HOW TO HOST A MINECRAFT SERVER

Setting up your own Minecraft server isn't too hard, but it can be difficult to perfect. Today, I'll be teaching you how to set up a small server for friends, but with these instructions, you'll be able to build it into something bigger.

Choosing a Hosting Provider/Self Hosting

Let's start with this: why pay someone when you can do it for free? Safety. Hosting it yourself comes with risks—DDoS attacks could expose your home’s IP, potentially revealing your address and the name of the owner of your network. A hosting provider keeps your server up 24/7, and while you should still restart it once a day, your home PC isn't always on or might need performance for other games.

I always choose BloomHost—no, they’re not paying me, lol. I pick them because I like having full "ownership" of the CPU cores, and the performance isn’t shared with other people. Others offer this too, but BloomHost includes it in their cheapest plans, not just the most expensive ones.

If you decide to self-host, please be safe. Turn on the whitelist and only invite people you trust. When I want to play with friends, I use Crafty to host it myself. Crafty has an excellent tutorial on their site, so below, I'll focus only on using a hosting provider.

Plugins or Modded? Whats the Difference?

Everyone generally knows what mods are—files people create to modify how the game functions and add cool features we all love. Modded Minecraft is the best, but it's too resource-intensive for most players’ computers, which is why I recommend using plugins instead.

So what are plugins? They’re lines of code that run directly on the server, requiring no downloads for players. This makes it easier for them but does use some CPU power. The main downside to plugins is their limitations when it comes to graphics. They don’t add new blocks, items, or mobs—rather, they modify existing ones and how they function.

My favorite plugin is Towny because it allows you to claim land so others can’t destroy your base. In a modded server, you'd usually craft a block for that, but with plugins, you use a command. You can also pair it with a currency plugin, like Jobs, so people don’t claim the entire map.

For the best plugins, Spigot is my go-to.

Which Plan Should You Use?

It depends on three factors:

1. How much are you adding to your server? Is it modded, vanilla, or vanilla with some plugins?

   • Vanilla needs very little RAM.

   • Plugins need a bit more.

   • Modded uses A LOT.

2. What’s your target player count? More players = more CPU usage.

3. What kind of server is it? Lots of exploration? A bigger world means more storage is needed.

I can't give you an exact plan since everyone’s different, but I hope this helps:

• For a vanilla server (10 players, no mods/plugins): Any basic plan should work—usually 2 vCores, 4–8GB RAM, and ~120GB storage.

• For a server with plugins: Generally, 8–16GB RAM is ideal unless you’re just using a few simple ones. This should handle 20–50 players, depending on plugins and cores (more cores = more players).

• For a modded server: More mods = more RAM. 16–32GB RAM is standard for most modpacks, but if you want to run All The Mods or something crazy, you'll need a dedicated server with 64GB RAM and tons of cores.

How to Set it up?

Most hosting providers have amazing guides that are super easy to follow. The general process is:

1. Open the hosting provider’s console (this is the backend of your server).

2. Here, you can upload files, send commands, and start/restart the server.

3. On BloomHost (others are similar), go to Startup, choose Minecraft (they let you host other games too).

4. Choose the server type:

   • Paper (recommended for vanilla)

   • Forge (recommended for modded)

5. Choose your version—important, as not all mods/plugins support every version of Minecraft.

6. Go back to the console tab and press Start.

Now you’re done! Just copy the IP and send it to your friends. That’s it. Oh, you expected it to be harder? Well, if you just want to play regular vanilla, you're good to go. If you want more, keep reading.

How to add Plugins and Mods and modify them?

After turning the server on, turn it off and go to File Manager.

1. Delete your world file—this lets mods/plugins properly affect world generation.

2. Open the Mods or Plugins folder and drop the .jar file in.

   • DON’T UNZIP IT—just start your server.

3. After it turns on, turn it off again. Now, you’ll see that every plugin/mod has generated its own config files.

4. Adjust settings if needed (e.g., world generators, spawn rates, etc.).

5. Before turning it back on, make sure all world-affecting mods are final—otherwise, between old and new chunks will look janky.

⚠️ ALWAYS MAKE BACKUPS. If you break something, go back and try again.

If you don’t understand a config file, just increase a random number and see what happens—or ask ChatGPT. That’s what I do.

How To Use a Custom Domain?

A domain is what you used to get here—mine is https://skye.zone. It connects users to a server through the internet.

I buy my domains through GoDaddy (not gonna lie, I picked them because the name made me laugh). There’s no real benefit for Minecraft servers in choosing a specific provider.

1. After buying the domain, I connect it to Cloudflare for DDoS protection and analytics.

2. To do this, change your nameservers on GoDaddy to the ones Cloudflare provides.

3. On DNS settings, add an A Record:

   • Type: A

   • Name: mc

   • IP: Your server’s IP

   • Proxy status: DNS only

   • TTL: 10 min

4. Add an SRV Record:

   • Name: _minecraft._tcp.mc

   • Priority & Weight: 0

   • TTL: 30 min

   • Port: Your Minecraft server’s port (usually 25565)

   • Target: mc.yourdomain.com

Wait an hour, and it should work. If not, contact your domain provider. Remember, don’t forget "mc"—"skye.zone" won’t work, it has to be "mc.skye.zone".

Java or Bedrock, Why Chose When You Can Have Both?

This tutorial was targeted at Java players. If you only want Bedrock, just use a Realm—it's easier.

But if you want both, follow everything above with one difference:

• Install the GeyserMC plugin (https://geysermc.org).

• In your server console, go to port and proxies and add the default Bedrock port (19132).

• Repeat the SRV Record setup, but use the Bedrock port number.

⚠️ Mods won’t work on Bedrock—only plugins will.

My First Blog

This is my first time writing a blog of any kind, so support is appreciated! If I made a mistake, some understanding would be nice when contacting me to fix it. Hope this helps you have amazing adventures with your friends.

#MinecraftIsTheBestGame #IfOnlyThe2WeekPhaseCouldLastForever