PocketMine-MP Is Dead: How to Migrate to PowerNukkitX in 2026

The end of PocketMine-MP: what happened

PocketMine-MP was born in 2012. For 14 years, this open-source software written in PHP was the absolute reference for creating a custom Minecraft Bedrock server. Thousands of community servers, mini-games and multiplayer networks owe their existence to it.

In July 2026, it all came to a stop.

The official GitHub repository was archived as read-only on July 9, 2026. The last release published is 5.44.3. The home page of pmmp.io has become a sober farewell page, titled "2012 - 2026 - Thank you for everything."

The message from Dylan (dktapps), the project's lead developer, is direct:

"As some of you may know, a key developer recently decided to leave Minecraft behind as he pursues other interests. While we wish him the best, unfortunately, this now means that no one is left willing to do updates for new Minecraft versions."

No one on the PMMP team wanted (or was able) to pick up the torch to handle updates for new versions of Minecraft Bedrock. The team did, however, prepare documentation on the update process to make possible forks easier. But the message is clear: no new updates will be provided by the PMMP team.

It is the end of an era. Respectful, honest, without drama. But it is indeed an end.

What is PowerNukkitX: the successor to PocketMine

Origin and positioning

PowerNukkitX did not come out of nowhere. It is part of a long lineage: Nukkit then NukkitX then PowerNukkit then PowerNukkitX. It is an open-source fork, the spiritual successor to both PocketMine and NukkitX, entirely written in Java.

The project is hosted on GitHub (github.com/PowerNukkitX/PowerNukkitX), under the LGPL-3.0 license. Its official website, powernukkitx.org, is maintained thanks to the support of Winheberg, a French host and official sponsor of the project.

What PowerNukkitX brings that PocketMine did not have

PowerNukkitX pushes the limits of what third-party Bedrock server software can offer:

• Custom blocks, items and entities: create custom content visible to vanilla clients, with no modification on the player side.
• Vanilla-like mob AI: mobs behave as in the official Mojang game.
• Vanilla-like world generation: custom biomes, structures and generators supported.
• Full vanilla commands: complete compatibility with standard Bedrock commands.
• Multithreading: each world runs on its own thread, independently of the others.
• Fast updates: new versions of Minecraft Bedrock are supported within a few hours.
• Event-driven Java Plugin API: writing a plugin comes down to annotating a listener, compiling a jar and dropping it into /plugins/.

PocketMine-MP vs PowerNukkitX comparison:

PowerNukkitX vs PocketMine: the technical differences

PHP vs Java: why it changes everything

PocketMine-MP was written in PHP, an interpreted language primarily designed for the web. It was a pragmatic choice in 2012, but one that showed its limits in terms of performance on high-load servers.

PowerNukkitX is written in Java, a compiled language, natively multithreaded, with a mature ecosystem for long-running server applications. The JVM allows optimized memory management and better scalability. For a Minecraft Bedrock server with several dozen simultaneous players, the difference is concrete: less lag, better stability, smoother scaling.

Multithreading: one world per thread

This is one of the most significant advances in PowerNukkitX. In PocketMine-MP, all worlds shared the same main thread: an overloaded world slowed down the entire server. With PowerNukkitX, each world runs on its own thread. An overloaded world does not affect the others. For a multi-world network (lobby, survival, mini-games), this is a radical change.

Plugin compatibility

This is the point that worries admins migrating from PocketMine-MP the most. The answer is direct: PocketMine-MP plugins (PHP) are not compatible with PowerNukkitX (Java). The two ecosystems are technically incompatible.

That said, PowerNukkitX has its own Plugin Hub, which covers the most common use cases: economy, teleportation, permissions, mini-games, etc. For very specific plugins, you will need to either find an equivalent or rewrite the plugin in Java: the official documentation guides developers step by step.

How to migrate from PocketMine to PowerNukkitX

The migration is not automatic, but it is structured. Plan on 30 to 60 minutes for a standard server.

Step 1: back up your data

First of all, back up your entire PocketMine-MP server folder.

# Arrêter le serveur PocketMine-MP, puis copier le dossier complet
cp -r /chemin/vers/pocketmine /chemin/vers/backup_pocketmine_$(date +%Y%m%d)

The critical elements to keep: /worlds/ (all your worlds), /players/ (player data), server.properties (main configuration) and /plugin_data/ (plugin data: economy, permissions, etc.).

Step 2: download and install PowerNukkitX

Head to powernukkitx.org to download the latest stable version.

# Créer un dossier dédié
mkdir /srv/powernukkitx && cd /srv/powernukkitx

# Télécharger le jar PowerNukkitX
wget https://github.com/PowerNukkitX/PowerNukkitX/releases/latest/download/powernukkitx.jar

# Lancer le serveur une première fois pour générer les fichiers de config
java -jar powernukkitx.jar

Accept Mojang's terms of use on the first startup. PowerNukkitX automatically generates its configuration files.

Step 3: migrate your worlds and configuration

Minecraft Bedrock worlds use the LevelDB format, compatible between PocketMine-MP and PowerNukkitX. The migration is direct.

# Copier les mondes depuis l'ancien serveur
cp -r /backup_pocketmine/worlds/* /srv/powernukkitx/worlds/

For the configuration, carry over the essential settings from your old server.properties (server name, port, max number of players) into the new file generated by PowerNukkitX. The structure is similar, but some keys have changed: consult the official documentation for the full mapping.

Step 4: find equivalents for your plugins

PocketMine plugins (PHP) do not work on PowerNukkitX. You need to identify the Java equivalents. Start by listing your current plugins, then look for their equivalents on the PowerNukkitX Plugin Hub.

For plugins with no direct equivalent: join the community Discord (discord.gg/powernukkitx), check the GitHub issues to see if a port is in progress, or consider rewriting the plugin in Java (the developer documentation is comprehensive).

# Déposer les plugins .jar dans le dossier dédié, puis redémarrer
cp mon-plugin.jar /srv/powernukkitx/plugins/
java -jar powernukkitx.jar

Hosting your PowerNukkitX server: why go through a host

Running PowerNukkitX self-hosted is possible, but it means managing the machine yourself, the Java updates, network security, automatic backups and 24/7 availability.

For a community that wants to focus on playing rather than on system administration, a dedicated host changes everything. For French-speaking communities that want a Minecraft Bedrock server hosted in France, with a simple management panel and support in French, we offer plans suited to every need, from the small community to the ambitious multiplayer network.

The key point: choose a host that natively supports PowerNukkitX, with one-click installation and automatic backups. The time saved on administration is time invested in your community.

The alternatives to PowerNukkitX for Minecraft Bedrock

PowerNukkitX is not the only alternative to PocketMine. Here is an honest overview of the Bedrock server software market in 2026:

PowerNukkitX stands out as the most complete choice for anyone who was looking for the features of PocketMine-MP with an actively maintained project. NukkitX remains an option if you have existing NukkitX plugins to keep. BDS is ideal for a vanilla server without plugins. GeyserMC answers a different need: connecting Bedrock players to a Java server.

FAQ - PocketMine-MP and PowerNukkitX

The answers to the most frequently asked questions are in the FAQ box below. Missing a question? Contact Lordhosting support via Discord.