Minecraft Guide

How to Start and Host a Minecraft Server

Want to play with friends on your own custom world? This guide covers setting up a local server, configuring settings, allowing friends to join, and choosing hosting providers.

1. Choose Your Hosting Method

Before launching a server, determine where the server software will run:

  • Local Hosting: Running the server jar on your own computer. Free and great for testing or playing with a few local friends, but requires your PC to remain turned on and uses system resources.
  • Shared Game Server Host: Paying a hosting provider (like Apex, BisectHosting, or Hostinger) to run the server on their infrastructure. Affordable, active 24/7, and managed via control panels (Pterodactyl).
  • VPS / Dedicated Server: Renting a virtual private server (e.g., AWS, Linode, Oracle Cloud) and setting up Linux, Java, and the server manually. Offers ultimate control and performance for advanced users.

2. Setting Up a Local Server (Java Edition)

To run a server on your local machine, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure you have the correct version of **Java JDK** installed (Minecraft 1.20.x and newer require Java 17 or higher; 1.20.5+ requires Java 21+).
  2. Create a new folder on your computer named Minecraft Server.
  3. Download the official server jar or an optimized alternative like **PaperMC** (recommended for performance) and place it in the folder. Rename it to server.jar.
  4. Create a text file named run.bat (Windows) or run.sh (Mac/Linux) in the same folder, write the following command, and save it: 
    java -Xmx4G -Xms4G -jar server.jar nogui
  5. Run the file. The server will generate a few files and close immediately.
  6. Open the newly created eula.txt file and change eula=false to eula=true.
  7. Run the start file again. Your Minecraft server is now running!

3. Configure Port Forwarding

By default, only players on your local home network (LAN) can join your server. To allow friends over the internet to connect, you must forward port 25565 in your home router settings:

  • Find your local IP address (run ipconfig in Windows CMD or check system settings).
  • Log in to your home router gateway dashboard via a browser (usually `192.168.1.1` or `192.168.0.1`).
  • Locate the **Port Forwarding** or **Virtual Server** section.
  • Add a new rule: set the internal and external port to 25565, select the protocol as **TCP** (or TCP/UDP), and enter your local IP address.
  • Give your friends your **public IP address** (find it by googling "what is my IP"). They will use this address to connect.
Safety Warning: Never share your public IP address on public forums. Only share it with trusted friends, as exposing it publicly carries network safety risks.

4. Choose Your Server Software

Selecting the right server jar depends on whether you want a vanilla experience, performance modifications, or plugin support:

Software Purpose Why Choose It
Vanilla Official server jar Exact gameplay and redstone physics as singleplayer, but poor performance at scale.
PaperMC Optimized Spigot fork Drastically improves TPS, entity tracking, and chunk loading. Supports Bukkit/Spigot plugins.
Fabric Mod loader Allows loading server-side optimization mods (like Lithium) or full modpacks.
NeoForge / Forge Classic mod loader Required for running heavy gameplay mods (like Pixelmon or twilight forest).

Test Your Connection

Once your server is online, search for it in our search page or try a probe command to ensure the query port is responding correctly.

Go to Search