Client and server modes

Be.D.D. debugs a client mod in one of three setups:

Mode	What runs	Use it for
Client only	a game with the BeDD module, in a singleplayer or LAN world	most client mod tests
Client + server	a game with BeDD and a Bedrock Dedicated Server (BDS) with BeDD's server module, on the same PC	client behaviour against a real server, both sides scripted; the server's game speed leads the client's
Client → remote	a game with BeDD joined to a server elsewhere	a server you do not run (BeDD is only in the client)

The client side is the same in all three: Driving the game, Several games at once. This page is about the server.

Client + server

BeDDSetup.psm1 sets up a server and Start-BeDDServer.ps1 runs it in the background, both next to the module in bin\BeDD:

powershell

Import-Module .\BeDDSetup.psm1
Initialize-BeDDServer -Name s1 -ModuleDir ..\BeDD-server    # %LOCALAPPDATA%\BeDD\servers\s1, made ready
$s = & .\Start-BeDDServer.ps1 -Name s1                       # up, with BeDD's pipe; $s.Port, $s.PipeName
Connect-BeDD -PipeName $s.PipeName                           # the server's control pipe (BeDD.psm1)
# ... start a game (Start-BeDDGame.ps1) and join 127.0.0.1:$($s.Port) from it ...
& .\Start-BeDDServer.ps1 -Name s1 -Stop                      # saves the world and exits

Setting up a server

Initialize-BeDDServer installs LeviLamina's server package with lip into an empty folder; that package brings the official BDS of Minecraft 1.26.60 with it (downloaded from minecraft.net, about 100 MB). Like the game setup, it skips whatever is already done, runs one setup at a time on the PC and never asks anything, so harnesses and CI can call it before every run. A server's mods live in mods\, so the module goes to mods\BeDD-server (LeviLamina loads a mod only from the folder named after it).

Parameter
`-Name`	the server, a folder under `%LOCALAPPDATA%\BeDD\servers` (`BEDD_SERVERS_DIR`); default `server`
`-Port`, `-PortV6`	default: the server's ports from before, else the first free pair of 19140/19141, 19142/19143, …, so servers never meet a game's 19132 or each other
`-Transport`	default `nethernet`: since 1.26.60 the game joins servers over NetherNet only (a `raknet` server fails with "Terracotta"). The server signals on TCP `server-port` and carries the game over UDP; with `-ServerIp 127.0.0.1` (the default) it publishes `127.0.0.1:<port>` for that (`server-udp-ports`), since BeDD keeps both sides' sockets on loopback. The first join to a server asks "Trust this server?"
`-ServerIp`	default `127.0.0.1`: only games on this PC join; `''` listens on every interface
`-OnlineMode`	default `$false`: games join without Xbox authentication
`-LevelName`, `-Gamemode`, `-Difficulty`, `-LevelSeed`, `-MaxPlayers`, `-AllowCheats`	`server.properties` (defaults `Bedrock level`, `creative`, `peaceful`, random, 10, `$true`)
`-Properties @{ 'view-distance' = 16 }`	any other `server.properties` key
`-ModuleDir`	the BeDD server module (`bin\BeDD-server`), copied to `mods\BeDD-server` when it changed. `Start-BeDDServer.ps1` starts no server without it (no firewall prompts)
`-PipeName`	BeDD's control pipe in the server, default `BeDD-Server-<Name>`
`-TimeScale`	config `timeScale`: the game speed the server starts with
`-Trace`, `-Config @{ … }`	config `trace`, and any other key of the module's `config\config.json`

It returns the server: Dir, Port, PortV6, PipeName, LogPath and Problems (bedd while it has no BeDD module). Get-BeDDServer -Name s1 returns the same without changing anything.

Starting and stopping

Start-BeDDServer.ps1 -Name s1 starts bedrock_server_mod.exe (the BDS with LeviLamina) with no window at all: nothing shows up on the desktop or takes the focus. Everything the server prints goes to logs\console.log in its folder. It waits until the server is up and, with the module, until BeDD's pipe exists, and returns Process, PipeName ($null without the module), Port, PortV6, Dir and LogPath. A server that already runs is returned as it is.

Parameter
`-Name`, `-ServersDir`	which server
`-Command '<line>'`	type a line into the server console, e.g. `-Command 'time set day'`
`-Stop`	send `stop` (the server saves the world and exits), and kill it after `-StopTimeoutSeconds` (30)
`-TimeoutSeconds`	how long to wait for it to start (180)
`-AllowFirewallPrompt`	start it without BeDD's loopback binding (see below)

No firewall prompts

A BDS listens on every network interface, and the first time a program does that Windows Firewall asks on the desktop whether to allow it, once per server folder, which would stop an unattended run. BeDD's server module binds every socket of the server to the loopback address instead (config loopbackOnly, default on, as in the client), so Windows never asks, and only games on this PC can join. Initialize-BeDDServer also sets server-ip=127.0.0.1 and turns LAN visibility off, which would otherwise bind Bedrock's default ports as well.

So Start-BeDDServer.ps1 refuses to start a server that has no BeDD server module in mods\BeDD-server, has another module there, or has "loopbackOnly": false in its config.json, and says which. Should LeviLamina still fail to load the module, it stops the server before the server opens its network. -AllowFirewallPrompt starts it anyway, for a server that games on other PCs should join (with -ServerIp ''): then allow it when Windows asks.

Several servers

Each server has its own folder, ports and pipe, so runs in parallel each start their own: give each a -Name of its own (e.g. the slot of its game) and leave -Port out.