How to host a StarMade server (2026)

Short answer. You can host a StarMade server yourself for free: download the official updater and run it with java -jar ./StarMade-Starter.jar -nogui, start the server with Java 21 and the launch flags the developers list, and open port 4242 (TCP and UDP). Or rent a StarMade server and skip the Java and the networking.

Players join with your server's address and port, written as address:4242. The default port is 4242.

Checked on 5 November 2026 against StarMade 0.305.14, the latest stable version star-made.org listed that day.

This guide uses five sources: the developer's own server setup page on star-made.org, the update notes Schine GmbH published on Steam, the community server scripts those notes link to, the 0.305.14 release files themselves, and what we run on every StarMade server we host. Where they differ, it says so. To skip to the rental route, go to Option 2.

What you need

• The server software: StarMade is developed and published by Schine GmbH. The updater, StarMade-Starter.jar, downloads the game files from the developer's file server; there is no Steam login for the server.
• Java 21: since version 0.303.38 (announced on Steam on 13 June 2026) the game runs on Java 21 instead of Java 7. The old v1 to v3 game launchers no longer work.
• A machine that stays on: a spare PC, a home server or a cloud virtual machine. This guide uses Linux, which is what the developer's setup page covers.
• Memory: you choose the Java heap yourself with the -Xmx flag in the launch command.
• Network: port 4242 reachable from the internet. The developer-linked scripts publish it on both TCP and UDP.

Option 1: host it yourself

Install the server

1. Install Java 21. Debian 13 and Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 carry it (add curl for the next step):

   sudo apt install openjdk-21-jre-headless curl

   Debian 12 does not. There, SDKMAN installs a Java 21 build (it needs curl, zip and unzip first):

   sudo apt install curl zip unzip
   curl -s "https://get.sdkman.io" | bash
   source "$HOME/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh"
   sdk install java 21-tem

2. Download and run the updater without a window. In an empty folder:

   cd /path/to/starmade/
   curl -O https://files.star-made.org/StarMade-Starter.jar
   java -jar ./StarMade-Starter.jar -nogui

   The same java command checks for and installs updates later. The files land in a StarMade folder.
3. Start the server. The developer's setup page tells you to run a StarMade-dedicated-server-linux.sh script, but the file list of the 0.305.14 release has no such script, so write the command yourself. The 0.303.38 notes say the game cannot launch without these JVM arguments; this is their example with the port added:

   cd StarMade
   java -Xmx8g \
     --add-opens=java.base/jdk.internal.ref=ALL-UNNAMED \
     --add-opens=java.base/java.nio=ALL-UNNAMED \
     --add-opens=java.base/jdk.internal.misc=ALL-UNNAMED \
     -javaagent:StarMade.jar \
     -jar StarMade.jar -server -port:4242

   Change -Xmx8g to the heap your machine can spare. If an old setup of yours uses -Xincgc, remove it: it is no longer valid in Java 21. The developers suggest -XX:+UseZGC for constrained or shared CPU setups, which needs a little more memory headroom.
4. Keep it running after you close your SSH session. Save the command in a script (for example start.sh), make it executable with chmod ug+x ./start.sh, and start it in a detached screen session the way the developer's page does: sudo apt-get install screen, then screen -A -m -d ./start.sh. A systemd service works too.

Configure it

• Settings live in server.cfg in the StarMade folder. Restart the server for changes to take effect. New parameters from updates are added the first time the server starts on a new version.
• Player cap: the key is MAX_CLIENTS. The 0.305.14 default is 40.
• Reset the world: shut the server down, delete the server-database folder inside the StarMade folder and start it again.
• Modded servers: the community scripts the developers link warn that an update can overwrite data/config/BlockTypes.properties and data/config/BlockConfig.xml with vanilla defaults, which breaks the block IDs of custom blocks. Keep copies of both before you update.

Open the port and join

1. Allow port 4242 on the machine's firewall (on Ubuntu with ufw: sudo ufw allow 4242) and forward it on your router.
2. Give players your public address and the port, as address:4242. If you run a second server on the same machine, start it with a different -port: value.
3. Update by stopping the server and running the updater command from step 2 again, in the folder that holds StarMade-Starter.jar.

Option 2: host it on PlayNHost

Renting removes the Java install, the launch flags, the port forwarding and the update routine.

1. Pick a plan. Open the StarMade server hosting page and compare the plans: SHIPYARD (8 players), STARBASE (16) and HOMEWORLD (24) at the time of writing. Press Create Server (Customize Plan on HOMEWORLD) and finish the order. Prices change, so check them on that page.
2. Wait for the install. The server appears in the panel. Its Console shows SenableGameState(1) when the server is ready.
3. Check the player cap. On the Settings page, under Game Settings, Max Players shows your plan's cap with a Read only badge.
4. Edit the rest of the config in server.cfg under the Files tab, then restart.
5. Message your players with the Broadcast Message quick task, which sends a server-wide chat message.

What the panel does for you:

• It downloads the updater and installs the game for you, then moves the files out of the StarMade folder so StarMade.jar and server.cfg sit at the top of your server's files.
• Your port is assigned and passed to the game with -port: at every start, so there is nothing to forward.
• MAX_CLIENTS in server.cfg is rewritten from your plan at every start, so a value you type there is replaced.
• The Java heap is set from your plan's memory.

Self-hosting or renting: an honest comparison

• Cost: the updater and the server files download from the developer without an account or key. 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 Java 21, the launch flags, port forwarding and a way to keep it running. Renting needs a plan.
• Control: self-hosting gives you every file and every JVM flag. On our servers you still have the Files tab, but the player cap follows your plan.

Ready to skip the setup? See the StarMade server plans.