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Bossbar or Sidebar?

Bossbar vs sidebar

Use a bossbar when you only need a short status line.

Good for:

event name
time left
small score display
rotating short messages

Use a sidebar when you need multiple lines.

Good for:

score
rank
time left
participants
objective hints
extra instructions

Common mistakes

Bossbar text is too long​

Keep bossbar text short.

Bad:

text: "&bMining Rush is currently active and you need to mine blocks to gain points before the timer runs out!"

Better:

text: "&bMining Rush &8| &f{time_left} &8| &e{score} pts"

Too many animated bossbar frames​

Use 2-4 frames for most events.

Too many frames can make the bossbar feel distracting.

Keep sidebars readable.

A sidebar should show useful information quickly, not become a full help menu.