Field answers · 12

FAQ

Straight answers for dedicated-server admins. Scope, trust, and what lives on the host.

Scope

What WatchTower is, and what it leaves alone.

Is WatchTower a host panel?: No. It won't start or stop the server, manage files, or replace the console. Keep using Pterodactyl, Crafty, AMP, or bare metal for that. WatchTower sits beside them.
Is this player analytics?: No. No retention, GeoIP, or leaderboards. Seeing who's online during lag or a crash is ops triage, not surveillance.
Does it support Fabric?: Right now it ships for NeoForge 1.21.x on Java 21. Fabric is on the roadmap. We are not claiming Fabric support yet.
Do I need Spark?: No. Spark is optional. Install it when you want lag profiles turned into plain next steps. The deep Spark workspace is still alpha.
Does Modrinth download jars for me?: No. Modrinth is lookup and hints only. WatchTower never downloads mod jars for you.

Trust

Control, data, and money questions.

Do I need a cloud account?: No. WatchTower is local-first. Watchtower Cloud is a future paid option and is not required for the dashboard on your host.
Does it upload my logs?: Not by default. No telemetry either. Data stays on the host. Anything that talks to the network is opt-in.
Will it restart my server?: No. Overview can say Safe, Caution, or Wait for a restart. WatchTower only advises. It never restarts the server for you and never quietly edits mods or the world.
Is it free?: The local dashboard stays free forever under GPL-3.0-or-later. Get the jar from Modrinth or GitHub Releases.

On the host

Port, login, disk, and when the game will not boot.

How do I open the dashboard safely?: After install it listens on port 8787. Prefer localhost or an SSH tunnel. Don't expose 8787 to the open internet. Default login is watchtower / password. Change it on first open.
Where does my data live?: On the server, under the watchtower/ folder (ops-cache, state, Spark uploads, support zips). Nothing leaves the host unless you choose to share it.
What if Minecraft won't boot?: Keep the matching CLI jar next to WatchTower in mods/. Run it with java -jar over SSH to build a local disaster-recovery bundle. It is not loaded as a Minecraft mod.

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