How to Let 1.7 and 1.8 Clients Join Your Newer Server

ViaRewind's whole purpose is letting very old clients connect to a modern server. To make that happen, you need all three plugins working together, not just ViaRewind on its own.

Install the trio

Drop ViaVersion, ViaBackwards, and ViaRewind into your server's plugins folder. ViaRewind will not function without the other two, so never remove them. Restart the server so all three load in the correct order.

Confirm the old-version path is active

Join with a legacy client and watch the console. You should see the connection pass through ViaVersion first, then get downgraded by ViaBackwards and ViaRewind. If a 1.7 or 1.8 client is kicked immediately, the usual cause is a missing companion plugin or a Java version that is too old for the server software itself.

Expect limitations

Old clients cannot see blocks, items, or entities that did not exist in their version. They will see substitutes or nothing at all. This is normal and not a bug you can fix with configuration. Test with a few legacy clients before announcing support to your players.