How to create a Minecraft server
From the decision to the first connected player. Five steps, in order, with what to remember from each. Still hesitating with a 0 € offer? First read what a free Minecraft server really costs.
Self-hosting or a host?
Creating a Minecraft server at home means opening a port on the router, exposing your personal IP address, leaving a machine on around the clock and absorbing every attack yourself. The upstream bandwidth of a home connection caps out fast as soon as several players load chunks at once.
Going through a Minecraft host offloads all of that: a machine on around the clock, a dedicated address with no port to remember, upstream anti-DDoS filtering, automatic backups. It is the default choice as soon as there are more than two or three regular players.
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Sizing the machine
RAM is the first parameter. Count 2 to 3 GB for vanilla with ten players, 3 to 4 GB with Paper and a few plugins, 6 GB and up as soon as a modpack comes into play.
The second parameter, less visible but decisive, is the processor frequency: Minecraft runs most of its game loop on a single thread. A few modern high-frequency cores serve a Minecraft server better than a large number of slower cores.
Keep in mindWhen in doubt, take the plan below: upgrading is immediate and pro rata.
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Choosing the version
Vanilla for the original game. Paper or Spigot for plugins and better performance. Forge, NeoForge or Fabric for mods. A complete modpack for a turnkey experience.
The choice is made at ordering time and can be changed later from the panel, without losing your world.
Keep in mindA plugin needs Bukkit, Spigot or Paper; a mod needs Forge, Fabric, NeoForge or Quilt.
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Configuring the world
From the Configuration page: difficulty, game mode, number of slots, view distance, world generation, Nether, command blocks.
View distance is the setting that weighs the most on performance: 8 to 10 chunks are almost always enough, and nobody will see the difference.
Keep in mindLeave online-mode enabled: Mojang then verifies the players' identity.
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Securing access
Enable the whitelist if the server is private: only the listed usernames will get in. Name one or two trusted operators, no more. Install a zone protection plugin if the server is public.
Schedule a nightly restart and a daily backup.
Keep in mindThese two scheduled tasks alone prevent most incidents.
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Opening to players
Share the connection address, without a port number. Check that the client version matches the server's. For a modded server, send the exact list of mods and their version.
Watch the console during the first session.
Keep in mindThat is where plugin incompatibilities surface, down to the line.
Your server in two minutes
All the steps above are done from a single interface.