Managing Servers
Start, stop, restart, clone, rename, and delete servers in Cliff.
Once you have servers set up, Cliff provides several management actions accessible from the server header and the sidebar.
Starting, stopping, and restarting
The server header (visible above the active panel when a server is selected) has three lifecycle buttons:
- Start — Boots the server with the configured Java runtime, memory, and arguments
- Stop — Sends a graceful stop command to the server
- Restart — Stops and immediately starts the server again
The More menu in the header adds:
- Force stop — Kills the server process immediately (use if a graceful stop hangs)
- Refresh — Reloads the server's data from the daemon
Only one server can run at a time per Cliff instance. If you try to start a second server while one is already running, the Start button is disabled and a "Stop <running server> first" note appears. The status pill shows "Blocked" for the non-running server in this case.
Server status indicators
The server header shows a status pill with one of these states:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Running | Server is up and accepting connections |
| Starting | Server is in the process of starting |
| Stopping | Server is in the process of stopping |
| Stopped | Server is shut down |
| Blocked | Another server is running, so this one can't start |
In the sidebar, each server row shows a colored dot next to the status text — green for Online, gray for Stopped.
Per-server actions menu
Click the more (⋯) button next to a server in the sidebar to open its action menu:
- Rename — Change the display name of the server
- Clone server — Creates a copy of the server with a new name. Useful for testing changes without risking your main world. Disabled while the server is running.
- Delete — Permanently removes the server and all its files. This action requires confirmation and is disabled while the server is running.
Resource monitoring
The overview panel shows real-time resource usage for the running server via a combined area chart:
- CPU usage — Percentage of CPU used by the server process
- Memory usage — Current heap usage
- Player count — Online players vs. max players
The chart legend shows live values for each series. Switch between 5 min, 15 min, 1 hour, and 24 hour time windows using the buttons above the chart.
Join address
The server header and the overview panel both display the join address players should use to connect. Click the address in either place to copy it to your clipboard. If you have public access configured, the public address is shown instead of the local one.