How to host a Minetest server (2026)

Short answer. You can host a Minetest server yourself for free. Minetest is now called Luanti, and its server runs from the same engine: get a server build, add a game such as Minetest Game from ContentDB, start it with --server --gameid <game> and open UDP port 30000. Or rent a Minetest server and skip the networking.

Players open Join Game in the Luanti main menu and pick your server from the list or type its address and port.

Checked on 5 November 2026, when the newest Luanti release was 5.18.0 (29 October 2026).

This guide uses the official Luanti documentation and the example minetest.conf from the engine's repository, plus what we run on every Minetest server we host. To skip to the rental route, go to Option 2.

What you need

• The server software: free and open source. The Linux docs list these routes: your distribution's luantiserver package (which they warn may be several releases out of date), prebuilt headless binaries from a third-party repository they link, compiling from source with -DBUILD_CLIENT=0 -DBUILD_SERVER=1, or Docker.
• A game: since Luanti 5.8.0 the engine ships without a default game. Download one from ContentDB (content.luanti.org) and put it in the games/ folder. Minetest Game is the classic one.
• A machine that stays on: a spare PC, a home server or a cloud virtual machine. The Luanti server setup guide gives example specs for about 10 players and says heavier games and mods need more, and that a fast single CPU core matters most.
• Network: one UDP port, 30000 by default, reachable from the internet. The docs advise 30000 for a single server and counting upwards (30001, 30002) for more.
• Your player name: the in-game name you will use as admin.

Option 1: host it yourself

1. Get the server and a game. Install the server by one of the routes above and put your game folder in games/.
2. Start it. From your Luanti folder:

   ./bin/luantiserver --gameid minetest_game --worldname world --terminal

   With the full client binary the same thing is luanti --server. If you see "Multiple worlds are available", add --worldname as shown.
3. Keep it running. The docs suggest a restart loop in a script and running it inside screen:

   while true
   do
       ./bin/luantiserver --gameid minetest_game --worldname world --terminal
       sleep 2
   done

4. Edit minetest.conf and restart the server, because changes only apply after a restart. The keys most people set:

   name = YourPlayerName
   port = 30000
   max_users = 15
   default_password = a-long-password
   motd = Welcome!
   server_announce = true
   server_name = My Minetest server
   server_description = A world for friends
   server_url = https://example.com

   The example config says that a client connecting with the name you set is admin, so join with that name before anyone else can and keep its password safe. server_address must be a bare domain name with no path, or left unset if you have none, or the server list rejects you. Leave serverlist_url and bind_address alone unless you run a custom list or have several addresses.
5. Open the port. Allow UDP 30000 on the machine's firewall (for example sudo ufw allow 30000/udp) and forward UDP 30000 on your router to the machine.
6. Join it. Open Luanti, go to Join Game and enter your address and port, or find the server in the list if server_announce = true. Register with your player name the first time. If the server crashes, look in debug.txt.

Option 2: host it on PlayNHost

Renting removes the install, the game download and the port forwarding. You still choose a name, your admin and your rules.

1. Pick a plan. Open the Minetest server hosting page and compare the plans: STONE (15 players), IRON (30) and DIAMOND (60) at the time of writing. Press Create Server and finish the order. Prices change, so check them on that page.
2. Wait for the install. The server appears in the panel. It is ready when the console prints a line containing Server for gameid.
3. Make yourself admin and name it. On the Settings tab, in Game Settings, set Admin Player Name to your in-game name, then Server name, Message of the Day and, for a private world, Server password. Restart. See How to become an admin on your Minetest server.
4. Keep it private or public. Show in server list is on by default. Turn it off for a private server. For a public listing, also set Domain name of the server to the host part of your server address (the part before the colon) and restart: the server list only accepts an entry whose address resolves and answers.
5. Invite your players. Give them the address and port from your server, and follow How to connect to your Minetest server.
6. Add mods or another game. ContentDB mods takes author/mod names separated by commas. For another game from ContentDB, set Community Game Author and Community game name from its address on content.luanti.org, and Game name to the folder name it gets under .minetest/games. The mod list and the game download are read while the server installs, so they apply on the next reinstall, not on a restart. Give the new game a new World name as well: the server starts with the game set in Game name even when the world already exists, so keeping your current world name would open that world with a game it was not made for. See How to install mods on your Minetest server.

What the panel does for you:

• It installs the game for you. The install downloads Minetest Game from ContentDB by default and refuses to continue, rather than reporting success, if the download holds no game.conf.
• Your port is assigned and passed to the server with --port at every start, so you never edit it.
• The settings above are written into .minetest/minetest.conf at every start, so change them in the panel, not in the file. Anything else you want goes under the "Custom server settings" heading the install leaves in that file.
• ContentDB mods go into the world's worldmods folder, which Luanti loads without a load_mod line. A mod placed in .minetest/mods on a new world would sit on disk unloaded, and the panel avoids that. A bad mod name stops the install and keeps the mods that were working.
• If a mod will not load or players see unknown blocks, see Minetest server will not start or players see unknown blocks.

Self-hosting or renting: an honest comparison

• Cost: the software is free. Self-hosting costs power, hardware and bandwidth, or a cloud machine. Renting is a monthly fee set by the plan.
• Uptime: a home server is only up while your PC, power and internet are. A rented server runs on the host's hardware.
• Exposure: at home, players connect to your public IP address and you look after the firewall and router. A rented server keeps your home IP out of it.
• Setup: self-hosting needs a server build, a game, the command line and port forwarding. Renting needs a name, a password and your admin name.
• Control: self-hosting gives you every file and the newest engine the moment it is out. On our servers you change settings in the panel and still have the Files tab.

Ready to skip the setup? See the Minetest server plans. Already have a server? Start with How to change your Minetest server name and settings.