RCON and Query on Minecraft Servers: What They Are and When to Use Them

Direct answer

Minecraft Query is a UDP status interface; RCON is a separate remote command interface. Neither is required for players to join. Enable them only when a trusted monitoring or administration tool genuinely needs them.

Recommended procedure

1. Back up server.properties and check what protocol your monitoring or management tool requires.
2. For Query, set enable-query=true and select query.port according to the hosting setup; permit only the necessary UDP traffic.
3. For RCON, set enable-rcon=true, choose rcon.port and set a long unique rcon.password.
4. Restrict RCON to trusted source IPs or a private network, preferably via a VPN or tunnel; do not publish it openly to the Internet.
5. Restart the server and test the intended client or monitoring integration.

Why this matters

The game connection normally uses Java TCP, while Query uses UDP and RCON is a remote-command connection. Opening the game port does not automatically expose or enable Query or RCON.

Practical example: Example: a status widget failing to show players when the game works normally may need Query rather than RCON. Conversely, a remote console tool requiring commands needs authenticated RCON, not status Query. Keep the RCON port inaccessible from public networks even if the password is strong; rotate credentials if they have been shared.

How to verify the result

• Confirm status monitoring receives the expected player information through Query.
• Confirm an authorized RCON client can run a harmless command such as list.
• Verify RCON is unreachable from an untrusted network. Disable unused interfaces.

Version and compatibility notes

• Do not reuse the Minecraft account password for RCON.
• Some hosts block or manage these ports independently; check the host before changing firewall rules.

Official references

These sources were checked for the current MSH revision. Version-sensitive details should always be confirmed against the project documentation for the release you run.

• Paper server.properties reference
• Paper configuration

Related guides