Searches for a Minecraft proxy mean two different things. Server owners want a proxy server such as Velocity to link several servers into one network. Players want to route their own connection through a proxy. This page covers both from the Velocity documentation, the Minecraft EULA and the rules of one of the largest servers. The short answer: a server proxy is a normal part of running a network, and a player proxy does not get around server rules.
Running a server proxy: Velocity
Velocity describes itself as "the ridiculously scalable, flexible Minecraft proxy". Players connect to the proxy, and the proxy passes each of them to one of your servers. By default, Velocity listens on all addresses of the machine, on port 25565.
The setup follows a pattern. You list your servers in velocity.toml, each with a name and an address, and a "try" list names the server a player joins first. Then you set online mode to false on every backend server, so that only the proxy checks player accounts. Velocity checks them with Mojang by default.
The docs warn that this bare setup is not finished. Players "will lack skins, proper UUIDs, and all connections will appear to come from the proxy", and the setup is "dangerously insecure". Two more steps close the gap: forwarding and security.
Player information forwarding
Velocity can forward the IP address, UUID and skin of each player to the backend server. It supports three formats, and you pick one:
| format | what it adds | limit |
|---|---|---|
| modern forwarding | a MAC code against a fake proxy | Minecraft 1.13 and newer |
| BungeeCord forwarding | wide compatibility | no secret |
| BungeeGuard | BungeeCord forwarding with a secret key | less ideal than modern |
Modern forwarding "employs a MAC code to make it much more difficult to trick the server into impersonating your Velocity proxy". The backend and the proxy share a forwarding secret, which Velocity keeps in a file of its own.
Securing the backends
Offline mode is the risk. In the words of the docs, "someone could impersonate any player on your server. This is extremely dangerous". So only the proxy should be able to reach the backends. Velocity strongly recommends the firewall of the operating system for that. It adds that "Velocity modern forwarding is not a replacement for a firewall".
A few settings in velocity.toml also shape who gets in:
- a minimum delay between connections from the same IP address, against floods;
- a switch to receive HAProxy PROXY messages, for networks that run HAProxy in front of Velocity;
- a check that kicks a player whose provider differs from the one Mojang saw at sign-in, which the docs call a weak protection;
- a switch that keeps player IP addresses out of the logs.
Players on a network proxy
The Minecraft EULA does not mention proxies. It lets owners of Java Edition "modify it by adding modifications, tools, or plugins". Mojang also says it may "suspend or permanently ban anyone who violates these Community Standards or this EULA".
Servers write their own rules on top. Hypixel, one of the largest networks, lists "punishment evading" among the behavior it bans, next to macros and exploits. It also bans selling, trading or sharing accounts, and it says that evading a competitive game ban "falls under our rule against Unfair Advantages". So a proxy that gets around a server ban breaks the rules of the server, whatever it does for the address.
Two more notes for players. Some cheat tools also call themselves proxies, and server rules bar them as well. Whether a proxy can carry the game connection at all is a separate question: our test of free proxies for Minecraft measured it on thousands of addresses from our own list.
If you use proxies for other work
Nothing on this page routes a player past a server rule or a school or office block. If you work with proxies elsewhere, start with what a residential proxy is and what a SOCKS5 proxy is. On Linux, our proxychains guide shows how any tool takes a proxy. Our free proxy list and proxy checker cost nothing.
We sell residential, ISP and mobile proxies. Residential traffic starts at $0.44/GB, and every plan is on our pricing page.
The limits of this page
We did not run a Minecraft client or join a server, so this page does not say which ports the game uses beyond the Velocity default. It does not say whether the client honours the proxy settings of Java itself. Every server decides how it treats players on proxies; Hypixel stands here as one large example. This page is due for a check by 28 December 2026.
Sources
We read every source below on 27 September 2026.
- PaperMC, the Velocity documentation: overview, getting started, player information forwarding, securing your servers and configuration.
- Mojang and Microsoft, Minecraft End User License Agreement.
- Hypixel, Hypixel Server Rules and About Competitive Game Bans on Hypixel.
More pages in this series: proxies for Roblox and proxies for Steam.
