How to Make a Server in Minecraft

In a Nutshell:

To Make a server in Minecraft, you need to download Minecraft from the official site. Then you have to download the Server.Jar file. Paste this file into your personal server folder and accept the EULA agreement. Then, create a batch file we can use to launch our server and help it run smoother to prevent as much lag as possible.

To set up your Minecraft server you first need the actual server files. These files can be downloaded from the official Minecraft website.

The file will download as a single .jar file. Take this file and place it in a folder on its own. This folder will soon house every file you need to run your server.

The next step is simple, just run the .jar file. This will create a bunch of other files in the folder, a logs folder, a eula text document, and a server properties file.

The logs folder and server properties file doesn’t matter right now, just ignore them and open the EULA document. This is an agreement to Minecraft's End User License Agreement, which must be agreed to before starting your server.

Change the eula= line from false to true and save and close the document.

Now you can run your Minecraft server! It will generate a world and start itself up. However your friends can’t join yet as it's not public.

To begin making your server public you need to gather some information on your computer first. Search ‘cmd’ on your computer and press enter.

This will open a window titled Command Prompt. In this window type, ‘ipconfig’ and a bunch of information will be listed out below.

You’ll want to find two numbers, the number on the line that starts with IPv4 Address and the number on the line that starts with Default Gateway. If there is more than one item listed after Default Gateway, make sure you use the one which is only numbers, not numbers and letters.

Now open the server properties file and find the line that says server-ip=. Paste in your IPv4 Address number here.

Now take your Default Gateway number and paste it into the search bar of your browser. This will take you to a screen to login to your router. Each router is different so you’ll have to look up how to log in to your specific router.

Next, find your port forwarding options on your router. Again this is different for different routers so search where to find your router options.

Now you will need to enter the information for Minecraft.

For Application Name/ID enter ‘Minecraft’.

For any option that says Port enter ‘25565’.

For Protocol select TCP/UDP or Both. If you can’t select both, create two lines with the same information with one that has Protocol TCP and the other UDP.

For Device IP enter your IPv4 Address. If it is a selection instead, select the device which is hosting your server.

For an External IP use your Public IP Address which can be found by simply searching ‘what is my IP address’.

This public IP Address is also what you will give to your friends in order to let them join. Remember, your Public IP holds information on your location so only give it out to people you trust, you do not want it becoming public on the internet.

Finally, if you yourself cannot connect via your Public IP Address then connect using your IPv4 Address instead.

And after all that, you will have a working public Minecraft server!

Are Minecraft servers free?

Yes and no. There are ways to host a Minecraft server for free, like free server hosting and the method outlined above, however, there are also paid options that tend to be better for running bigger servers or modded servers that require more power.

How much RAM do I need for a Minecraft server?

If you’re running a server from your own computer, that is not using a server hosting service, you will need about two gigabytes of ram for a small server and more if it gets bigger. But if you have less than about five players on average, two gigabytes is enough.

What is the best free Minecraft server hosting?

Aternos is one of many free Minecraft server hosting sites but it gives you lots of customization options, an easy way to start the server, as well as simple mod and plugin support.

Playing with your friends is fun, and with all your options, it can be very easy and customizable. And if you don’t want to pay anything, you don’t have to. Minecraft servers are more accessible than ever right now!