How to Make a Minecraft Server to Play With Friends

Option 1: on your own PC (free)

It's good for trying things out or playing for a while with two or three friends. The server lives on your computer: if you turn it off, the game is over for everyone, and your home connection has to cope with the players.

1. Install Java

   Current versions of Minecraft (26.1 onwards) need Java 25. Download it from adoptium.net (Temurin 25) and install it. For an older version, see which Java it needs in the Java guide.

2. Download the server

   On minecraft.net, in the “Download server” section, get the server.jar file for the same version as your game. Put it in an empty folder.

3. Run it once

   Open a terminal in that folder and run: java -Xmx2G -jar server.jar nogui. It will stop straight away and create the eula.txt file.

4. Accept the EULA

   Open eula.txt, change eula=false to eula=true and start it again. This time it will generate the world.

5. Open port 25565

   For people outside your home to join, you have to forward TCP port 25565 on your router to your PC's local IP. Every router calls it something different (“Port forwarding”, “NAT”, “Virtual servers”). Some ISPs (CG-NAT) don't allow it: in that case see how to play without port forwarding.

6. Share your public IP

   Your friends join with your public IP (search for “what is my IP”). If your ISP changes it, you'll have to share it again. How they add it is in the guide to joining and inviting your friends.

Option 2: rented (always on)

If you want to play whenever you feel like it, without depending on the host being online, you need a rented server. On NapNodes it works like this:

1. Choose the plan by RAM

   4 GB (Stone plan) is enough for a group of friends with plugins. For modpacks, 6 or 8 GB. If in doubt, read the RAM guide or start with the free server.

2. Pay and wait a couple of minutes

   The server is created on its own, with Paper (faster than Vanilla and compatible with plugins). Meanwhile, we generate the terrain around the spawn point and email you when it's ready.

3. Join with your address

   You get your own address, like yourserver.play.napnodes.com, which you type into “Multiplayer” → “Add Server”, without a port.

4. Manage it from the panel

   Console, files, backups and version, from panel.napnodes.com. Your RAM is yours alone: we don't oversell it to other customers.

Which one is worth it?

For an afternoon with two friends, your PC. For a game that lasts weeks, with people joining at different times, rented: your PC doesn't have to be on, nobody sees your home IP and the world has backups.

Frequently asked questions