janpio/twitchmc

TwitchMC lets Twitch streamers set up a Minecraft server that only their subscribers can join. Instead of manually managing a whitelist or handing out access one by one, the streamer connects their Twitch account once, and from then on anyone who is subscribed to their channel can log in and play. The system has two main pieces. The first is a plugin that runs on the Minecraft server itself. When a player tries to connect, the plugin pings a web service to ask whether that person is allowed in. The second piece is that web service plus a control panel where players link their Minecraft identity to their Twitch account. The linking process works through a short code shown in-game, the player enters it on the control panel website after logging in with Twitch, and from that point the system knows who they are and whether they are subscribed to the streamer. This is built for Twitch streamers who want to offer a Minecraft server as a perk for their subscribers, without the hassle of manually adding or removing people as subscriptions come and go. A mid-sized streamer with a few hundred active subs, for example, could spin up a server, install the plugin, and let their community start playing without needing to manage access lists themselves. The project is open source and can be self-hosted, though there is also a hosted version at TwitchMC.io for those who want a simpler setup. The team originally used Firebase for the database and backend logic but moved away from it after running into hard-to-diagnose permission errors and timeout issues that would cause the control panel to hang for some users. They rebuilt the API and control panel using a modern web stack called the T3 Stack, which gave them more direct control over the database and hosting while keeping costs lower. The Minecraft plugin itself is kept deliberately simple, almost all the logic lives in the web service, so the plugin stays compatible with future Minecraft server versions without requiring constant updates.