How to Install Dynmap: Live Web Map for Your Minecraft Server

What is Dynmap?

Dynmap is a free, open-source add-on that renders your Minecraft Java world into a live web map – like Google Maps for your server – and serves it from the server itself. Anyone with the link can open it in a browser, without Minecraft.

What players see on a Dynmap page:

• The world from above or at an angle – a flat top-down view and isometric "3D-looking" views of the surface, plus the Nether and the End.
• Players online with their names and positions, updated live.
• Chat – messages from the game appear on the map, and by default visitors can also send messages from the web page into the game.
• Markers – spawn, homes or places you add with /dmarker, plus extra layers from plugins (towns, claims, warps) that have Dynmap integration.

Dynmap only works for Minecraft Java Edition. Bedrock servers can't run it.

Which Dynmap version do I need?

Use the Dynmap plugin on Paper, Purpur or Spigot, and the Dynmap mod on Fabric or Forge – always the build for your exact Minecraft version. Dynmap is updated less often than the game, so check the version first.

Version support (November 2026):

• Dynmap 3.8 (January 2026) supports Spigot/Paper up to 1.21.11, and Fabric and Forge up to 1.21.11.
• There is no Dynmap for Minecraft 26.x yet. If your server runs a 26.x version, use BlueMap or squaremap instead.
• There is no NeoForge build – on NeoForge, BlueMap is the usual choice.

Download Dynmap only from its official pages (SpigotMC, CurseForge or Modrinth). The Paper plugin 3.8 is published on SpigotMC and CurseForge; Modrinth lists the plugin up to 3.7-beta-8 (for up to 1.21.4) and the 3.8 mod builds.

How to install Dynmap (step by step)

Put the Dynmap .jar into plugins/ (or mods/), start the server once, set the port in configuration.txt, restart and open the map at http://your-address:port.

1. Stop the server and upload the Dynmap file: plugin to plugins/, mod to mods/.

2. Start the server once. Dynmap creates its folder with configuration.txt, the map templates and the web files. Wait until the console says the server is done loading.

3. Set the web server port. Open configuration.txt and find:

   webserver-port: 8123
   

   On a home server you can keep 8123. On a hosted server, change it to the port your host gave you for the map.

4. Restart the server so Dynmap starts its web server on the new port.

5. Open the map at http://your-server-address:8123 (or your port), for example http://play.example.com:8123.

6. Render the existing world – see the next section. Without this, the map only shows the areas where something has changed since Dynmap was installed.

Give yourself access to the commands: operators can use everything, other staff need Dynmap permissions (for example dynmap.fullrender) through a permissions plugin like LuckPerms.

How do I render the whole world in Dynmap?

Type dynmap fullrender world in the server console (or /dynmap fullrender world in game) – Dynmap then renders every existing chunk of that world. Replace world with the folder name of your world.

Dynmap renders automatically only when something changes: blocks placed or broken, new chunks generated, explosions and similar events (the render-triggers list in configuration.txt). A world that existed before you installed Dynmap stays mostly empty until you run a full render.

The commands you'll use most:

In the console type commands without the slash. A full render of a large world can run for hours; progress is written to the console every 100 tiles.

Dynmap settings worth changing

All main settings are in configuration.txt; the four below decide how heavy Dynmap is and how the map looks. Restart the server after editing.

• webserver-port (default 8123) – the port of the map website.
• deftemplatesuffix (default hires) – the detail level of the default maps. The comment in the file warns that hires maps "can take a VERY long time for initial fullrender". On a fresh install with a big world, lowres or vlowres render much faster.
• tiles-rendered-at-once (default 2) – how many tiles Dynmap renders at the same time. Keep it low on a small server.
• fullrender-min-tps (default 18.0) – full renders pause automatically when the server's TPS drops below this value, so players get priority. fullrenderplayerlimit can pause full renders when a given number of players is online.

Storage. By default (type: filetree) Dynmap saves the map as image files in web/tiles inside its folder. It can also store tiles in SQLite, MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL – useful for very large maps, but the file tree is the simplest and works out of the box.

Web chat. Visitors can send chat messages into the game by default. If you don't want that, turn off allowwebchat in the components section of configuration.txt.

Dynmap not working? Common problems and fixes

Most Dynmap problems are the wrong port, https:// in the browser, a world that was never fully rendered, or a Dynmap build that doesn't match the Minecraft version.

Disk space. Rendered tiles are stored on the server. Big worlds with hires maps can take a lot of space – watch the disk use after the first full render.

How to set up Dynmap on a Spot.gg server

Every Minecraft Java server on Spot.gg has a port reserved for a map: set it as webserver-port in Dynmap's configuration.txt, restart, and open http://your-address:MAPPORT. No router or firewall settings are needed.

1. Find the map port

Open "Network" in the server menu. In the "Ports" table there's a row named "Map" with the description "For BlueMap, Dynmap or squaremap". Copy that number with "Copy". Don't use the "Game" port (players join on it) or the "Voice chat" port.

2. Install Dynmap

• Paper or Purpur: go to "Addons" → "Available to install", search for Dynmap and open the Dynmap plugin. Install the file marked "Compatible with your server" and restart when asked. If no file fits your version (the plugin in our catalog comes from Modrinth, where the newest Paper build is for up to 1.21.4), download Dynmap 3.8 for Spigot/Paper from its official page and upload the .jar to the plugins folder in "Files" – click "Click to upload" or drag the file onto the page.
• Fabric or Forge: search for Dynmap in "Addons" – the Dynmap mod for Forge/Fabric has builds up to 1.21.11 – or upload the right build to mods.
• Vanilla: go to "Information" → "Modify" → "Change engine" and switch to Paper on the same Minecraft version – the world and settings are preserved. Then install the plugin.

3. Set the port

1. Start the server once, so Dynmap creates its folder.
2. In "Files" open plugins/dynmap/ (mods: dynmap/), click "Edit" next to configuration.txt.
3. Change webserver-port: 8123 to your "Map" port and click "Save".
4. Restart the server with the button at the top of the panel.

4. Render and open the map

1. In "Console" type dynmap fullrender world (no slash). If you changed the world name in "Configuration", use that name.
2. Open the map with your server address and the map port:
   • "Custom address": http://yourname.spot.gs:MAPPORT
   • "Basic address": replace the game port after the colon with the map port, e.g. http://sID-xxxxx.spot.gs:MAPPORT

Type http:// explicitly. Then share the link with your players or on your Discord.

Rendering uses part of your server's CPU and the tiles count towards its disk space – on a smaller plan use lowres maps and render when few players are online. You can try Dynmap on a free server for 24 hours; paid servers start from $3.90 per month.

Dynmap vs BlueMap: which one should you use?

Choose Dynmap for a classic 2D map with live chat and a huge number of plugin integrations; choose BlueMap for a real 3D map and for the newest Minecraft versions. Both use the same "Map" port on Spot.gg, so run one at a time.

If you only want a lightweight flat map, squaremap is the simplest of the three.

FAQ

What is the default Dynmap port?

8123 (TCP). Change it with webserver-port in configuration.txt. On Spot.gg use the "Map" port from the "Network" tab.

How do I open Dynmap in my browser?

Type http://, your server address, a colon and the Dynmap port, for example http://play.example.com:8123. Don't use the game port and don't type https://.

Why is my Dynmap blank?

Usually because the existing world was never rendered. Run dynmap fullrender world in the console and wait. Dynmap renders automatically only the places where something changes.

Does Dynmap work on Minecraft 26.x?

Not yet. The newest Dynmap (3.8) supports up to 1.21.11. For 26.x servers use BlueMap or squaremap.

Is Dynmap available for NeoForge?

No. Dynmap has builds for Spigot/Paper, Fabric and Forge. On NeoForge use BlueMap.

Can I use Dynmap and BlueMap at the same time?

Technically yes if each has its own port, but they both use CPU for rendering. On Spot.gg there's one map port, so pick one.

Do players need a mod to see Dynmap?

No. The map is a website. Anyone with the link can open it, even without Minecraft.

How do I stop people from chatting through Dynmap?

Set allowwebchat: false in the components section of configuration.txt and restart the server.