Minecraft Snapshot 23w40a Server Jar Download

Also known as snapshot, pre-release, release candidate.

Experimental — snapshot Official source

Minecraft Snapshot 23w40a is a weekly development snapshot of Minecraft: Java Edition leading up to 1.20.3, published by Mojang on 4 Oct 2023. Its dedicated server jar is 46.2 MB and requires Java 17 or newer. The final Minecraft 1.20.3 was released on 4 Dec 2023.

Download

Download server.jar46.2 MB

Downloads from piston-data.mojang.com — Official — Mojang.

SHA-1 · published by Mojang
0f51a81705f4694b92f5273ffa2c52c45f27b7f8

How to verify this file on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Source: Official — Mojang SHA-1 shown below Last checked: Report a problem

Version facts

Published by Mojang
ChannelPreview (weekly)
Required JavaJava 17 or newer · Temurin 17
File size46.2 MB
Licence / termsMinecraft EULA
Upstream projectwww.minecraft.net

What changed

Newest upstream commits:

  • #1 · 4 Oct 2023 When a player is blocking with a shield, the arm with the shield now follows the direction the player is looking at, when viewed from third person perspective
  • The Data Pack version is now 19
  • A few minor changes to chat component serialization
  • Plain-text chat components (text, no sibilings, no stylings) are now always serialized as string instead of {"text': "blah"}
  • Chat components now serialize to NBT when sent over network
Full changelog for Minecraft Snapshot 23w40a (Minecraft Wiki)

Compatibility

No plugins or mods — the unmodified game exactly as Mojang ships it (data packs still work).

Players need a Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshot 23w40a client on the same version.

Minecraft Snapshot 23w40a in other server software

Known issues & safety notes

  • Preview builds are experimental: they can corrupt or irreversibly upgrade worlds, and most plugins and mods do not support them yet. Test on a copy of your world.

How to set up Minecraft Snapshot 23w40a

  1. Install Java 17 or newer (e.g. Eclipse Temurin) and check it with java -version.
  2. Download server.jar from Mojang (button above) into an empty folder.
  3. Start it once with the script below; it creates eula.txt and stops.
  4. Set eula=true in eula.txt to accept the Minecraft EULA, then start again. Players join on port 25565.

Linux / macOS — start.sh

#!/bin/sh
# start.sh — Minecraft 23w40a
cd "$(dirname "$0")"
JAVA_MAJOR=$(java -version 2>&1 | awk -F'"' '/version/ {split($2, v, "."); print (v[1] == "1") ? v[2] : v[1]}')
if [ "$JAVA_MAJOR" -lt 17 ] 2>/dev/null; then
  echo "Java 17 or newer is required (found Java $JAVA_MAJOR)."
  exit 1
fi
java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -jar server.jar nogui

Windows — start.bat

@echo off
REM start.bat — Minecraft 23w40a
REM Needs Java 17 or newer: run "java -version" to check.
java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -jar server.jar nogui
pause

Rule of thumb: 2–4 GB for a few friends, 6–10 GB for a public server with plugins. Set -Xms equal to -Xmx and leave 1–1.5 GB for the operating system. How much RAM?

Docker

docker run -d -p 25565:25565 -e EULA=TRUE -e TYPE=VANILLA -e VERSION=23w40a --name mc itzg/minecraft-server

Uses the community itzg/minecraft-server image, which downloads the file itself.

Upgrading

FAQ

What Java version does Minecraft Snapshot 23w40a need?

Minecraft Snapshot 23w40a needs Java 17 or newer. Running it on an older Java fails with an UnsupportedClassVersionError mentioning class file version 61.0.

Is Minecraft Snapshot 23w40a safe for my survival world?

Only on a copy. Preview versions are experimental and upgrade worlds irreversibly; keep a backup and don't switch a live world to a snapshot, pre-release or release candidate.

Is this the Minecraft game or an APK?

No. This is the Java Edition dedicated server — software for hosting a world. It is not the game client and there is no Android APK. Phone and console players use Bedrock Edition.