How to Host a Minecraft Server in 2026 — Complete Guide
Hosting a Minecraft server is one of the best ways to play multiplayer with your friends, with total freedom over the game rules, the installed mods and the management of the community. But choosing between hosting from your own computer and using a professional host is not always easy, especially for players who are just discovering server administration.
In this complete guide, we explain step by step how to create and configure your own Minecraft server — Java or Bedrock. Whether you want to play with a few friends on a small vanilla server or run a large community with dozens of players and hundreds of mods, this guide walks you through it from A to Z.
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Start the buying guide →Why rent a host instead of hosting at home?
The question comes up often: “Can I host a Minecraft server on my own PC?” The answer is yes, technically. But in practice, hosting from home has several major drawbacks that players often underestimate.
Availability is the first problem. Your server is only reachable while your PC is on. If you turn it off for the night or it fails, your players get disconnected. A professional host guarantees 99.9% uptime with servers running 24/7, without you having to worry about it.
Performance is the second critical point. Minecraft is very demanding on RAM and CPU, especially with mods or many connected players. Sharing your PC's resources between the game, the server and your other applications significantly degrades the playing experience for everyone.
Security is also an important issue. Exposing your personal IP address through a Minecraft server makes you vulnerable to DDoS attacks, a practice that is unfortunately common in the gaming community. Professional hosts include dedicated DDoS protection that absorbs these attacks without affecting your server.
Finally, maintenance is often overlooked: operating system updates, automatic backups, log management… A host takes care of it for you, so you can focus on what matters: playing and running your community.
Java or Bedrock: which one should you pick for your server?
Minecraft comes in two main versions that are not natively compatible with each other. Understanding their differences is essential before creating your server.
Minecraft Java Edition
Java Edition is the original version of Minecraft, available only on PC (Windows, macOS, Linux). It is the preferred version of players who want to customize their gameplay, as it offers an ecosystem of mods and plugins with no equivalent.
With Forge or Fabric, you can install thousands of mods that add new dimensions, machines, monsters or entirely new game mechanics. On the server side, Paper and Spigot let you install plugins to create minigames, virtual economies, voting systems or territory protection.
Java Edition is ideal for community servers, servers with custom modpacks (Feed The Beast, ATM, etc.) or competition-oriented servers (Hypixel, Mineplex and their private equivalents).
Minecraft Bedrock Edition
Bedrock Edition is available on consoles (PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series, Nintendo Switch), mobile (iOS, Android) and Windows 10/11. Its main advantage is crossplay: all these devices can play together on the same server, with no platform restriction.
Bedrock supports add-ons (behavior and resources) but has a less rich mod ecosystem than Java. On the other hand, performance is generally better on equivalent hardware, and the mobile experience is optimized.
Java/Bedrock crossplay with Geyser
You can let Bedrock players (consoles, mobile) join a Java server thanks to the Geyser plugin combined with Floodgate. This solution allows full crossplay while keeping the advantages of Java (mods, plugins). All OnPowered servers support this setup. Our plans cover Java and Bedrock, with the option to run both on the same Box.
How much RAM does your Minecraft server need?
RAM is the most critical resource for a Minecraft server. Insufficient allocation causes slowdowns (low TPS), lag spikes and disconnections. Here are the recommendations depending on your use:
| Simultaneous players | Server type | Recommended RAM | OnPowered plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – 10 players | Vanilla / few plugins | 4 – 8 GB | COAL (8 GB) |
| 11 – 30 players | Plugins (Paper, Spigot) | 8 – 16 GB | IRON (16 GB) |
| 31 – 50 players | Light mods / plugins | 16 – 24 GB | GOLD (24 GB) |
| 50 – 100 players | Heavy modpacks / network | 32 – 48 GB | DIAMOND/EMERALD |
| 100+ players | BungeeCord/Velocity network | Multi-server Box | Box Netherite (12 servers) |
Tip: for popular modpacks such as All The Mods 9, SkyFactory 4 or FTB Revelation, always plan for 4 GB more than what the modpack page recommends. Servers systematically use more RAM than clients.
The processor (vCores) also matters: a Minecraft server is single-threaded by nature, so the clock speed of each core matters more than the number of cores. OnPowered servers use Intel Xeon E5 2690 V4 processors, tuned for Minecraft's specific workload.
Set up your Minecraft server in 5 minutes with Pterodactyl
The Pterodactyl panel is the reference for professional Minecraft hosts. Intuitive graphical interface, real-time access to logs, built-in file management, command console and scheduled tasks — everything is designed to make life easier for server administrators.
After subscribing to an OnPowered plan, here are the steps to launch your first server:
- Log in to the panel at panel.onpowered.net with your credentials.
- Select your server and choose the Minecraft version you want (Java 1.8 to 1.21.x, Paper, Spigot, Forge, Fabric, Bedrock…).
- Click “Start”. The server automatically generates its initial configuration (server.properties, eula.txt, etc.).
- Join your server from Minecraft by entering the IP shown in the panel. Your server is up and running in under 3 minutes.
- Customize: edit server.properties directly in the panel (difficulty, game mode, whitelist, max players, world seed…).
The panel also lets you schedule automatic restarts (for example every night at 4 am), manage world backups, import an existing world and install resource packs. All without ever touching a command line if you don't want to.
Installing mods and plugins on your server
One of the biggest advantages of a dedicated Minecraft server is the freedom to install mods and plugins. Here is how to proceed depending on the type of server.
Mod servers: Forge and Fabric
Forge is the most widespread mod loader for Minecraft Java. It is compatible with most modpacks (FTB, CurseForge, Technic Launcher). To install it on your OnPowered server, simply select “Forge” as the server type during the initial setup, or change it from the panel in a few clicks.
Fabric is a lighter and faster alternative, particularly popular for optimization mods like Lithium, Sodium (client side) and LazyDFU. Fabric is often preferred for recent Minecraft versions.
To install your mods: upload the .jar files to the /mods/ folder using the panel's file manager. Players who connect must have the same mods installed on the client side (except server-only mods such as some administration mods).
Plugin servers: Paper and Spigot
Plugins are different from mods: they are installed on the server side only, and players do not need them on the client side. It is the ideal solution for gameplay-oriented servers (minigames, survival economy, PvP, etc.).
Paper is the recommended plugin platform. Based on Spigot, it offers significantly better performance thanks to optimizations of the tick loop and chunk rendering. Paper supports all Spigot and Bukkit plugins.
Among the most used plugins: EssentialsX (basic commands), WorldEdit (terrain editing), WorldGuard (zone protection), LuckPerms (permissions), Vault (economy), Dynmap (interactive world map accessible through a browser) and DiscordSRV (Minecraft ↔ Discord bridge).
To install a plugin: upload the .jar file to /plugins/ and restart the server. The plugin automatically generates its configuration files in a subfolder of the same name.
Securing your Minecraft server
A public server exposes its administrator to several types of problems: griefing, bug duplication, intrusions and DDoS attacks. Here are the essential measures to put in place from the start.
The whitelist is the simplest and most effective protection. Enabled with the command /whitelist on, it only allows players whose username you have approved. Ideal for private servers among friends.
Anti-cheat is essential for public servers. Plugins like Grim or Matrix automatically detect and punish players using modified clients (fly hack, speed hack, kill aura).
Automatic backups should be scheduled regularly (at least every 6 hours) to avoid losing players' progress in case of world corruption or a handling error. The Pterodactyl panel lets you set up automatic backups in a few clicks.
DDoS protection is included in all OnPowered plans. Our infrastructure in Brussels automatically filters malicious traffic before it reaches your server, ensuring continuous availability even during a volumetric attack. You have nothing to configure on your side.
OnPowered: Minecraft Java & Bedrock hosting in Belgium
OnPowered SRL is a Belgian cloud host specialized in Minecraft hosting. Our infrastructure is hosted in Belgium with DDoS protection included.
Our multi-server Box model is our main differentiator: a single Box hosts up to 12 simultaneous Minecraft servers (Java and Bedrock), perfect for BungeeCord/Velocity networks, communities that want to offer several gamemodes or development teams testing several versions at the same time.
With more than 539 active customers, 99.99% uptime and 37 Trustpilot reviews with a 4.7/5 rating, OnPowered is the trusted partner of players and communities. Free trial available without a credit card.