MinePanel v1.2.0 — Network Compatibility Update

This release focuses on improving MinePanel compatibility with VPS, local machines, Docker-based hosting, shared Minecraft hosting, Pterodactyl-style environments, NAT port mapping, and reverse proxy setups.

Highlights

• Added safer host binding behavior
• Added public IP detection and automatic fallback
• Added host: auto support
• Added fallback-to-any option
• Improved compatibility with shared hosting providers
• Improved reverse proxy support
• Improved network error logging
• Prevented plugin startup failure caused by invalid public IP binding

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Network Binding Improvements

MinePanel now handles more hosting environments safely.

Supported host values:

web:
  host: 0.0.0.0
  port: 8080
  fallback-to-any: true

Supported examples:

• 0.0.0.0 — listen on all interfaces
• 127.0.0.1 — local only
• localhost — normalized to 127.0.0.1
• 192.168.x.x — local LAN IP
• auto — auto-detects the best available LAN host
• Public IPs — now detected and safely redirected to 0.0.0.0

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Public IP Binding Fix

Fixed an issue where users could not start MinePanel when using a public IP address in config.yml.

Before

Using:

web:
  host: 131.196.x.x

could cause MinePanel to fail because public IP addresses are usually not available as local network interfaces inside Docker, shared hosting, or NAT-based hosting environments.

Now

MinePanel detects public IP addresses and automatically falls back to:

web:
  host: 0.0.0.0

This prevents startup failure and improves compatibility with hosting providers that generate or map public ports.

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Safe Bind Fallback

Added a new option:

web:
  fallback-to-any: true

If MinePanel cannot bind to the configured host, it will automatically try:

0.0.0.0

If fallback is disabled, MinePanel will stop the web server startup safely and print a clear error message instead of crashing the plugin.

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Improved Error Logging

Network errors are now easier to understand.

MinePanel now explains possible causes such as:

• Docker container environment
• Shared Minecraft hosting
• Pterodactyl-style hosting
• Public IP not assigned to the local machine
• Port already in use
• Reverse proxy or NAT port mapping setup

The log also recommends fixes such as:

• Use host: 0.0.0.0
• Use the port generated by your hosting provider
• Configure port forwarding correctly
• Use Nginx or Cloudflare Tunnel as a reverse proxy

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Reverse Proxy Support

MinePanel continues to support reverse proxy environments through X-Forwarded-For detection.

This helps preserve the real client IP when running behind:

• Nginx
• Cloudflare Tunnel
• Reverse proxy systems

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Config Update

The config structure remains backward compatible.

Existing users do not need to recreate their config file.

New comments were added to explain:

• When to use 0.0.0.0
• When to use 127.0.0.1
• Why public IPs should not be used directly
• How fallback-to-any works

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Compatibility Matrix

Config	Before	v1.2.0
host: 0.0.0.0	Works	Works
host: 127.0.0.1	Works	Works
host: localhost	Works	Works
host: 192.168.x.x	Works	Works
host: auto	Not supported	Supported
host: public IP	Failed to bind	Warning + fallback
Bind failure	Web server may fail	Safe fallback available
fallback-to-any: false	Not available	Clear error, no fallback

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Changed Files

• config.yml

  • Added detailed host binding comments
  • Added fallback-to-any
  • Improved network configuration documentation

• ServerWebAdmin.java

  • Removed old local-interface-only host validation
  • Added public IP detection
  • Added host: auto
  • Added safe bind fallback
  • Improved BindException and IOException logging

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Recommended Hosting Config

For most users, especially shared hosting or Pterodactyl-style environments:

web:
  host: 0.0.0.0
  port: 8080
  fallback-to-any: true

Do not set host to your public IP address.

Use the port provided by your hosting panel or configure port forwarding through your hosting provider.

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Thank you to the community members who helped test and report hosting compatibility issues.