How to Read and Fix Minecraft Server Crash Reports

When your Minecraft server crashes, it generates a crash report that explains what went wrong. Understanding these reports helps you diagnose and fix issues without needing to open a support ticket.

Finding Crash Reports

1. Navigate to the Wabbanode Control Panel and select your Minecraft server.
2. Click Files to access the file manager.
3. Open the crash-reports folder. Crash report files are named using the format crash-yyyy-mm-dd_hh.mm.ss-server.txt.
4. Click the most recent crash report to view it.

Reading a Crash Report

A crash report contains several key sections:

Description: Near the top of the report, this line tells you what the server was doing when it crashed. Examples include "Ticking block entity", "Exception in server tick loop", or "Watching Server".

Stack trace: The block of text starting with java.lang or similar. Read from top to bottom. The first few lines show the specific error, and class/package names in the trace often reveal which mod or plugin caused the crash.

System details: Lists your Minecraft version, Java version, installed mods/plugins, and server type. Useful for checking version compatibility.

Common Crash Causes and Fixes

java.lang.OutOfMemoryError

Your server ran out of allocated RAM.

Fix: Upgrade your server plan to get more memory, or reduce resource usage by lowering view and simulation distance. Heavily modded servers typically require more RAM.

Ticking Entity / Ticking Block Entity

A specific entity (mob, item, minecart) or block entity (chest, hopper, spawner) caused an error during the server's tick cycle. The crash report includes the coordinates of the problematic entity.

Fix: Use the coordinates from the crash report to locate the entity. You can remove it using a command like /kill @e[x=X,y=Y,z=Z,distance=..5] from the console (without the /), or restore from a backup if the world is corrupted.

Mod or Plugin Errors

The stack trace contains the name of a specific mod or plugin that caused the crash. Common causes include version mismatches, missing dependencies, or conflicts between two mods modifying the same feature.

Fix: Update the mod/plugin to the latest version compatible with your server. If the issue persists, remove the mod and check if the crash stops. Check the mod's download page for known incompatibilities.

Java Version Incompatibility

Errors like UnsupportedClassVersionError indicate a Java version mismatch. Minecraft 1.17+ requires Java 17, and newer NeoForge versions require Java 21.

Fix: Check your server's Java version in the panel and ensure it matches the requirements for your Minecraft version and mod loader.

Sharing Crash Reports for Help

If you need assistance with a crash report, upload it to mclo.gs and share the generated link. This service is designed for Minecraft logs and automatically redacts sensitive information like IP addresses.

Include both the crash report and logs/latest.log when requesting help, as the log file often contains additional context leading up to the crash.

Troubleshooting

• Server keeps crashing on startup. Remove the last mod or plugin you added and try again. If you're unsure which one caused the issue, remove mods one at a time until the server starts successfully.
• Crash report folder is empty. The server may have stopped without a formal crash. Check logs/latest.log for error messages instead.
• Can't identify the problematic mod. Look for mod or plugin package names in the stack trace (e.g., com.examplemod or me.author.pluginname). If multiple mods appear, start by removing the one closest to the top of the trace.
• Crash happens at a specific location. The crash report includes world coordinates. If a chunk or entity is corrupted, restoring from a backup is often the quickest fix.
• Out of memory crash keeps recurring. Your server may have a memory leak from a mod or plugin. Monitor RAM usage in the panel and consider removing resource-heavy mods, or pregenerate your world chunks to reduce CPU load.