Summary
- Minecraft servers can run on just about any hardware, and even a Raspberry Pi can work for smaller servers.
- Be sure to use a user-friendly GUI like MC Server Soft & Crafty Controller to simplify server management.
- Be sure to make the decision early on before launching the server if you want to play modded or vanilla.
It’s not all that difficult to run a Minecraft server. In fact, you likely have everything needed to do it in your home right now. On top of allowing for online play with friends, you can even run your own single-player worlds on a server too. Here are my top tips to get started with running and maintaining your own Minecraft servers.
You Can Run a Minecraft Server on Just About Any Hardware
The minimum requirements to run a Minecraft server are pretty low. As long as you don’t have a lot of mods or a lot of players, you could even use something as old as a Raspberry Pi 3B.
However, if you want to have the recommended specs to handle several players at once and some mods, then the server should have at least 5GB of RAM and around 20GB of HDD space. Any modern processor will do.
You could even run a Minecraft server on your gaming PC that you already own. I had an old gaming desktop that I wasn’t using anymore since I upgraded the hardware. I used the old PC to run several Minecraft servers with ease. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a Ryzen 5 3600 with 16GB of RAM. The only thing the computer did was run Minecraft servers, but they were always rock-solid.
So, don’t worry about going out and spending a fortune on new hardware to run a server on. Just use what you already have, or even browse Facebook Marketplace for a cheap desktop someone is getting rid of. I often see people selling old small form factor desktops for $50 to $75 that would make a fantastic Minecraft server host.
As long as you have at least 8GB of RAM in the system, a modern (10-year-old or newer) processor, and at least a 120GB drive in it, you’ll have more than enough power to run Minecraft servers for you and your friends.
There Are Simple and Easy-To-Use GUIs for All Platforms
In the good ol’ days, Minecraft servers were run from the command line or without any form of fancy GUI at all. These days, however, there are user interfaces to help manage your Minecraft server with ease.
My favorite software on Windows is MC Server Soft. It’s a simple installable program that handles all of your Minecraft servers. The user interface is easy to use, and you can spin up just one server or several, depending on your needs.
MC Server Soft has support for both modded and vanilla Minecraft instances, too. I personally used it to run vanilla, Fabric, and Forge servers with ease.
Another option is Crafty Controller, which works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. I primarily use Crafty Controller to run Minecraft servers on my rack-mount servers at home. But, it’ll work on any system you have.
While MC Server Soft is a dedicated app, Crafty Controller is a web app that runs on your machine. You’ll access its interface through your browser instead of a desktop app, but the rest of the functionality is the same.
Just like MC Server Soft, Crafty Controller can run both modded and vanilla Minecraft clients. I used Crafty to run vanilla, Fabric, and Forge instances myself, and it works great.
I do think Crafty’s interface is slightly more complicated than MC Server Soft. So, if you’re on Windows and want the easiest server manager, go MC Server Soft. If you have anything else, or just want to prep yourself for a migration to a dedicated server in the future, give Crafty Controller a go. You can’t go wrong either way.
Make the Choice: Modded or Vanilla
There’s a choice to be made on a server-by-server basis: modded or vanilla. You have to make this decision at the start of the server. If you want to run a Forge server, it can’t be migrated to a Fabric server later. And you also can’t go from Forge or Fabric to vanilla, or vice versa.
So, before you spin up that server, decide if you want it to be modded or vanilla. Personally, I always play modded. It’s very rare that I play vanilla anymore. Some mods are what’s called vanilla-compatible, though. These mods are run on a modded server, but allow vanilla clients to connect and play without having to have those mods installed client-side.
The servers I personally run typically require players to use a full-on modpack to join. This is because I use mods that not just change gameplay, but also add blocks to the game.
Another factor in choosing modded or vanilla is the resources of your server. My main modded servers have nearly 200 mods each in them. The servers can easily use 8GB or more of RAM when several players are on at one time. Personally, my Minecraft servers run on a rack-mounted server that has 20 cores and 40 threads with 192GB of RAM, so I’m never hurting for resources when the instance gets hungry for more.
Basically, the hardware that you have could play a role in determining whether your server can support mods, and, if so, how many.
Make Sure to Open the Required Ports on Your Router
Once you’ve determined what Minecraft server software you plan to use and whether you’ll run a modded server or not, it’s time to choose the port it’ll run on. The standard Minecraft port is 25565. This is, typically, where I start my port forwarding from.
If I’m going to be running multiple servers, I’ll just increment by one for each server. The first server is 25565, the second is 25566, and so on. I’ll often open a whole block of ports on my router at one time, too, so I don’t have to keep going back in there to add each individual server.
Opening ports on your router does come with an inherent security risk, though. With open ports, there’s the (slight) possibility that a bad actor could gain access to your network. So, open those ports with caution and only out of necessity. But, don’t let that scare you away. Opening ports on your router, when done properly, can still leave your network relatively safe.
Think of each port like a lock on a door. The more you have opened, the more susceptible you are to intrusion. But, if you only open a few, you should still be relatively safe.
Enjoy Your New Minecraft Server!
Now that you’ve got the software set up, picked the type of server, and opened the port on your router, it’s time to enjoy your new Minecraft server!
For friends and family to access it, you’ll have to find your public IP address and then give them the port you chose. So, if your IP address is 48.32.34.102, and your Minecraft server is on port 25565, then you’d tell your friends to enter 48.32.34.102:25565 in the address field of Minecraft. They should be able to log on and play with you then!
