Before we begin to discuss the format and use of each packet in the Minecraft Protocol,
we need to set some bounds on what data and field types are available to be sent in each packet.
These types and their uses are outlined in the table below.
The more complex data types such as varint, itemstack and metadata will have their own section detailing parsing and handling below.
| Data Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Byte | Single byte consiting of 8 bits. This has a range of -127 to 127 signed, or 0 to 255 unsigned. |
Each packet in the Minecraft protocol comes sent in a vary distinct data format.
First, each frame begins with a varint that signifies the entire length of the following data.
This varint contains both the length of the Packet ID and the length of the Packet Data.
| Field Name | Type |
|---|---|
| Length | varint |
| Packet ID | varint |
| Packet Data | varies |