Minecraft server guides
Practical guides for running a Minecraft server, written for people who have not done it before. No affiliate links and no host recommendations we were paid for.
Starting a server
How to Make a Minecraft Java Server
7 min readSet up a Minecraft Java server from scratch: the right Java version, the jar, eula.txt, ports, and the first settings worth changing.
How to Make a Minecraft Bedrock Server
6 min readRun a Bedrock Dedicated Server for console and mobile players: setup, UDP ports, allow lists, and when Geyser is the better answer.
What Does a Minecraft Server Cost to Run?
6 min readReal numbers for hosting a Minecraft server: self hosting, managed panels, VPS pricing, and the costs people forget until month three.
How to Find the Best Minecraft Server Host
6 min readWhat actually decides hosting quality: single core speed, real RAM, location and support, not the plan name.
Running a server
How to Allocate More RAM to a Minecraft Server
6 min readSet Xms and Xmx correctly, understand why more RAM often makes lag worse, and find the real bottleneck instead.
How to Make a Minecraft Server Icon
4 min readThe exact size and filename a server icon needs, how to design one that reads at 64 pixels, and why yours is not showing up.
How to Enable or Disable Command Blocks
4 min readTurn command blocks on in server.properties, get one in your inventory, and understand the permissions people get wrong.
Which Plugins Does a Server Actually Need?
7 min readThe short list of plugins nearly every public server needs, the order to install them in, and the ones that quietly cost you performance.
How to Set Permissions on a Minecraft Server
6 min readSet up LuckPerms groups, inheritance and per-world permissions so staff get what they need and nobody gets operator.
How to Make Yourself OP on a Minecraft Server
4 min readGrant operator from the console, from ops.json or in game, understand the four levels, and know when not to.
How to Whitelist a Minecraft Server
4 min readTurn the whitelist on, add and remove players, edit whitelist.json, and handle Bedrock and offline mode.
How to Reset a Minecraft Server World
5 min readBack up first, then reset the whole world or just the resource world, and keep the player data you meant to keep.
How to Change Minecraft Server Difficulty
3 min readSet difficulty in server.properties or with a command, understand hardcore, and fix the setting that keeps reverting.
How to Shut Down a Minecraft Server Safely
3 min readStop a server without corrupting the world, warn players first, and understand why killing the process loses data.
How to Add a Server Resource Pack
5 min readHost a pack, get the SHA-1 right, set it in server.properties, and fix the errors players actually hit.
BungeeCord: Turning Servers into a Network
6 min readSet up a BungeeCord proxy, connect backend servers, secure it properly, and know when Velocity is the better pick.
Growing a server
Turning One Server Into a Network
7 min readHow a proxy joins several Minecraft servers into one address, why Velocity replaced BungeeCord, and the firewall step that gets skipped.
How to Get Players on a New Minecraft Server
7 min readWhat actually brings players to a new server: listings, votes, banners, an MOTD that says something, and the retention work nobody does.
Advertising a Minecraft Server
6 min readWhere server lists actually send traffic, how voting works, and which promotion methods waste your time.
Playing Minecraft
How to Make Smooth Stone in Minecraft
3 min readSmelt cobblestone twice to get smooth stone, then turn it into slabs and blast furnaces. Full recipe chain.
How to Make a Blast Furnace in Minecraft
3 min readThe recipe, what it smelts twice as fast, what it refuses to smelt, and how it changes a villager job.
How to Make Concrete in Minecraft
4 min readCraft concrete powder, harden it with water, and use the falling block trick to make thousands at once.
How to Make an Armor Stand in Minecraft
3 min readThe six stick and one slab recipe, how to give it arms, and the commands builders use to pose them.
How to Make a Map in Minecraft
4 min readCraft a map, zoom it out, lock it, add banner markers, and join copies into a wall-sized map art display.
How to Make Potions in Minecraft
6 min readSet up a brewing stand, brew every base potion, and use redstone, glowstone and gunpowder correctly.
How to Make Fireworks in Minecraft
4 min readCraft firework stars and rockets, set flight duration and colours, and use rockets with an elytra.
Preparing for the Ender Dragon Fight
6 min readThe gear, potions and blocks to bring, how to take the towers down, and what changes when you fight as a group.
How to Tame a Fox in Minecraft
4 min readFoxes cannot be tamed directly. Breed two wild ones and raise the kit, then stop it running away.
How to Find a Minecraft Server Seed
5 min readWhen /seed works, why most servers hide it, how seeds get worked out anyway, and how owners prevent it.
Frequently asked questions
Who are these guides for?
Anyone running or about to run a Minecraft server. They assume no prior experience and skip the parts that do not matter.
Are they for Java or Bedrock?
Both. Each guide says which edition it applies to, and the two setup guides are separate because the software is completely different.
Do I need to buy hosting to follow them?
No. Every guide works on a machine you already own. The hosting cost guide explains when paying for hosting starts to make sense.
How current are they?
Each guide carries the date it was last reviewed. Where a detail changes between Minecraft versions we describe the rule rather than pinning a version number.
Ready to list your server?
Once your server is online and answering a status ping, add it to the list for free. It gets a page with the live player count we measure ourselves, a vote button, a Votifier hook and an embeddable badge. There is no paid tier attached to being ranked.