Minecraft is a very popular sandbox for many reasons. It is easy to learn and use, allows you to build whatever you want, and it is very creative. However, the biggest reason Minecraft is so mainstream is because of the ability to play with other people. This is not to confuse with online games such as Call of Duty, where you and your friends can play preloaded levels together. Online Minecraft lets you and your friends create a world from scratch with no limitations. You will need to create a server to connect to online with your friends. Please note: We recommend getting a parent's permission before setting up a private server. Parts of this tutorial can cause security risks, you should you have a parent with you and do not download anything extra. What is a Minecraft Server? Things to Consider Before Hosting a Minecraft Server Steps for Creating a Minecraft Server Enjoy Your Multiplayer Minecraft Server What is a Minecraft Server? A Minecraft server allows multiple people to play together in the same Minecraft world. This can be done in many different ways so it is important to fully understand your options. You can rent a server through a third-party, such as Apex Hosting or Hostinger. You pay a monthly fee to use it. However, it does almost everything for you. This can be as low as $5, depending on the service you use. You can manage a server yourself. This allows you to save money and gives you full control over how your server works. This article focuses on making your own Minecraft server without using a third-party. Minecraft also offers personal multiplayer servers called Realms that you can use with your friends. Your Minecraft world will always be online, even if you log off. Recommended: Free Coding Programs for Kids Things to Consider Before Hosting a Minecraft Server Benefits of Using Hosting Your Own Minecraft Server - You are able to have complete control over the entire server at all times. You can get it done as quickly as possible if you need it. There is no need to rely on someone else doing things for you. - You have the option to upgrade your computer to increase its performance. Server hosting companies often charge higher prices for higher specs. However, if you have the latest generation processor and the most powerful graphics card your server will be the best. It can be fun and rewarding to learn how to set up and configure network. You'll learn about network features you wouldn't know otherwise. It won't cost more than what you need to run your computer. Hosting companies can be expensive, but hosting your server yourself will only cost what it takes to keep the computer running. Hosting your own Minecraft server can be very rewarding, but it does have a few drawbacks you should understand before attempting it yourself. To run your server, you will need the appropriate hardware. This includes either a Windows 7-compatible PC or a Mac running MacOS 10.4 (or higher). Hosting your own server with a Chromebook is possible but it is not covered in this tutorial. - Along with the proper computer you will need an active internet connection and access to your router. Your computer specs will depend on the server you use and how many players there are at any given point. Your server will need more RAM and a faster processor to handle the more players. The same goes for adding mods to your server. If you only play vanilla (no mods), you can get away with a few gigs. ), but as soon as you start adding those awesome mods you'll want to double, triple, or even quadruple the amount of RAM dedicated to your server. - Because you will need to run the server remotely, you will need a reliable internet connection that can support multiple users. No one wants to log onto a Minecraft server only to lag and get booted every 15 minutes for a modem restart. You will need a computer to run the server. However, your friends can still play on the server from any device as long as they have the same Minecraft edition as you. If you have Minecraft Java Edition 1.6.4 running on your server, your friends must have Minecraft Java Edition 1.6.4 on their devices. - You are responsible for how the server is run. It's your responsibility to fix any problems that may arise. Players can count on you to fix any bugs or issues that they may have. In the event of disputes among players, you are often the one who gets to handle them. It's more than downloading a program and turning on the computer. You will need to configure your router and network, learn about port forwarding, and possibly use the command-line to modify configuration files. Cyber attacks on your computer and private data can result from the above requirements. Your network could be vulnerable to DDoS attacks. Someone could find sensitive information about you if your IP address is compromised. Please be cautious if you choose this route. Also, ensure you follow the next steps safely. If you're looking to set up your own server, but don’t want to host it, read our article about Apex server hosting. Java Classes for Teens Steps for Creating a Minecraft Server 1. Getting Started: Download the Latest Version of Java Still here? Great! Let's begin making our own Minecraft server. Start by creating an empty folder that holds all of our downloaded files. You can put this anywhere you'd like, but I find it easiest to create a new folder on your desktop. In the following examples, everything will be placed in a folder called My Awesome Server on the desktop. Right-click any empty space on the desktop and click New Folder. You can then rename your folder to whatever you choose. After creating your folder you can start downloading the files necessary to host your own server. Let's start by ensuring you have the latest version of Java on your machine. You can do that by clicking here or going to https://www.java.com/en/download/. The link will take to the correct download regardless of whether you're using a Mac or a computer. Add the installer to the folder we created in the previous step. Once you download the installer, double-click it and follow along with the prompts. 2. Download the Server.jar File Once you have the latest version of Java downloaded, you need to download the server.jar file. If you're following along with the images/gifs in this tutorial, you may find you have a different version number than what is showing. That's okay, the steps should be the same. Your computer may warn you that this file could be dangerous. This is a normal warning for any file in the.jar format. These warnings should be ignored if you don’t know where the file is coming from. However, I believe we can trust Minecraft with this one. If you're given the option, save this file into the My Awesome Server folder. You can copy and paste the file or drag it into the folder after it is done. 3. Create your Server Configuration Files Once you have your server.jar file inside your My Awesome Server folder, either double-click it or right-click > open it to create your configuration files automatically. There is a EULA agreement (End User License Agreement) that you will need to accept to prevent your server from immediately crashing. Open the EULA file (it might say eula.txt depending upon your machine) and change the eula=false value to eula=true. Then go to File > Save or press ctrl+s to save this document. 4. Run Your Server Double-click your server.jar file. You will now generate a handful of new files and also see your server start. If your goal was to make your own Minecraft server to play with friends on the same internet connection as you then you have reached the end. Congratulations! Log onto Minecraft with a friend and click on the Multiplayer tab. The server you just created should be found. Note that you both also need to be using the same version of Minecraft. However, if you wish to play with your friends using an internet connection other than yours (such as a home), then you still have some work to do. Continue on .... 5. Set up port forwarding Warning: This tutorial section is the most difficult and can pose security risk. This step requires you to have a parent along with you. Port forwarding is necessary if you want friends to connect to your server from another internet connection than you have. This step will differ depending on the router you use. I will detail the steps it took to set my Xfinity router up for port forwarding. But you will need to do your research and follow its steps. The first step for me is navigating to the Port Forwarding section on Xfinity's website. I found it by searching for How to Port Forward My Xfinity Router, so I suggest a similar search with your router's name. The next step was for me. There were many configurations I could use, including Minecraft. So I went ahead and selected that. If you don’t have this option, it is important to know that port number 25565 can be used for Minecraft. Any other port number will not work. You will need to block my IP address. This is the part you want to protect from people you don't know or trust. Depending on the router you have, they may reserve an IP address for your account (Xfinity did this for my). If this is true, you will share your IP Address with your friends. If they don't reserve one, you will need your own IP address. After you have completed Port Forwarding your friends should now be able to log in to Minecraft and click on the Add Server button. They can name the server however they like (it doesn't need to match your own name) and then enter their IP address. If you don't know your IP address, you can search What is my IP address? and it should appear as one of the first results. When adding the server, you may need to include :25565 at its end. We recommend trying without, then with it if it fails to recognize the server. 6. Configuring Server Properties Now that you have your server up and running, it is time to make changes. In the My Awesome Server, folder, you will see a file called server.properties. Your computer won't be able to open the file right now. However, if you right click the file and select Open With, you should be able to see a list. You can open it in any text editor, but Notepad is fine if you're not attached to another. When you open it up you'll see a long list of different server properties. Each property can be edited to your liking. A complete list of properties and their meanings can be found here. Let's talk about some of the more common ones first. difficulty - This is either an integer property or a string that specifies the difficulty level for your server. Integer values can be 0, 1, 2 or 3. String values represent peaceful, normal, easy, or hard. Hardcore - This takes a boolean value (true/false) that describes how your players would be treated if they died in game. If you set this value to true, players who die in game will automatically be put into spectator mode. level-seed – This is a default value and will automatically generate a seed for your server. If you have found a seed that you like online, you can write it here and get a copy. max-players: This sets the maximum number players that can play on your server simultaneously. This is useful if you have a computer which struggles to run when multiple users log on at once. motd – this sets a Message Of The Day to be displayed on all players' servers. It can be useful to give all players useful information at once. pvp – This is a boolean value which, when set to true, allows players to kill one another. Here's how my server.properties looks when I open it using Windows Notepad. More Minecraft Resources Minecraft teaches Coding to Children The Best Minecraft Texture Packs A Parent's Guide to Minecraft For Kids 10 Best Minecraft Mods for Kids How to Install and Download Minecraft Mods How to Play Minecraft with Your Friends Enjoy Your Multiplayer Minecraft Server That's it! You are now running your own Minecraft server and you can have all your friends join it as you wish. There are many things that you can do on your own server. We suggest starting small before you get too crazy. minecraft-names.com Minecraft can quickly consume resources that many people do not have at home. You may find your computer struggles with all the tasks you need. Please also remember to not share your IP address publicly or with anyone you don't know or trust. If you found this article helpful, give us a shout on our Discord to let us know! We'd also love for you to come and hang out with us on our Minecraft server! Our subdomain (server address) is mc.codewizardshq.com. First, you will have to verify your information using Discord by sending a DM to CWHQ Minecraft Server#9605 where your pin code will be provided.
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