12 articles
How to make a Minecraft server
Where to start: shared hosting or a VPS, how much memory, server.properties, ports, offline mode and backups.
- How to make a Minecraft server: the complete guideA Minecraft server needs Java, server software (for a plugin server, Paper) and a machine that stays on while people play: your own PC, a game host or a VPS. Then you accept the EULA, set up server.properties, open the port and add plugins. Here is the whole path, step by step, from picking hardware to the pre-launch checklist.13 min read
- How to make a Minecraft server on Windows: step by stepOn Windows a Minecraft server takes about half an hour: a Java installer, a folder with Paper, a start.bat file, the accepted EULA and a firewall rule for port 25565. Below is every step with a check, plus the mistakes people hit specifically on Windows: hidden file extensions, Java missing from PATH and a dismissed firewall prompt.9 min read
- How to make a Minecraft server for friends: 5 waysThere are five ways to play Minecraft with friends: open your world to LAN, subscribe to Realms, run a server on your own computer, or use free or paid hosting. They differ in cost, in who can join, in whether your computer has to stay on, and in whether you can add plugins. Here is each one, and how to keep strangers off the server.9 min read
- Best Minecraft server hosting in 2026: compared, and how to chooseNine well-known Minecraft hosts, international and Russian, in one table: is there a free tier, which panel, can you upload your own plugins, is DDoS protection stated, and where the servers are. All of it comes from the hosts' own websites, followed by how to choose a host and how to test it in the first days.9 min read
- Free Minecraft server hosting 2026: where to host for freeThe free options for a Minecraft server in one table: what exactly is free, the limits each one states (memory, slots, sleeping when empty, queues, ads), whether you can upload your own plugin and which server software you get. All of it comes from the services' own websites and help pages. Below: what a free server costs you in other ways, when to move to paid hosting, and how not to leave it open to everyone.10 min read
- Game hosting or a VPS for a Minecraft server: which to chooseGame hosting is a quick start through a web panel, with shared resources and limits. A VPS or dedicated server gives you full control, but the OS, security and backups are on you. Either way, look at single-threaded CPU performance, guaranteed memory, a fast disk, DDoS protection and the distance to your players.8 min read
- How much RAM does a Minecraft server need?There's no universal “N GB for N players” number: memory use depends on player count, view distance, plugins and how much of the world is loaded at once. Paper's docs start at 4 GB, and their Aikar's flags page recommends 6–10 GB no matter how few players you have. From there, measure with spark and add memory only when you're actually short.7 min read
- server.properties explained: every setting that mattersserver.properties is the main settings file of a Minecraft server: port, account verification, whitelist, view distance, game mode. Here are the keys worth knowing, with their defaults and advice, grouped by purpose: access and security, performance, gameplay.9 min read
- Server IP and port 25565: letting players connectA Minecraft Java server accepts players on TCP port 25565. For people to join from the internet you need a public IP or a domain, the port open in the firewall and — if the server runs at home — a port forward on the router. Here it is step by step, with a port test and an SRV record so players can join by domain with no port number.8 min read
- A domain for your Minecraft server: a nice address and an SRV recordAn address like play.example.com is easier to remember than digits, survives a change of host and looks like a real project. On the default port 25565 one A record is enough; any other port needs an SRV record, _minecraft._tcp. Here are both, plus TTL, checking, a network behind Velocity and what Bedrock can't do.9 min read
- Offline-mode servers (online-mode=false): risks and protectionWith online-mode=false the server doesn't verify a player's account with Mojang: anyone can join under any name, an admin's included. You can run such a server, but only with an auth plugin, permissions instead of OP and protection against bots. Here's exactly what changes and what to set up.7 min read
- Minecraft server backups: what, how and how oftenA server backup means the worlds, the plugins folder with its configs and data, the server's settings files and your plugins' databases. Automate it, keep at least one copy off the machine, and check now and then that you can actually restore from it.8 min read
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