Offline Mode
This page explains how to allow players to join your server in Offline Mode.
What is Offline Mode?
Offline mode is a feature of Minecraft Vanilla that allows players to join a server without needing an Internet connection to authenticate their Minecraft account. This is useful for LAN parties or for players who don't own a Minecraft account. There are also many public offline-mode servers that allow players to join without a paid Minecraft account.
Offline mode servers and unauthenticated players are often referred to as cracked servers and players.
This is different from Connect-managed Bedrock identity. Bedrock players who join through Connect can be authenticated with official Microsoft/Xbox Bedrock auth and still travel through a Java connector. That trusted Bedrock/XUID path does not require allowing arbitrary offline-mode Java players.
Joining the Connect Browser Hub
To join the Browser Hub as a cracked player, you can use cracked.minekube.net to join the Connect Network.
Enabling Offline Mode
It is possible to join the Connect Network without a valid Minecraft account. By default, Connect ensures that only Mojang authenticated players can join your online mode server.
To allow unauthenticated players to join your offline-mode server, you have to set the allow-offline-mode-players option in the Connect Plugin configuration to true.
allow-offline-mode-players: trueOffline-mode player connections are not encrypted between the player and the Connect Network edge. Player connections are always encrypted between the Connect edge and Connect Endpoints - thanks to Connect Tunnels.
Connect also marks its own authenticated player connections offline mode at pre-login, because those players were already authenticated at the Connect edge. That is an internal detail of the login flow and is unrelated to this option. It does matter for login plugins - see Login and Auth Plugins.
Do not enable allow-offline-mode-players just because a Bedrock player is joining through Connect. Use the Bedrock support guide to decide whether the player is on the Connect-managed Bedrock path, a direct self-hosted Gate Bedrock path, or a real offline-mode Java path.