Bedrock Server Manager 4.0: The Platform Update

[DMedina559]

🚀 Announcing Bedrock Server Manager 4.0: The Platform Update

Hey everyone! I am excited to share info about the upcoming changes for the massive Bedrock Server Manager 4.0 release.

While there is no set release date for 4.0 just yet, I wanted to give the community and developers a heads-up on the foundational improvements and shifts coming to the project.

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🌍 From a Script to an Ecosystem

When Bedrock Server Manager first started, it was just a simple bash script to help manage your servers from the command line. Over time, it grew into a very capable application. Today, I see Bedrock Server Manager as something much bigger: a platform and an expanding ecosystem.

With the introduction of the plugin system, the community is able to completely transform what this project can do. Plugins aren't just for basic operations anymore. Developers are able to build entirely new web interfaces, run complex background automation, integrate with external APIs, and extend the core app in ways I never thought of.

BSM is now a robust foundation for building powerful server management tools. Because of this incredible evolution, the 4.0 release is entirely focused on upgrading that foundation to support this platform vision for years to come.

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⚡ A Faster, Non-Blocking Core (Sync to Async)

To handle the immense capabilities plugins are able to bring to the table, the core architecture of Bedrock Server Manager is moving to be fully asynchronous.

What this means for you:

• Snappier Performance: The web application and server monitors will handle many concurrent operations without "freezing" or blocking other tasks. Current versions of BSM rely on background os threads for some operations, which adds additional overhead and complexity that can be avoided with a properly asynchronous architecture.
• Seamless Long-Running Tasks: Downloading massive server updates or compiling backups will happen smoothly in the background while you continue to manage other aspects of your servers.
• More Capable Plugins: Plugins can perform their own network requests, background operations, and other asynchronous tasks without blocking the rest of the platform or having to rely on background threads for these operations.

(Note for Plugin Developers: 4.0 will be a full breaking release. All legacy synchronous APIs are being retired in favor of the new async interfaces. You will need to update your plugins to be async compatible with 4.0!)

(Note for CLI Users: Don't worry! Your favorite standalone command-line tools will continue to work exactly as they do today without any disruptive changes.)

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🛡️ Protecting the Core: Moving to AGPL-3.0

To safeguard the future of the core open-source project and ensure that improvements are always shared back with the community, I am changing the core project's license from the MIT License to the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0).

Why the change?

As Bedrock Server Manager has grown from a simple script into a platform with an ecosystem built around it, I want to make sure that the core platform remains open and available to the community as it continues to evolve.

The AGPL is designed for software that can be distributed and operated over a network, and helps ensure that modifications to the core software remain available to the community under the terms of the license.

For me, this is about protecting the foundation that everyone is building on. If someone improves the core of Bedrock Server Manager, I want those improvements to remain available for others to learn from, build on, and contribute back to the project.

At the same time, the plugin exception is there to make sure this doesn't prevent developers from building their own software and ecosystems around BSM.

The goal is simple: keep the core platform open, while giving the community the freedom to build on top of it.

I want Bedrock Server Manager to remain free and open for everyone to use, build on, and contribute to.

How it affects you:

• For Everyday Users: Nothing changes! You can continue to download, install, and use Bedrock Server Manager entirely for free.
• For Modders & Distributors: If you modify the core source code and distribute that modified version, the AGPL-3.0 may require you to provide the corresponding source code under the terms of the license.
• For Server Hosts: If you modify the core software and use it to provide a network service, the AGPL-3.0 may require you to provide the corresponding source code to users of that service, subject to the terms of the license.
• For Add-on Creators (e.g., Home Assistant): If you are building a wrapper that simply downloads and runs the unmodified official BSM releases, you are not modifying the BSM core itself. The BSM core's copyleft requirements therefore do not automatically apply to your independent wrapper simply because it uses BSM. You are free to distribute your wrapper under your own terms, subject to the licenses of any other software it includes or distributes.

🔌 The Special Plugin Exception

I know that a healthy platform needs a flexible plugin ecosystem. To support the amazing developers, I have added a specific Bedrock-Server-Manager Plugin Exception to the new license.

• Total Freedom for Plugins: You are explicitly permitted to write and distribute independent plugins that interact with BSM's official Plugin APIs without being forced to use the AGPL.
• Your Code, Your Rules: You retain full copyright over your plugins and can license them however you want (MIT, Apache, proprietary, etc.), as long as you do not bundle or modify the core BSM source code itself.

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🚀 Looking Forward

I am very excited by these changes. Upgrading to a fully async architecture and securing the core open-source project will provide Bedrock Server Manager with a stronger foundation for the future and allow the platform and its ecosystem to continue growing.

The goal isn't for BSM itself to do everything. The goal is to make BSM a strong foundation for whatever the community wants to build.

What started as a Bash script has grown into an application, and that application has grown into an ecosystem.

4.0 is the next step in that evolution.

Stay tuned for more updates, and thank you for the support!