Taking Control of Your Server’s Power
Every game server needs to be started, stopped, and restarted. Whether you are booting up for game night, shutting down for maintenance, or restarting to apply a new plugin, the three power buttons on the FREAKHOSTING Game Panel at games.freakhosting.com give you instant control. They are always visible at the top of every server page, so you are never more than one click away from any power action.Difficulty
Beginner
Time
1 Minute
The Three Power Buttons
At the top of your server page, three buttons sit in the header area, always visible no matter which tab you are on:Start
A green button with a play icon. Clicking it boots your server from an offline state. The server process starts, loads your configuration and world files, and begins accepting player connections. This is how you bring your server to life.
Restart
A dark/grey button with a refresh icon. Clicking it performs a graceful restart — the server shuts down cleanly, then immediately boots back up. Players will be briefly disconnected but can rejoin as soon as the server finishes starting. This is the most common power action you will use.
Stop
A red outlined button with a stop icon. Clicking it sends a graceful stop signal to the server. The server saves its data, disconnects all players, and shuts down. The server remains offline until you manually start it again.
The buttons are context-aware. When your server is offline, the Start button is active while Stop is dimmed. When the server is running, Stop becomes active while Start is dimmed. Restart is available whenever the server is running.
Server Status Badge
Next to your server name in the header, a colored status badge tells you the current state at a glance:| Status | Badge Color | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Running | Green | Your server is online and accepting player connections |
| Offline | Red | Your server is stopped — no players can connect |
| Starting… | Yellow | The server is in the process of booting up — give it a moment |
How to Start Your Server
Open Your Server
Log into the Game Panel at games.freakhosting.com and click on the server you want to start. You will land on the Console tab.
Check the Status
Look at the status badge next to your server name. It should show Offline (red). If it already shows Running (green), your server is already online and you do not need to do anything.
Click Start
Click the green Start button in the header area. The status badge will change to Starting… (yellow) and the console will begin showing boot messages.
How to Stop Your Server
Open Your Server
Navigate to your server on the Game Panel. The status badge should show Running (green).
Click Stop
Click the red Stop button in the header area. The server will begin its shutdown process.
What Happens to Connected Players?
When you stop the server, all connected players are immediately disconnected. Most game clients will show a “Connection lost” or “Server closed” message. Players will not lose progress — the server saves everything before shutting down. They can reconnect as soon as you start the server again.How to Restart Your Server
Open Your Server
Navigate to your server on the Game Panel. The status badge should show Running (green).
Click Restart
Click the dark/grey Restart button in the header area. The server will begin its restart sequence.
Wait for the Restart Cycle
The server first shuts down gracefully (saving all data and disconnecting players), then immediately boots back up. You will see shutdown messages followed by startup messages in the console. The status badge will briefly show the transition, then return to Running (green) once the server is back online.
When to Use Each Button
Knowing which button to press and when is the key to smooth server management. Here are the most common scenarios:You just installed or updated a plugin
Use: Restart. Most plugins need a server restart to load. Your Minecraft server just got a new plugin dropped into the
plugins folder — restart to activate it. The restart saves the current world, shuts down, and boots back up with the new plugin loaded.You changed a configuration file
Use: Restart. Edits to files like
server.properties, spigot.yml, or any mod/plugin config typically require a restart to take effect. Restart and watch the console to confirm your changes loaded correctly.Your server is frozen or unresponsive
Use: Stop, then Start. If your server is not responding to commands or players cannot connect but the status still shows Running, stop it first. Wait for it to fully shut down (status changes to Offline), then start it again. This gives you a clean slate.
You are done playing for the night
Use: Stop. If nobody will be using the server and you want to free resources, simply stop it. You can start it again whenever you are ready.
Players report lag or TPS drops
Use: Restart. A restart clears memory leaks, reloads chunks, and gives the server a fresh start. This is often the quickest fix for performance issues. If lag returns quickly after restarting, you may need to investigate plugins, world size, or upgrade your plan.
You updated your server's game version
Use: Stop, then Start. After changing the game version (e.g., updating from Minecraft 1.20 to 1.21), stop the server fully, then start it. This ensures the new version loads cleanly without any leftover state from the old version.
Graceful Stop vs. Kill
When you click Stop, the panel sends a graceful shutdown command to your server. The server process receives the signal, saves all game data, disconnects players, and exits cleanly. This is the safe, normal way to stop a server. However, if the graceful stop does not complete within a reasonable time, the panel will kill the server process — an immediate forced termination. Think of it as the difference between asking someone to close a door versus slamming it shut.| Graceful Stop | Kill | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | Server saves data, disconnects players, shuts down cleanly | Server process is terminated immediately |
| Data safety | All data saved properly | Small risk of unsaved data loss |
| When it occurs | Every time you click Stop (first attempt) | Automatically after the graceful stop times out |
| Player experience | Players see a “Server closed” message | Players see a “Connection lost” message |
In most cases, you will never notice the difference — the graceful stop completes within seconds. The kill is a safety net for situations where the server hangs during shutdown. If you frequently see kills happening, your server may be overloaded or a plugin may be preventing clean shutdowns.
Real-World Scenarios
| Scenario | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your Minecraft server just installed a new plugin | Restart | Plugins load during server startup |
| Changing the server’s game mode from Survival to Creative | Restart after editing server.properties | Config changes require a restart |
| A player reports they cannot connect | Check if status is Running — if Offline, click Start | Server may have crashed or been stopped |
| Server crashed overnight | Click Start | Crashed servers go offline automatically |
| Applying a modpack update | Stop, update files, then Start | Clean stop ensures no file conflicts during update |
| Server is eating 100% CPU and not responding | Stop (wait for it), then Start | Fresh start clears runaway processes |
| Moving to a different game or server type | Stop, change egg/configuration, then Start | Major changes need a full stop-start cycle |
What happens if I close the browser while the server is running?
What happens if I close the browser while the server is running?
Nothing changes. Your game server runs independently of the web panel. Closing your browser, logging out, or shutting down your computer does not affect the server. It will keep running until you (or an automated process) tells it to stop. You can come back hours later, log in, and the server will still be humming along.
Will my server automatically restart if it crashes?
Will my server automatically restart if it crashes?
It depends on your configuration. Many server setups include crash detection that automatically restarts the server after a crash. Check your server’s startup settings in the panel. If auto-restart is not enabled and your server crashes, you will need to manually click Start to bring it back online.
Can I schedule automatic restarts?
Can I schedule automatic restarts?
The Game Panel does not have a built-in restart scheduler, but many game servers support scheduled restarts through plugins or configuration. For example, Minecraft servers can use plugins that trigger restarts at set intervals. You can also configure the startup command or use task schedulers depending on your server type.
Is there a difference between stopping and restarting vs. just restarting?
Is there a difference between stopping and restarting vs. just restarting?
A Restart is essentially a stop followed by an immediate start, handled as one seamless operation. A manual Stop then Start achieves the same result but gives you time between the two actions — useful if you want to make file changes while the server is offline, or if you want to verify the server fully stopped before starting it again.
How long should I wait before starting my server after stopping it?
How long should I wait before starting my server after stopping it?
You can click Start immediately after the server finishes stopping (status badge shows Offline). There is no mandatory wait time. However, if you are making file changes (uploading plugins, editing configs), finish those changes before starting the server so it loads the updated files.
My server keeps crashing right after starting — what should I do?
My server keeps crashing right after starting — what should I do?
Watch the console output carefully during startup. The crash cause is almost always visible in the log — look for lines containing ERROR, FATAL, or Exception. Common causes include incompatible plugins or mods, corrupted world data, or running out of memory. Try removing recently added plugins or mods, or check if you need more RAM for your server. If you are stuck, copy the console output using the copy button and open a support ticket.
Need Extra Help?
If you encounter any issues, our support team is ready to assist:- Live Chat: Quick assistance via our website.
- Support Ticket: Open a Ticket
- Discord: Join our Community
- Email: support@freakhosting.com
Last Updated: March 2026 | Game Panel Support: Server power management simplified.