everybody else's mob spawns. On a twenty-slot server that is what makes farms work at all. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#is-leafsmp-vanilla) ### Which Minecraft version does LeafSMP run? Minecraft 26.2, on Java Edition. The server tracks current releases rather than sitting on an old version. The live version is always shown on the front page of the website, read from the server itself. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#which-minecraft-version-does-leafsmp-run) ### Does LeafSMP support Bedrock Edition? No. LeafSMP is Java Edition only, and there is no Bedrock bridge. That means console and mobile players cannot join. It is a deliberate choice: the cross-play bridges cause enough subtle breakage that supporting them properly would mean not being vanilla any more. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#does-leafsmp-support-bedrock-edition) ### Do I need any mods to play on LeafSMP? No. The server works with a completely unmodified Minecraft client. Performance mods, shaders and map mods are all welcome if you want them, and the ones we recommend are packaged as a [modpack you can install in one click](/mods). Hacked clients and xray are not allowed. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#do-i-need-any-mods-to-play-on-leafsmp) ### Is LeafSMP pay to win? Are there paid ranks? No. Nothing on LeafSMP is for sale, and there is no way to spend money on it even if you wanted to. There is no shop, no ranks, no crates, no cosmetics, no priority queue and no donation link. There is no economy plugin and no server currency. The server costs the owner money and that is the arrangement. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#is-leafsmp-pay-to-win-are-there-paid-ranks) ### What difficulty is LeafSMP on? Hard, permanently. Mobs spawn with armour and weapons, zombies break doors, and hunger will actually kill you. Keep inventory is off as well, so dying costs you what you were carrying. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#what-difficulty-is-leafsmp-on) ### Is keep inventory on? No. You drop everything when you die, exactly like default survival. If your drops are lost - despawned, burned in lava, taken - it can usually be recovered. Every dropped stack is logged with its enchantments and damage, so a lost inventory can be handed back as it was. That is a fix for a genuine accident, not a way around dying. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#is-keep-inventory-on) ### Is PvP enabled on LeafSMP? PvP is switched on, but only consensual PvP is allowed. You can duel somebody who agreed to duel you. Attacking somebody who did not agree and taking their things is treated as stealing and handled the same way. This is not a PvP server and nobody has to fight anyone. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#is-pvp-enabled-on-leafsmp) ### Are there teleports, homes or commands? One home, and the list is still short. /sethome sets it, /home returns to it, /delhome clears it, /back takes you to where you died, and /spawn puts you back at the community spawn from anywhere. /tpa asks another player if you can teleport to them, and /tpahere asks them to come to you. Either way they have to say yes, and /tptoggle turns the requests off entirely. Nothing here can move you anywhere you did not agree to go. There are no warps, no kits, no random teleport, no shop and no creative mode. Everything else is the vanilla game. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#are-there-teleports-homes-or-commands) ### Can another player teleport to me without asking? No. Every teleport on the server needs the other person to press something. /tpa and /tpahere send a request and nothing happens until it is accepted. There is no auto-accept and no command that moves a player who has not agreed. If you would rather not be asked at all, /tptoggle turns the requests off. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#can-another-player-teleport-to-me-without-asking) ### Is there an economy or a server shop? No. There is no economy plugin, no currency and no shop. People trade with each other directly using items, the way it works in singleplayer with friends. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#is-there-an-economy-or-a-server-shop) ### Are the Nether and the End open? Yes, both, with nothing disabled. The dragon, elytra, end cities and nether fortresses are all reachable as normal. There is no gating and no permission needed to go anywhere. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#are-the-nether-and-the-end-open) ### How many players are on LeafSMP? More people are on the whitelist than there are slots, because not everybody plays at once. The server has twenty slots, and the whitelist is larger than that. [The exact live numbers](/stats) are on this site, read straight from the world files rather than typed in by anyone. It is a small server and it is meant to stay one. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#how-many-players-are-on-leafsmp) ## The world ### Does the LeafSMP world reset? No. There is one survival world, there are no seasons, and there is no scheduled wipe. When a new Minecraft version arrives the same world is upgraded and carried forward rather than regenerated, so what you build stays where you built it. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#does-the-leafsmp-world-reset) ### When was the LeafSMP world created? The current world was created on 18 June 2026 and has run continuously since. The exact age in days, along with everything that has happened in it, is on [the stats page](/stats) and is calculated from the world itself. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#when-was-the-leafsmp-world-created) ### Is there a world border? No meaningful one. The border is at the vanilla default of about 60 million blocks, which nobody will ever reach. In practice you can walk in any direction for as long as you like and still be generating fresh terrain. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#is-there-a-world-border) ### Can I build anywhere I want? Yes. There are no land claims, no protected regions and no permission needed to settle somewhere. The only thing asked is common sense: do not build on top of somebody else, and if you want to be near someone, ask them first. Most people spread out and connect up later. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#can-i-build-anywhere-i-want) ### What happens if somebody griefs my base? It gets put back. Every block break and every chest opened is logged with a name and a timestamp, so the damage can be reversed exactly and the person responsible is not in doubt. This has been done before and it works. It is also why there is no claim plugin: the protection is a full audit log behind the world rather than a fence in front of it. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#what-happens-if-somebody-griefs-my-base) ### Is there a live map of the LeafSMP world? Yes. There is [a browser map of the whole world](/map) on this site, rendered from the real region files and updated as people build. It shows terrain and structures. It does not show live player positions. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#is-there-a-live-map-of-the-leafsmp-world) ### Can new players still find unexplored land? Easily. The world is effectively unbounded and only a small area around spawn is developed. A few minutes of travel in any direction reaches terrain nobody has touched. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#can-new-players-still-find-unexplored-land) ## Community and moderation ### What kind of players does LeafSMP suit? People who want a small survival world they can build in for a few hours a week without drama. That is the honest description. It suits people who like the game itself rather than the features bolted onto it, and who would rather know the twenty people they play with than be one of two thousand. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#what-kind-of-players-does-leafsmp-suit) ### How active is LeafSMP? It is busiest in UK evenings and quiet during the day. The live player count and the full activity history are on this site. Nobody is required to play a minimum amount, and going quiet for a while does not cost you your place. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#how-active-is-leafsmp) ### Who runs LeafSMP? One person, who owns the hardware it runs on and reads every application personally. There is no staff team, no moderator applications and no hierarchy to navigate. If something goes wrong there is exactly one person to ask. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#who-runs-leafsmp) ### How is moderation handled? Reactively, using the log rather than restrictions. Nothing in the world is locked down in advance; when something goes wrong it is read back and undone. There are [four rules](/rules), and the last one is that anything they do not cover gets a judgement call. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#how-is-moderation-handled) ### Can I change the colour of my name? Yes, and it follows you into the game. You pick a colour in the Discord and it applies to your name in both places: in Discord, and in game above your head, in the tab list and in chat. It is free, you can change it or drop it whenever you like, and it is the only cosmetic on the server. There is nothing to unlock and nothing to buy. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#can-i-change-the-colour-of-my-name) ### Are streamers and content creators allowed? Yes, and you do not need permission to record or stream. The only ask is the obvious one: other people are in your footage, so treat them the way you would want to be treated in theirs. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#are-streamers-and-content-creators-allowed) ## Technical ### Where is LeafSMP hosted? On dedicated hardware in the United Kingdom, owned and maintained by the person who runs the server. It is not rented hosting and it is not a shared box. An eight-thread Intel Core i7 with 32GB of memory and NVMe storage, on a UniFi network behind battery backup and fibre, running nothing else. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#where-is-leafsmp-hosted) ### What server software does LeafSMP run? Vanilla Minecraft behaviour, on Paper for the performance work. Every Paper default that changes how the game behaves is returned to the Mojang server behaviour. Paper is a faster build of the same server, not a different game. A player cannot tell the difference between this and a vanilla server, which is the point. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#what-server-software-does-leafsmp-run) ### Is LeafSMP backed up? Yes, every two hours, and the newest backup is automatically restored and verified every single day. Copies are also kept off-site. The daily restore test exists because a backup nobody has ever restored is not a backup. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#is-leafsmp-backed-up) ### Does LeafSMP have anti-cheat? Yes. GrimAC watches movement and combat, and it only ever reports what it sees - it cannot kick you, ban you, or undo anything you do. That split is deliberate. An anticheat allowed to act on its own spends most of its time punishing legitimate play, and on a whitelisted server where every block change is already logged, a person reading what actually happened is both fairer and much harder to fool. Xray is handled separately by the server itself, which simply never tells your client about ore you could not already see. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#does-leafsmp-have-anti-cheat) ### Has the LeafSMP server address changed? Yes. The address is now leafsmp.com. The old one, minecraft.lewisjgibson.com, still works and will keep working for a good while yet, but leafsmp.com is the one to use from now on. Edit the entry in your Minecraft server list rather than adding a second one, so you are never left guessing which of the two is current. Nothing else changes: same world, same builds, same whitelist. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#has-the-leafsmp-server-address-changed) ### What do I do if I cannot connect? Check you are on Java Edition, that you are using leafsmp.com, and that your application has actually been approved. If all three are true, ask in the Discord. Live server status is also shown on this site, so you can check whether the problem is at your end. [Link to this answer](https://leafsmp.com/faq#what-do-i-do-if-i-cannot-connect) ## Which LeafSMP this is Several unrelated Minecraft servers use the name LeafSMP. This one is the Java Edition survival server at leafsmp.com, with its Discord at https://discord.gg/3cQBcBm6ep. It used to be at minecraft.lewisjgibson.com, and that address still works. If you arrived from a server list or a video and something does not match, it is probably a different server with the same name. ## More - [How to join](https://leafsmp.com/join.md) - [About LeafSMP](https://leafsmp.com/about.md)