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Databases for Your Game Server

Some game server plugins and mods need more than flat files to store their data — they need a proper database. Economy systems, web-based maps, permissions managers, logging plugins, and many other tools rely on MySQL databases to store and retrieve data efficiently. The FREAKHOSTING Game Panel at games.freakhosting.com lets you create and manage databases directly from the Management > Databases section, giving your plugins the storage backend they need without any external setup. Not every game server needs a database, and not every plan supports them. This guide covers when you need one, how to create one, and how to connect your plugins to it.

Difficulty

Intermediate

Time

5 Minutes

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When Does a Game Server Need a Database?

Most game servers run perfectly fine without a database — world data, player inventories, and server configs are stored as files on disk. But the moment you start adding plugins or mods that need to store structured data, search through records quickly, or share data between multiple servers, a database becomes essential.

You Need a Database For

Economy plugins (EssentialsX Economy, CMI). Web-based live maps (DynMap, BlueMap with MySQL storage). Permissions plugins (LuckPerms with MySQL backend). Logging and anti-grief tools (CoreProtect). Cross-server data sharing (BungeeCord networks). Player statistics and leaderboard plugins.

You Don't Need a Database For

Basic Minecraft survival or creative servers with no plugins. Vanilla game servers (Terraria, Valheim, Factorio). Simple plugin setups that use file-based storage (YAML, JSON). Voice servers like TeamSpeak or Mumble.
Not all game server types support databases on the FREAKHOSTING platform. If your server does not support databases, you will see the message: “Databases cannot be created for this server.” This is expected for game types that do not typically require database access. If you believe your server should have database support, contact our support team.

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Real-World Example: Setting Up DynMap with a Database

Here is a practical scenario:
You are running a Minecraft server and want to add DynMap — a plugin that generates a live, interactive web map of your world. DynMap can use flat files, but on a large world with hundreds of players, that approach gets slow. Switching DynMap to a MySQL database dramatically improves map rendering performance and tile storage.
To make this work, you need to: create a database in the Game Panel, copy the connection details (host, port, database name, username, password), and paste them into DynMap’s configuration file. That is exactly what this guide walks you through.

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Accessing the Databases Section

1

Log In to the Game Panel

Navigate to games.freakhosting.com and sign in with your credentials.
2

Select Your Server

From the server list or the server selector dropdown, choose the game server you want to manage databases for.
3

Open Management > Databases

In the left sidebar, click Management, then select Databases. You will see the Manage databases heading with a table showing your existing databases (or an empty state if none exist yet).
The Databases table displays the following columns for each database:
ColumnWhat It Shows
NameThe database name you chose during creation. This is what you enter in your plugin configs.
ServerThe database server/host your database is running on.
EndpointThe full connection endpoint (host and port) for external connections.
SizeThe current storage size of the database. Starts at 0 bytes and grows as your plugins write data.

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Creating a New Database

1

Click New Database

On the Databases page, click the New Database button. A creation form will appear.
2

Enter a Database Name

Choose a descriptive name for your database. Keep it relevant to its purpose — something like “dynmap”, “luckperms”, “coreprotect”, or “economy”. This name is what your plugins will reference in their configuration files.
If you plan to use multiple plugins that each need their own database, create separate databases for each one rather than sharing a single database. This keeps things organized and makes troubleshooting easier if a plugin misbehaves.
3

Confirm Creation

Submit the form to create the database. It will appear immediately in the Databases table with its Name, Server, Endpoint, and initial Size.

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Viewing Connection Details

Once your database is created, you need its connection details to configure your plugins. Each database entry in the table provides everything you need:

Host and Port

Found in the Server and Endpoint columns. The endpoint gives you the full host:port combination. This is what you enter as the “host” or “address” in your plugin configuration files.

Database Name and Credentials

Click on a database entry to reveal the full connection details, including the database name, username, and password. Copy these values exactly as shown — they are case-sensitive.
Here is how those details map to a typical plugin configuration: 
# Example: LuckPerms MySQL configuration
storage-method: MySQL
data:
  address: "your-endpoint-here"
  database: "your-database-name"
  username: "your-username"
  password: "your-password"
Never share your database credentials publicly — in screenshots, forum posts, or Discord messages. Anyone with these details can connect to and modify your database. If you accidentally expose them, rotate your password immediately using the steps below.

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Rotating Your Database Password

If your database password has been compromised, shared accidentally, or you simply want to refresh it for security, each database includes a rotate password button.
1

Find the Database

In the Databases table, locate the database whose password you want to change.
2

Click Rotate Password

Click the rotate password button for that database. A new password is generated immediately.
3

Update Your Plugin Configurations

After rotating the password, every plugin that connects to this database needs to be updated with the new password. Open each plugin’s configuration file, replace the old password with the new one, and restart your server for the changes to take effect.
Rotating the password immediately invalidates the old one. If you rotate the password without updating your plugin configs first, those plugins will fail to connect to the database on the next server restart. Have your config files ready to edit before clicking rotate.

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Deleting a Database

If a database is no longer needed — maybe you removed the plugin that used it, or you are cleaning up after testing — each database entry has a delete button.
1

Confirm You No Longer Need It

Before deleting, make sure no active plugins or mods are using this database. Check your server’s plugin configuration files to be certain.
2

Click Delete

Click the delete button on the database row and confirm the deletion when prompted.
Deleting a database is permanent and irreversible. All data stored in that database — player balances, map tiles, permission groups, block logs, everything — is gone forever. If there is any chance you might need the data later, export it first using a tool like phpMyAdmin or a plugin’s built-in export command before deleting.

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Common Database Use Cases

LuckPerms is one of the most popular permissions plugins for Minecraft. While it works with flat files, using a MySQL backend lets you sync permissions across multiple servers in a BungeeCord or Velocity network. Create a database, enter the connection details in LuckPerms’ config.yml under the storage-method: MySQL section, and restart.
Web-based map plugins can use MySQL to store rendered map tiles instead of thousands of individual image files. This significantly improves performance on large worlds. Create a dedicated database, configure the map plugin’s storage settings to point to it, and re-render the map.
CoreProtect logs every block placement, break, and interaction for anti-grief rollbacks. On active servers, this generates a lot of data — MySQL handles it far better than flat-file SQLite. Create a database, update CoreProtect’s config.yml with the connection details, and restart.
Plugins like EssentialsX Economy or CMI can store player balances in a database. This is especially useful for multi-server networks where you want a shared economy across all connected servers.
If you run a network of game servers connected through BungeeCord or Velocity, databases are essential for sharing data between them — synchronized inventories, shared permissions, cross-server chat, and unified player stats all require a common database that every server can read and write to.

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Troubleshooting Database Connections

Double-check the endpoint (host and port) in your plugin config. Make sure you are using the exact values from the Game Panel — not localhost or 127.0.0.1, as the database server is not on the same machine as your game server. Also verify the username, password, and database name are correct and have no extra spaces.
You rotated the database password but forgot to update the plugin configuration. Open the plugin’s config file, enter the new password, save, and restart the server.
This is normal for logging plugins like CoreProtect that record every action. Most plugins have a purge or cleanup setting that lets you automatically delete records older than a certain number of days. Check your plugin’s documentation for data retention settings.
Your server type or plan does not include database support. This is common for voice servers (TeamSpeak, Mumble), vanilla servers that do not use plugins, and certain game types that have no database integration. If you need database access, contact support to discuss your options.

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Need Extra Help?

If you encounter any issues, our support team is ready to assist:

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Last Updated: March 2026 | Game Panel Support: Database management simplified.