Sleeping and waking
Servers sleep when empty and wake when someone joins: sleep times per plan, what players see, the queue, AFK rules and archiving.
A server nobody is on goes to sleep, and wakes when someone joins. It stays in the server list the whole time.
When it sleeps
| Plan size | Sleeps after the last player leaves |
|---|---|
| Free (2 GB) | 5 minutes |
| Stone (3 GB) | 15 minutes |
| Iron (4 to 7 GB) | 30 minutes |
| Gold (8 to 12 GB) | 60 minutes |
The same timer runs after you press Start server and nobody joins. The server saves and stops cleanly, and we make a backup. Activity shows every wake and sleep with the reason.
An always-on option is not available.
What players see
- In the server list: your real MOTD and icon, and 0 players. We never fake a player count.
- When they join: a screen with your server's name and a countdown, for example "Starting yourserver... about 15s", based on its last few starts. They are moved in when it is ready. A wake takes about 10 to 20 seconds.
- If it takes longer: the screen says so. After 60 seconds a player can keep waiting or go to the hub. After 5 minutes everyone still waiting goes to the hub with a note.
- If it cannot start: a plain reason, for example "This server couldn't start, the owner has been told". You get an alert.
Players who pick your server in the hub wait where they are. A party waits and goes in together.
When we are busy
If a region is full, servers wait in line and players see their place, for example "Busy right now, you're #3 in line". Paid servers go ahead of free ones. When a server goes to sleep and frees room, the first in line that fits starts.
Regions
Each server starts in its own region. Keep it in this region in Settings makes sure it never starts anywhere else. During the beta only North America is open.
AFK rules
- Free servers: if every player online has done nothing for 25 minutes, they get a warning. If nobody moves the mouse, presses a key or chats within 5 minutes, the server sleeps at 30 minutes and they go to the hub. Being pushed by water or sitting still in a boat does not count as activity. This runs on our side; no plugin can turn it off.
- Paid servers: AFK players keep the server awake.
The line in the tab list
Free servers show "hosted free on Quarry Hosting" at the bottom of the tab list, under your own header and footer. Paid plans remove it.
Before the first start
A server cannot start until the owner or a co-owner accepts the Minecraft EULA. Players who join before that are told the owner needs to accept it.
Crashes
A crashed server restarts by itself. After 3 crashes in 10 minutes it stops and you get an alert. If a start does not finish within a minute, we stop it, tell the waiting players and log it. The next join tries again.
Long unused servers
A free server nobody used for 30 days is archived. Nothing is deleted. The next start takes a little longer, or press Bring it back on its Overview. Paid servers are not archived.
When a paid plan ends
The server moves to the free limits. Nothing is deleted. If it holds more than the free 5 GB of disk, it cannot start until you free space or renew.