How to Make a Minecraft Server to Play with Friends

🎮 Three ways to play Minecraft with friends

If you want to know how to make a Minecraft server to play with friends, there are three routes: open your world to LAN or rent a Realm, run it on your own PC, or use a hosting provider. All three work, but they solve different problems. Here is what each one takes and how much RAM your group needs.

🏠 Option 1: Open to LAN or Realms

The quickest way: load your world, press Esc and choose Open to LAN. Nothing to install, but it only works when everyone is on the same network (same house, same Wi-Fi), and the world closes the moment you quit the game.

Realms is Mojang's official service: an always-on world for a monthly subscription. It allows at most 10 friends online at once and, on Java Edition, it does not support plugins or Forge and Fabric mods. Fine for a small vanilla group; not enough for a modpack, land claims or more players.

🖥️ Option 2: Host the server on your own PC

It is free and you learn a lot. The actual steps:

• Install Java: current Minecraft versions require Java 21 or newer.
• Download the official server.jar or, better, Paper, which usually performs better and supports plugins.
• Start it in an empty folder with java -Xms2G -Xmx2G -jar server.jar nogui (-Xmx is the maximum RAM it may use).
• The first run stops and creates eula.txt: change eula=false to eula=true and start again.
• On your router, forward port 25565 (TCP) to your PC's local IP, and allow it in your firewall too.
• Give your friends your public IP.

The drawbacks show up later:

• Your public IP changes. Home connections usually have a dynamic IP: when it changes, nobody can join until you send the new one. And if your provider uses CG-NAT, port forwarding does not work.
• The PC has to stay on. A machine drawing 100 W on average uses about 72 kWh a month if it never shuts down.
• You expose your home IP. Anyone with the server address has your IP, and a home line has no protection against DDoS attacks.

☁️ Option 3: Minecraft server hosting

Minecraft server hosting is a server that is already set up, online around the clock and with a fixed address. What you gain over a home PC:

• Your friends can play even when you are offline.
• No port forwarding and no home IP on display, with Anti-DDoS protection included.
• NVMe drives and gaming-grade hardware, without taking resources from your computer.
• A web panel with live console, SFTP, a MySQL database and backups.

At ZentexNode it costs €1 per GB of RAM per month, with servers in Spain (a sensible location if your group is in Europe), no setup fee and no contract: you pay monthly and cancel whenever you like. Free hosts do exist, but they typically come with waiting queues, shutdowns when idle, limited RAM and ads.

📊 How much RAM you need

Use	RAM	Price
2-10 friends on vanilla or Paper	2 GB	€2/month
Paper with plugins or 10-25 players	4 GB	€4/month
Light or medium modpacks	6-8 GB	€6-8/month
Large modpacks	10 GB or more	from €10/month

This is a guideline, not a rule. Real usage depends on the game version, the view-distance setting, how much of the world has been explored and, above all, the mods. For a modpack, check the server RAM its authors recommend.

🚀 Step by step with ZentexNode

• 1. Pick a plan based on how many will play and whether you want mods.
• 2. Pay. The server is created automatically and the login details arrive by email.
• 3. Open the panel and choose the server type and version: Paper for plugins; Fabric, Forge or NeoForge for mods. You switch it from the panel, no ticket needed.
• 4. Share the address. Send your friends the server IP or subdomain to add under Multiplayer → Add Server.
• 5. Install what you want from the Mods/Plugins tab. There are guides on how to install plugins on Paper and Purpur and how to install mods on Forge and Fabric. Your friends need the mods in their own game too; plugins they do not.
• 6. Turn on the whitelist so only your people get in. In the console type whitelist on, then whitelist add <name> for each friend. In-game, the same commands work with a / in front.

If you already have a world going, there is no need to start over: you can upload your existing world to the server. And before adding mods or changing version, take a backup from the panel.

📱 Java and Bedrock: joining from phone or console

Minecraft comes in two editions that are not compatible with each other: Java (PC, Mac and Linux) and Bedrock (mobile, consoles and the Windows edition).

If your group has both, the usual answer is Geyser, which translates between the two so Bedrock players can join a Java server; with its companion Floodgate they do not even need a Java account. The panel has a Bedrock with Geyser option. On mobile you simply add the server by its address; on consoles an extra step is usually needed. One caveat: Geyser is not for Forge or Fabric modpacks.

❓ Frequently asked questions

Can I make a Minecraft server for free?
Yes, on your own PC: the server software is free. You pay in electricity, in an exposed IP and in keeping the machine on all the time.

How much RAM do I need for 5 friends?
On vanilla or Paper, 2 GB is usually enough. With a good number of plugins, 4 GB. With a modpack, expect somewhere between 6 and 8 GB.

Do my friends need to install anything?
With vanilla or plugins, no: they only need the same Minecraft version. With mods, yes: the same mods or the same modpack in their game.

If what you want is to play tonight without wrestling with your router, pick your Minecraft plan in the store: from 2 GB for €2/month, activated automatically on payment, and you cancel whenever you want.