Once a Minecraft community grows past a single world, you eventually want a “network” — a shared lobby, a survival server, a minigames server, and the ability to walk between them without disconnecting. That is what a proxy does. A proxy sits in front of multiple backend Minecraft servers and acts as a single entry point: players connect to one IP, and the proxy routes them to the correct backend server and lets them switch servers while keeping their session alive. The two proxies almost everyone chooses between today are BungeeCord and Velocity.
Both do the same core job, but they come from different projects, use different (non-interchangeable) plugin ecosystems, and — most importantly — handle backend security differently. This guide explains what each one is, the real trade-offs, and how to decide. If you have already read our Paper vs Spigot vs Bukkit guide, think of proxies as the layer that sits above those game servers.
Quick answer: For a new network on Minecraft 1.13+, PaperMC recommends Velocity with its secure “modern” forwarding. BungeeCord remains a solid, mature choice — pick it when a required plugin only exists for BungeeCord, or when you must support pre-1.13 clients.
BungeeCord vs Velocity vs Waterfall at a glance
| Software | Type | Plugins | Performance & status | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BungeeCord | Original SpigotMC proxy (Layer 7) | BungeeCord API — largest, oldest proxy-plugin ecosystem | Mature, widely deployed, actively maintained by SpigotMC | Networks needing a BungeeCord-only plugin or pre-1.13 support |
| Velocity | PaperMC’s modern proxy | Own ecosystem on Hangar — newer, not BungeeCord-compatible | Marketed as faster/more stable; secure “modern” forwarding; actively developed | New 1.13+ networks wanting security & performance |
| Waterfall | PaperMC’s BungeeCord fork | BungeeCord-compatible (was) | End of life — no longer maintained or supported | Nothing new — migrate to Velocity |
What is a Minecraft proxy, exactly?
A proxy gives your whole network a single IP and a shared hub, and moves players between backend servers seamlessly. To make this work, the backend servers run in online-mode=false (offline mode) so the proxy — not each server — handles Mojang authentication. That is the entire reason “player-information forwarding” matters: the proxy has to prove to each backend who the player really is. It also means backends must be firewalled so players cannot connect to them directly and bypass the proxy.
Two ecosystems live side by side here. Proxy plugins (BungeeCord plugins or Velocity plugins) handle cross-server logic like the network lobby and server switching. Backend plugins (Bukkit/Spigot/Paper) run on each individual game server and are unaffected by your proxy choice. Just as Forge and Fabric mods are not cross-compatible, BungeeCord and Velocity proxy plugins are two distinct, non-interchangeable formats.
BungeeCord: the original, and still everywhere
BungeeCord is SpigotMC’s proxy, described in its own repository as a Layer 7 proxy “designed to link Minecraft servers” that “efficiently proxies and maintains connections and transport between multiple Minecraft servers.” It is the original, long-standing Minecraft proxy and works with Spigot, Paper, Purpur and other Bukkit-family backends. It is actively maintained by SpigotMC (repository copyright reads “(c) 2012-2026 SpigotMC Pty. Ltd.”) and tracks current Minecraft releases.
- Pros: mature and stable, the largest and oldest proxy-plugin ecosystem, near-universal host support and documentation, and it is simply well understood by admins.
- Cons: its legacy IP-forwarding is the weak point. The README itself warns that because backends must run without authentication (
online-mode=false), “this poses a new security risk,” and recommends firewalling backends. Velocity’s documentation goes further, calling legacy (BungeeCord) forwarding “fundamentally insecure.”
Note on Waterfall: PaperMC’s old BungeeCord fork was a drop-in, plugin-compatible replacement with extra patches, but it has reached end of life — “no longer maintained or supported,” with PaperMC explicitly recommending you “transition to Velocity.” Do not choose Waterfall for a new network.
Velocity: the modern successor
Velocity is PaperMC’s modern proxy, described on its GitHub as “the modern, next-generation Minecraft server proxy” and on papermc.io as “the modern, high-performance proxy.” PaperMC positions it as the successor to both Waterfall and BungeeCord and calls it “the best proxy software available.” It uses its own plugin API distributed via Hangar (PaperMC’s plugin repository); PaperMC concedes the ecosystem is newer than BungeeCord’s but says it “isn’t lacking in the essentials.” Velocity also has notable Forge compatibility per PaperMC’s docs (older Forge 1.7.2–1.12.2, and modern Forge on recent Velocity versions — confirm exact thresholds on the live docs).
- Pros: secure “modern” forwarding (MAC-authenticated), a strong focus on performance and stability, active development, a clean plugin API, and native Paper support. PaperMC states Velocity is “a lot faster and much more stable than BungeeCord” — treat that as a vendor claim, since no independent benchmark numbers are published.
- Cons: a smaller, younger plugin ecosystem than BungeeCord, and plugins that are not cross-compatible with BungeeCord. Modern forwarding also requires Minecraft 1.13+, so pre-1.13 networks must fall back to legacy or BungeeGuard forwarding.
The decisive difference: forwarding security
Because every backend runs in offline mode, how the proxy proves player identity is the most important difference between these two. BungeeCord (and Waterfall) use legacy IP forwarding. Velocity’s docs call this “fundamentally insecure”: if a backend is not firewalled, an attacker can connect to it directly and impersonate any player or UUID. Velocity’s modern forwarding “employs a MAC code to make it much more difficult to trick the server into impersonating your Velocity proxy.”
Velocity actually supports three modes: modern (native, secure), legacy (BungeeCord-compatible), and BungeeGuard (legacy plus a shared secret key). Modern forwarding is incompatible with Minecraft versions below 1.13 and with the ProtocolSupport plugin. Per PaperMC, “Paper 1.14+ and above, along with Paper 1.13.1/1.13.2 build 377 and above, support Velocity modern forwarding natively.” Regardless of which proxy you run, always firewall your backends so players cannot bypass the proxy.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Velocity if you are building a new network on Minecraft 1.13+ and want secure modern forwarding plus PaperMC’s performance-and-stability focus and active development. This is the mainstream best-practice default.
- Choose BungeeCord if a plugin your network depends on exists only for BungeeCord, or you must support pre-1.13 clients — just be disciplined about firewalling backends because of legacy forwarding.
- Do not choose Waterfall for anything new; it is end-of-life, and PaperMC recommends transitioning to Velocity.
Remember that this decision is separate from your backend server software. You can run Paper backends behind either proxy — see how to pick the best Minecraft server type and our vanilla vs modded comparison for that layer, or what Mohist is if you want mods and plugins together.
How to run it
A proxy is lightweight, but each backend server behind it needs its own resources. You can spin up a proxy plus backends on our BungeeCord server hosting or Velocity server hosting, and run the game servers on standard Minecraft server hosting. Before you allocate memory across the network, size each backend with our free Minecraft RAM Calculator, and set each server’s online-mode, port, and MOTD with the Server Properties tool. Keep a commands reference handy while you configure the hub.
Frequently asked questions
Are BungeeCord and Velocity plugins interchangeable?
No. They use two distinct, non-interchangeable plugin APIs — BungeeCord’s own API versus Velocity’s ecosystem on Hangar. Migrating from one proxy to the other means finding or replacing equivalent proxy plugins. Your backend Bukkit/Spigot/Paper plugins are unaffected.
Is Velocity really faster than BungeeCord?
PaperMC states Velocity is “a lot faster and much more stable than BungeeCord,” but that is the vendor’s own marketing claim, not a measured, independent benchmark. We won’t quote specific TPS or latency figures because no verified numbers exist. The clearer, factual advantage of Velocity is its secure modern forwarding.
Should I still use Waterfall?
No. PaperMC has declared Waterfall end-of-life — “no longer maintained or supported” — and recommends transitioning to Velocity. Only archived builds and docs remain.
Why do my backend servers need to run in offline mode?
Behind a proxy, the proxy handles Mojang authentication, so backends run online-mode=false and trust forwarded player info. That is exactly why forwarding security and firewalling matter: an unfirewalled backend in offline mode can be connected to directly and impersonated.
Can I use Velocity if my network is on an old version?
Velocity’s secure modern forwarding requires Minecraft 1.13+ (and is incompatible with the ProtocolSupport plugin). If you must support pre-1.13 clients, you’d fall back to legacy or BungeeGuard forwarding — at which point BungeeCord is often the simpler choice.
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