Cracked vs online mode

"Cracked server" is a phrase you'll see everywhere, usually with no explanation of what it means or what it costs you. Here's the plain version — and how Falix makes the switch without wiping everyone's stuff.

⚠️ Heads up: Read the whole thing first — this changes who can get in, not just a setting.

What online-mode does

By default your server runs in online mode. Every time someone joins, the server checks with Mojang that the player really owns that account and is who they say they are. This is the login verification that makes "Notch" actually be Notch. It also gives each player a stable, unique ID (a UUID) tied to their real account — and that UUID is what your world uses to remember their inventory, home, rank, and everything else.

What "cracked" changes

Cracked just means offline mode — online-mode turned off. The server stops checking with Mojang, so:

• Anyone can join with any name. People without a paid Minecraft account can play — which is why folks do it — but so can anyone typing any username.
• UUIDs and skins behave differently. Without Mojang, a player's ID is generated from their username instead of their account, and skins don't load the usual way.
• Impersonation is easy. Nothing stops someone from joining as "YourAdminName" and inheriting that name's ranks and permissions. On a cracked server, the username is the only identity there is.

That last point is the real risk. If you run cracked, pair it with a whitelist so only names you approve can connect — see Customize your server for the Whitelist tab. That closes the impersonation hole.

⚠️ Heads up: On a cracked server the username is the only identity there is. Always put a whitelist in front of it to close the impersonation hole.

Flipping the switch safely

Here's the part that trips people up on other hosts: because a player's UUID changes between online and offline mode, the world data saved under their old UUID no longer matches them after you flip the switch. Change online-mode by hand and everyone appears to lose their inventory, ender chest, and progress — the data is still there, just filed under an ID nobody has anymore.

Falix handles this for you. Use the Cracked Mode toggle on the Properties (Config) page. It warns you about what's changing, then runs a player-data migration — re-filing everyone's data under their new offline UUIDs so people keep their stuff. Turning it back off (returning to online mode) migrates the data back the other way. That's the whole reason to use the toggle instead of editing online-mode directly.

Verify it works

After the switch and migration, restart and join. In cracked mode an unpaid client can log in; in online mode it can't. Your existing character should still have its inventory and position — that's the migration having done its job.

Which should you run?

🎯 Good to know: Keep online mode on unless you specifically need cracked clients — it's safer, gives real identities, loads skins normally, and needs zero extra protection.

Keep online mode on unless you specifically need cracked clients. Online mode is safer, gives real identities, loads skins normally, and needs zero extra protection. Only switch to cracked if you genuinely must let players without accounts join — and if you do, put a whitelist in front of it. There's no middle ground where cracked is "a bit more open but just as safe"; the trade-off is real.

Troubleshooting

• Players lost their inventory after switching — the migration is exactly what prevents this, so always use the Cracked Mode toggle rather than editing online-mode directly. If it already happened, switching back and using the toggle can re-file the data.
• Strangers joining a cracked server — that's cracked mode working as designed. Add a whitelist (Customize your server).
• Skins missing in cracked mode — expected; offline mode has no Mojang skin lookup. Skin-restorer plugins exist if you need them.

Next steps

• Customize your server — whitelist, operators, MOTD.
• Install plugins
• Free-plan gaming