How to host a Minecraft server (2026)

Short answer. You can host a Minecraft Java server yourself for free: install Java 25, download the server jar from Mojang (or Paper, for plugins), accept the EULA in eula.txt, run it with java -jar server.jar nogui, add your friends to the whitelist (on by default in 26.3), and open port 25565 so friends can reach you. Or rent a Minecraft server and skip the router and the Java setup.

Players join with the address and port in the Multiplayer screen of Minecraft: Java Edition. Bedrock players need extra software on a Java server, covered below.

Checked on 5 November 2026 against Minecraft Java Edition 26.3 (released 15 September 2026) and Paper 26.3.

This guide uses Mojang's own server page and server jar, the PaperMC documentation, and what we run on our own Minecraft servers. To go straight to the rental route, see Option 2.

What you need

• Java: Minecraft 26.3 asks for Java 25. Mojang's version file for 26.3 lists Java 25, and the PaperMC docs say Paper needs at least Java 25. Older Minecraft versions need older Java, and the PaperMC docs list the match for each.
• A server jar: the Mojang server from minecraft.net/download/server, or Paper from papermc.io/downloads/paper.
• A machine that stays on: a spare PC, a home server or a cloud virtual machine. Mojang does not publish a hardware requirement for the server. For memory, see How much RAM does a Minecraft server need.
• Network: port 25565, reachable from the internet if friends join from outside your home. It is TCP. You can change it with server-port in server.properties.
• The game: every player needs Minecraft. This guide covers Java Edition.

The server software is free. By downloading it you agree to the Minecraft End User License Agreement. You pay for the machine, power and bandwidth, not the software.

Option 1: host it yourself

Linux, macOS or Windows

1. Check Java. In a terminal run java -version. It should report version 25 or newer for Minecraft 26.3. On Windows you may have to fix the PATH variable before java works from the command line, as Mojang's server page warns.
2. Make a folder and put the jar in it. Download the jar from one of the two pages above and rename it server.jar to keep the commands short.
3. Run it once.

   cd ~/minecraft
   java -jar server.jar nogui

   nogui turns off Mojang's server window, so you only use the terminal. The PaperMC docs write it as --nogui for Paper. Mojang's page and the PaperMC docs also add -Xmx and -Xms to set how much memory Java may use; the RAM guide above helps you pick a size. The PaperMC docs also offer a startup script generator with tuned flags. The first run stops at once and prints You need to agree to the EULA in order to run the server. Go to eula.txt for more info. That text is in Mojang's own server jar.
4. Accept the EULA. Open eula.txt, read the agreement it links to, change eula=false to eula=true and save.
5. Start the server again with the same command. When the log prints a line that starts with Done and ends with For help, type "help", the world is generated and the server is ready.
6. Set it up. Stop the server, then edit server.properties. The keys most people change are server-port (default 25565), server-ip (leave blank to listen on all interfaces) and the world seed. Start it again afterwards.
7. Let your friends in. In Minecraft 26.3 the whitelist is on by default (white-list=true in server.properties), so only players on it can join, you included. Type whitelist add followed by a player's name in the server's terminal for each player, or set white-list=false to let anyone with the address in.
8. Open the port. Allow port 25565 in the machine's firewall, then forward it on your router to this machine. Mojang's server page names port forwarding and firewall settings as extra steps for players outside your network.
9. Join. In Minecraft: Java Edition open Multiplayer and add your public IP address as the server address. If the port is not 25565, add it after a colon.

The server stops when you close the terminal. To keep it running after you log out, run it inside a service or a terminal multiplexer. Updating means downloading the new jar and replacing the old one while the server is stopped. Take a copy of the world folder first.

Paper, plugins and mods

Mojang's server runs the game as shipped, and Paper adds plugin support. Paper is a drop-in replacement for CraftBukkit and Spigot, according to the PaperMC docs, and it converts a Vanilla world for you automatically. Mods need other server software again. See Minecraft server types explained: Vanilla, Paper, Purpur, Spigot, Forge and Fabric.

Option 2: host it on PlayNHost

Renting removes the router, the firewall and the Java install. You answer a few questions and the server starts.

1. Pick a plan. Open the Minecraft server hosting page and compare the plans (SAND, STONE, COAL, IRON and up to BEACON at the time of writing, all without a player limit). Press Create Server on a plan and finish the order. Prices change, so check them on that page. If you are not sure about size, read the RAM guide linked above first.
2. Wait for the install. You get an email when it is ready, and the server appears at panel.playnhost.com.
3. Answer the setup. The first time you open the server, a setup called Welcome opens. Click Start. Step 1 asks what the server is for: Plugins (Paper with plugins you choose), Java and Bedrock together (crossplay), A modpack, or Just the game (Vanilla). Short on time? Start with recommended settings picks Paper on the newest version your plugins support. The next steps cover the version, the plugins (for Plugins and crossplay), your world (seed, world type, difficulty, game mode, Who can join?) and a server name.
4. Click Finish Setup. The server does not start until you do. There is no EULA box: finishing setup records that you accept Mojang's EULA, and the panel writes eula=true for you. Read the EULA on minecraft.net first.
5. Wait for the ready line. On the Console tab, the panel counts the server as running when it prints the line that starts with Done and ends with For help, type "help". The first start takes longer, because the world is generated.
6. Join. On Overview, the Play with friends card shows the address. Copy it into Multiplayer in Minecraft: Java Edition. If you picked Only players I add, add your friends under Players first. See How to join your Minecraft server (Java and Bedrock).

What the panel does for you

• Port and address. At every start the panel writes server-port and query.port into server.properties to match your server's port, and sets server-ip so the server listens on every address. A hand edit of those keys is replaced at the next start, so you never forward a port or change them yourself.
• Install checks. The Paper install downloads the build from PaperMC, checks its published SHA-256 checksum, and only then replaces the jar. If a download fails, the jar the server already had stays, so it still starts.
• Builds update, versions do not. PaperMC keeps publishing new builds for each Minecraft version, and a Paper server takes the newest build of its own Minecraft version when it starts. It never jumps to a new Minecraft version on its own. To keep a build, turn off Auto-update server or set Build Number under Settings, Game Settings, Show advanced. Changing version is a deliberate step with Edit Server Type.
• Memory. The startup command sizes Java's heap as a share of your plan's memory. If a flag you add sets more memory than the plan has, the panel's crash helper tells you to remove any -Xmx or -Xms you added under Settings, Startup Parameters.
• Plugins and modpacks. Install them from the Modding tab instead of uploading files by hand.

Self-hosting or renting: an honest comparison

• Cost. Self-hosted: the software is free, and you pay for hardware, power and bandwidth. Rented: a monthly fee set by plan. See the current plans.
• Availability. Self-hosted: online only while your machine and home internet are. Rented: the world is there when anyone logs in, with your PC off.
• Network exposure. Self-hosted: players connect to your public IP, and you look after the firewall and router. Rented: your home IP is not involved.
• Skill needed. Self-hosted: Java, the command line, port forwarding and manual updates. A good way to learn. Rented: a setup with cards and form fields.
• Plugins, mods and updates. Self-hosted: you install and update everything by hand. Rented: the Modding tab installs them, and Paper builds update at start.
• Ports and firewall. Self-hosted: see Minecraft ports and firewall explained. Rented: nothing to open.

Self-hosting suits you if a machine already runs all day and you are comfortable with networking. Renting suits you if you would rather not look after hardware.

Common problems and fixes

The server stops right after the first start

Cause: eula.txt still says eula=false.

Fix: change it to eula=true and start again.

Friends cannot join from outside your network

Cause: port 25565 is not open on the machine's firewall, or not forwarded on the router.

Fix: open it in both places and give friends your public IP. If your server uses another port, they must add it after a colon. If they reach the server but are turned away, add them with whitelist add and their name.

Java refuses to start the server

Cause: the installed Java is older than the one your Minecraft version asks for. Version 26.3 asks for Java 25. On Java 17, for example, the 26.3 jar stops with UnsupportedClassVersionError.

Fix: install the Java version for your Minecraft version and run java -version again.

FAQ

Can I host a Minecraft server for free?

Yes. Mojang's server software is free to download. You still pay for the machine, power and internet, and it must stay on while people play.

Which port does a Minecraft Java server use?

Port 25565 by default, set by server-port in server.properties. On PlayNHost the panel sets it for you.

Can Bedrock players join a Java server?

Not by default. Mojang's server page says the Java server setup is only for Minecraft: Java Edition. Our guide How to let Bedrock players join your Java server with Geyser covers the crossplay route, and the Java and Bedrock together card in the setup switches it on.

Do I need to own Minecraft to run the server?

No. The server download on Mojang's page needs no sign-in. Every player who joins needs the game.

Ready to skip the setup? See the Minecraft server plans and press Create Server.