Updated 23 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Redstone Basics
Redstone is Minecraft's version of electricity. Power components such as levers and buttons make a signal, redstone dust carries it up to 15 blocks, repeaters boost it, and mechanism components such as pistons and lamps act on it.
What is redstone?
minecraft.wiki calls redstone the game's loose answer to electricity. Some blocks produce a redstone signal and others do something when they receive one; combined, they build circuits for automatic farms, item sorters, flying machines and more.
What are the types of redstone components?
| Type | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Power | Creates a signal, on demand or when something happens | Lever, button, pressure plate, observer |
| Transmission | Carries a signal from one place to another | Redstone dust, repeater, comparator |
| Mechanism | Acts when powered | Piston, redstone lamp, door |
How far does a redstone signal go?
Redstone dust carries a signal up to 15 blocks. The power level drops by 1 for each block of dust, so after 15 blocks it is gone. To go further, put a redstone repeater in the line to boost it back to full strength.
Dust on a block powers the block it sits on and the block it points into. It connects diagonally up and down through non-conductive blocks but not through conductive ones.
What is a redstone tick?
A game tick is 1/20 of a second (0.05 seconds). Most redstone events happen in multiples of 2 game ticks, so players measure in redstone ticks of 2 game ticks (0.1 seconds). Redstone dust itself updates every game tick, 20 times a second. On Bedrock Edition redstone runs on separate threads with its own tick system.
What should you build first?
- A lever wired to a door or a piston, to see power and mechanisms work.
- A repeater line, to learn signal strength and delay.
- A hidden piston door, the classic first project.
- A simple automatic farm; see mob farms.
Does redstone work on ArtemisPvP?
Frequently asked questions
How far can redstone dust carry a signal?
15 blocks; the power drops by 1 per block. Use a repeater to go further.
What is a redstone tick?
2 game ticks, or 0.1 seconds.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.