How to make a Minecraft server (2026 guide)

Step 1: Pick the edition

Your server has to match the game your friends play.

Java Edition — PC and Mac. The only edition with real plugins (Paper) and mods (Forge, Fabric, NeoForge).
Bedrock Edition — consoles, phones, tablets and the Windows version from the Microsoft Store.
Both — a Java server with Geyser and Floodgate lets Bedrock players join too. More on that in the crossplay guide.

If you are not sure, read Java vs Bedrock for server owners first.

Step 2: Pick the server software

For Java, the software decides what you can add later.

Software	Use it for
Vanilla	Pure Minecraft, no add-ons
Paper	Vanilla gameplay plus plugins, better performance
Fabric	Lightweight mods and performance mods
Forge / NeoForge	Big content mods and most modpacks

Plugins and mods do not mix: Paper runs plugins, Forge and Fabric run mods. If you only want survival with friends and maybe a few plugins later, Paper is the safe default.

For Bedrock, you use the official Bedrock Dedicated Server.

Step 3: Pick the RAM

A rough guide:

2–4 GB — vanilla or Paper with a handful of friends.
6–8 GB — plugins and 20+ players, or a medium modpack.
8–12 GB — heavy modpacks.

The full breakdown is in how much RAM a Minecraft server needs.

Step 4: Decide where it runs

You have two options.

At home. Free, but your PC has to stay on whenever people want to play, and friends outside your network can only join if you forward a port on your router. Some internet providers make that impossible. Port forwarding vs hosting explains the trade-offs.

With a host. You rent a server that runs in a data centre. No port forwarding, no PC left on overnight, and you get a fixed address to share.

Setting it up at home (Java)

Install the Java version your Minecraft version needs. Minecraft 1.20.5 and newer need at least Java 21.
Make a new empty folder and put the server .jar in it (vanilla from minecraft.net, or Paper from papermc.io).
Open a terminal in that folder and run java -Xms2G -Xmx2G -jar server.jar nogui (use the real file name).
The server stops on the first run. Open eula.txt, change eula=false to eula=true, save.
Run the same command again. When you see Done, the server is up.
Join from the same PC with the address localhost.

For friends outside your home you now need port forwarding for TCP port 25565, and ideally a whitelist.

Setting it up with a host

Choose edition, software and RAM. On ShulkerHost the configurator asks what you want to play and pre-selects all three.
Pick the location closest to most of your players. Lower distance means lower ping — see our locations.
Check out. Your server address is ready about 90 seconds later.
Join with that address and share it with friends.

First things to do on any new server

Make yourself operator. Run op YourName in the server console.
Turn on the whitelist. /whitelist on, then /whitelist add FriendName for each friend.
Check the basics in server.properties — difficulty, game mode, PvP, view distance.
Make a backup before you install anything big.

Common first-day problems

“Outdated client” or “Outdated server” — the game version and the server version must match. Change one of them.
Friends cannot see the server — wrong address, wrong port, or the server is not running. Check each of those first.
Lag with only a few players — usually too many loaded chunks or too little RAM, rarely the internet connection.

Quick checklist

Edition matches your friends’ devices.
Software matches what you want to add: plugins or mods.
RAM fits the player count and modpack.
Whitelist is on before you share the address.