Setting Up a Web Map with Dynmap or BlueMap

A web map plugin lets you and your players view your Minecraft world in a web browser. It renders your server's world as an interactive map that anyone can explore, see player locations, and get an overview of what has been built.

This guide covers setting up the two most popular options: BlueMap and Dynmap.

Choosing Between BlueMap and Dynmap

BlueMap renders a full 3D model of your world with realistic lighting and a modern interface. It is lighter on resources and starts rendering automatically after setup. Recommended for most servers.

Dynmap renders a 2D map with an optional isometric view. It has been around longer and has deeper integration with other plugins. It requires more resources and a manual command to start the initial render.

Feature	BlueMap	Dynmap
Map style	3D interactive	2D with optional isometric
Performance	Lighter	Heavier
Initial render	Automatic	Manual command required
Plugin ecosystem	Growing	More established

Before You Begin

Both plugins run a small web server alongside your Minecraft server. This web server needs its own port, which means you need to add an extra port allocation to your server.

Adding a Port Allocation

1. Log in to the Game Panel
2. Select your server
3. In the left menu, click Network
4. Select Network
5. Add a new port allocation
6. Note down the port number - you will need it during configuration

Setting Up BlueMap

Step 1: Install BlueMap

1. Download BlueMap from SpigotMC or Modrinth, or install it from the Plugins browser in the Game Panel
2. Make sure you download the correct version for your server software (Paper/Spigot, Fabric, or Forge)
3. Upload the file to your plugins folder (or mods folder for Fabric/Forge) if you downloaded it manually
4. Start your server to generate the configuration files, then stop it

Step 2: Accept the Download

BlueMap needs to download additional resources from Mojang before it can work.

1. Open plugins/BlueMap/core.conf in the File Manager (or config/bluemap/core.conf for Fabric/Forge)
2. Find accept-download and change it to true
3. Save the file

Step 3: Configure the Web Server Port

1. Open plugins/BlueMap/webserver.conf (or config/bluemap/webserver.conf for Fabric/Forge)
2. Find the port setting and change it to the port you allocated in the Game Panel
3. Save the file

Step 4: Start Your Server

Start your server and BlueMap will begin rendering your world automatically. You can check the progress in the console. Once rendering begins, the map will be viewable in a browser even while it is still rendering.

Accessing the Map

Open a web browser and go to:

http://your-server-ip:your-port

Replace your-server-ip with your server's IP address and your-port with the port you configured.

Useful Commands

• /bluemap - Show BlueMap status
• /bluemap freeze - Pause all rendering (useful if your server is under heavy load)
• /bluemap unfreeze - Resume rendering
• /bluemap force-update - Force a complete re-render of all maps

Performance Tips

If BlueMap is using too many resources, open core.conf and lower the render-thread-count value. Setting it to 1 is recommended for servers with limited CPU.

Setting Up Dynmap

Step 1: Install Dynmap

1. Download Dynmap from SpigotMC or Modrinth, or install it from the Plugins or Mods browser in the Game Panel
2. Make sure you download the correct version for your server software (Paper/Spigot, Fabric, or Forge)
3. Upload the file to your plugins folder (or mods folder for Fabric/Forge) if you downloaded it manually
4. Start your server to generate the configuration files, then stop it

Step 2: Configure the Web Server Port

1. Open plugins/dynmap/configuration.txt in the File Manager
2. Find webserver-port and change it to the port you allocated in the Game Panel
3. Save the file

Step 3: Start Your Server and Render

1. Start your server
2. Run the command /dynmap fullrender in the console to begin the initial map render

The initial render can take a long time depending on how large your world is, and it will use a significant amount of CPU. It is best to do this when the server is quiet.

Accessing the Map

Open a web browser and go to:

http://your-server-ip:your-port

Replace your-server-ip with your server's IP address and your-port with the port you configured.

Useful Commands

• /dynmap fullrender - Render the entire world (required on first setup)
• /dynmap fullrender world_name - Render a specific world
• /dynmap cancelrender - Cancel an ongoing render
• /dynmap pause all - Pause all rendering
• /dynmap pause none - Resume rendering

Performance Tips

If Dynmap is causing lag, you can adjust these settings in configuration.txt:

• deftemplatesuffix - Change to vlowres or lowres for less detailed but faster rendering
• image-format - Change to jpg-q90 for smaller file sizes
• update-min-tps: 18.0 - Dynmap will pause updates if server TPS drops below this value

Troubleshooting

Map Not Loading in Browser

• Make sure the port in the plugin configuration matches the port you allocated in the Game Panel
• Check that your server is running
• Try using the IP address directly rather than a subdomain

Map Shows Nothing / Blank

• BlueMap - Check the console for rendering progress. The map populates as chunks are rendered
• Dynmap - Make sure you ran /dynmap fullrender at least once. The map will be blank until the first render completes

Connection Refused

• Verify the port allocation exists in the Game Panel under Network
• Make sure the plugin's configured port matches the allocated port exactly
• Restart your server after changing the port configuration

Server Lagging During Render

• Both plugins can cause lag during rendering. Use the pause commands to temporarily stop rendering during peak hours
• Lower the render quality or thread count in the configuration as described in the performance tips above

Having Trouble Setting Up Your Web Map?

Feel free to reach out to us and we can help you get it working:

• Support Ticket
• Discord Server - use the /support command
• Email: [email protected]