Server

Minecraft servers allow players to play online with other people. They may either be run on a hosted Minecraft server service, a dedicated server, a Virtual Private Server or a home machine. If you are looking for a comprehensive list of servers, please check out our server list page.

Existing Servers
Please check out the Server list page for a list of existing servers. These servers will provide you a idea of what makes a server good.

Server installation and configuration
For a full tutorial on setting up a Minecraft server, view the installation and configuration guide.

General recommendations

 * Setting up a server takes some time, and some technical know-how. Don't try to set up a server unless you have some basic computer and networking knowledge. Your best bet is to look on the internet for a guide on how to set up a server.
 * Hosting and playing on the same machine does not matter, unless you have a slow computer.
 * Netbooks and Notebooks don't usually make for good server machines. They typically have lower end hardware in comparison to desktops and dedicated server machines.
 * Hosting a server with many players in a wireless network (WLAN and especially WWAN) is not recommended. Use wired network instead.
 * If you decide you don't want to host, but still want to play online, check out the public server options in the Minecraft servers area of the Minecraft forum.
 * If you still want to manage a server, but not from home, check out the Minecraft server hosting area of the Minecraft forum. Expect to pay monthly for this type of server.

Server requirements

 * The more memory your computer has, the better. It's recommended to have more than 4 GB, that way plenty of ram is left over for the operating system, and you have the possibility of allocating more to the Minecraft server.
 * Minecraft servers, as of 1.1.0, can use multiple cores, so now they won't sit idle.
 * You can use http://CanIHostAMinecraftServer.com to get a rough idea how many players you can host.

Here is a simple recommendation to help you get started and/or help decide which hosting option is best for you:

Running inside windows (Non-Dedicated):
 * 2.8Ghz Dual-Core, 3GB RAM (XP) / 4+GB (Vista/7), A High-Speed internet connection (10MBp/s)

Running on a *nix Based Server OS (Dedicated):
 * 2.2Ghz Single-Core, 2GB RAM, A High-Speed internet connection (10MBp/s)

The requirements for Windows can be dropped slightly if you are NOT going to be playing Minecraft on that machine.

Server commands and known issues
The server commands page has a list of useful commands.

See the known bugs page for known single/multiplayer issues.

Special note: Atheros and Realtek network adapters are known to not work well with Minecraft in general. If you experience a total loss of internet (requiring a reboot), or constant disconnects, check and see if you have either brand of network adapter installed. If you do, you can try updating the driver for the device directly from the manufacturer. If a driver update does not fix the issue, the general solution is to buy a new adapter (anything from Intel is recommended as a replacement).

Types of Servers
There are numerous kinds of Minecraft servers, usually distinguished by the level used in them or how players in them are supposed to behave. Many special types of servers rely on the use of map editors.

Survival
Standard servers usually have relatively regular maps, allowing players to build or destroy whatever they want (though griefing is often against these servers' rules.) No pvp and no destroying villages.

Creative
Usually a server that allows players to make whatever they want, more focused on building and griefing is not allowed. Unfortunately griefing is very easy to be done on creative servers. (This often is dealt with by protecting builds via systems like WorldGuard.)

Roleplay
A server, usually with a normal map, where players are encouraged to take on roles like Mayor, Blacksmith, Cook, and act as them in the game. These servers often attempt to simulate settlement in some foreign land or similar, and require the gathering of resources to build structures. There are generally factions that can be made in these servers.

PvP
A server where players are encouraged to fight versus other players (thus the appellation PvP, meaning Player versus Player). Stealing is sometimes allowed.

Hardcore PvP
A type of server which is like PvP, but fully allows griefing. Also, stealing is fully allowed. So Players can blow up people's homes and steal their items and gear. Users are usually not allowed to report / spam that they were griefed, as it may result in a ban or mute.

Prison
In prison servers, there typically is no wilderness, and players must earn money in order to advance in the prison. There are servers that allow you to gain freedom as you advance in the ranks of the prison, in which you can gain or earn your freedom or there are other servers from which you can escape and be free. Sometimes PvP is allowed in this type of gameplay.

Faction
Faction Servers are like a clan server, create your Faction or join one and fight or raid other factions. Usually griefing is allowed, but some servers don't allow it.

Challenge
Usually these servers have some sort of a challenge, such as surviving underwater, living on a small island with few materials, or a block in the sky (SkyBlock).

Economy
These servers often use a plugin that allows you to have a type of currency. You can usually buy and sell and make your own shops. Many servers also allow you to buy land plots or even ranks in the server.

City
A server that has a city-like region where you make a house on your own protected land. Mostly these servers have in some area a free place where anyone can build/take. The main point is usually to try to get many natural resources so you can have the best house and possibly rank up. iConomy is a typical plugin on these servers.

Delete player
If you want to delete a player from the game, you can remove the player's .dat file. Navigate to the Minecraft home directory, open the map folder, open the player's folder, and delete the PLAYERNAME.dat file. In Minecraft version 1.2.4, this folder is at "minecraft\world\players", where "minecraft" is the folder where minecraft was installed on the server. This will cause the player to start over at the spawn point with no inventory. The player's changes to the world will be unchanged along with any inventory stored in chests. This will not ban the player that has been deleted.

Ban player
If you want to ban a player from playing on your server, edit the minecraft\banned-ips.txt", where "minecraft" is the folder where minecraft was installed on the server and add the user you want to ban to this banned-ips.txt file. Bans an IP address from the server, the full IP address must be specified; wildcards are not valid. Players who are banned through this method will see "Your IP address is banned from this server!" when attempting to connect.  Alternatively an operator can use the "ban-ip" command via "ban-ip ipaddress" where "ipaddress" is the IP address of the user you wish to ban.  This can be undone via the operator issuing the "pardon-ip ipaddress" command or editing the server's banned-ips.txt file

Edit player
If you don't want to delete a player completely, but want to remove something from him or move him to a different spot, or even give him an enchanted item, you can edit the PLAYERNAME.dat file with NBTedit similar to how you would a level save. (Only the player needs to be offline. No server restart needed.)

Creating backups
Enter save-all into the console or /save-all in Minecraft (as a server op). Copy the world folder to create the backup. DO NOT MOVE IT! (No server restart needed)

Resetting the Nether or the End
Ensure there are no players in that dimension, stop the server. Delete the "DIM-1" folder to reset The Nether, delete the "DIM1" folder to reset The End. Any builds inside those dimensions will be lost, the Ender Dragon will also reappear for The End. Restart the server.

Setting the servers Texture Pack
In 1.3 you can set a default texture pack for your server and the client will download it and use it for your server. (Please note: the client CAN turn off the texture pack) 1. Choose A texture pack. 2. Upload the texture pack to Dropbox, or similar. The important thing is that you can have a DIRECT link to the .zip file. 3. Set the file to public. (at least on dropbox) 4. Open your server.properties file. 5. Find this: Texture-pack= and edit it like this: texture-pack={link to your .zip} Example: texture-pack=http://dl.dropbox.com/Server_Texture.zip 6. Restart the server & log on to check the texture pack

Death messages
Death messages are broadcast to everyone on the server upon a player's death. These messages relate to how the player died and are intended to be humorous. Death messages were added in Beta 1.8 Pre-release.

Drowning Falling
 * [player] drowned
 * [player] hit the ground too hard

Player versus Player (PvP)
 * [victim] was slain by [killer]
 * [victim] was shot by [killer] Only happens for kills using a bow
 * [victim] was killed by [killer] Only happens for kills using a splash potion

Void
 * [player] fell out of the world

Lava
 * [player] tried to swim in lava

Fire Block
 * [player] went up in flames

Fire Effect
 * [player] burned to death

Explosion Creepers and Ghasts also cause this message.
 * [player] blew up

Hostile Mob
 * [victim] was slain by [mob]
 * [victim] was shot by [mob]
 * [victim] was fireballed by [mob] Only caused by Blazes and Ghasts

Potion of Harming
 * [player] was killed by magic When shot from a dispenser

Suffocation
 * [player] suffocated in a wall

Cactus
 * [player] was pricked to death

Starvation
 * [player] starved to death

Dispenser when using arrows (previously [player] was shot by Herobrine) (replaced in Minecraft 1.0)
 * [player] was shot by arrow

Other (also caused by /kill command)
 * [player] died

Unused This message is rarely used since snowballs, chicken eggs and ender pearls do not cause any damage to players.
 * [victim] was pummeled by [killer] Happens when killed by a Snowball, a Chicken Egg or an Ender Pearl

Renting a server
While you can build your own server, sometimes renting a server can be a better option if your Internet or computer can't handle the amount of players you want on the server. You can search for hosts on the Internet, or find them in the Minecraft Server Hosting section of the Minecraft Forums. Avoid sites that don't have good reputation or look suspicious.