(All specs are subjective, and are based on my own experience. They may be higher or lower than other suggest. Don't quote me on these, they're just the recommended amount I've worked with)
And a bit of determination. That's it! So, not a whole lot for a free Minecraft server, is it?
There's two methods to go about this, depending on what you want to do:
The internet LAN game:
This is the easiest method, by far.
All it requires is a small program, port forwarding, and the regular 'ol "Open to LAN" button in Minecraft!
Ever since 1.4.7, I've been using this amazing tool to play minigames, work on maps, and anything else that didn't need a full server, with my friends, and it's never failed me.
Port forward (same way as you do with a normal server)
Run the tool
Select "Act as a proxy" at the top
Run your Minecraft singleplayer game
Open to LAN
Have your friends connect to your external IP (or your IP with :25565 at the end)
And bam! Instant "server", and it is 100% compatible with every modpack, mod, and launcher!
So long as you can click "Open to LAN", this tool will work!
The conventional server:
This is a bit harder, but not impossible.
So, let's assume you have a dedicated machine, and have gotten a server up and running following the guide in my signature.
Now what?
You need to port forward! (Hamachi is an option, but it's honestly more work than it's worth)
If you have a router that's owned by more than 3 people around the world, chances are, there's a port forwarding guide for it. Google is your best friend here. (But I'd gladly help you if you can't find anything)
But, more or less, this is what you want to end up with (my Xfinity router):
You want it forawrded to your internal IP (In windows, to get this, open a cmd window, and type ipconfig. It is the IPV4 address for your network adapter. In the OS in my sig, it is displayed on the main screen of the OS.)
And you want it using only ports 25565, start and end. You may or may not have an IPV6 icon like i do, but you can most likely leave it blank. (If not, post below and I'll help you!)
And it needs to be TCP and UDP. The name can be whatever you'd like.
Now the hard part is out of the way!
Just give your friends your external IP (gotten from www.whatsmyip.org), and if it doesn't work initially, have them add :25565 to the end of it. (With the : )
And bam! You've got a server, free of charge.
So, hopefully I've helped you decide on a much cheaper solution to a paid host!
Happy hosting!
(Apologies if this is in the wrong section, please move if it is)
So, you're looking to host a Minecraft server?
Well, the default option most folks will tell you, is to pay anywhere from 8$+ a month to a host, for a server.
Now, if you intend to be hosting 50+ people on it, then that's reasonable.
But, if it's just going to be you and a couple friends ("couple" being, under 30 or so, generally), then a better option is hosting one yourself.
Now, before you say that it's too hard, let me fully explain the process, and why it's better than paying a host for a small server.
There's many, many tutorials on how to host a server (one of which is in my sig), so I won't go into that here.
What I will go into, is what you need:
Either a good, main PC with:
At least a dual core, 2,5+ghz CPU (as per George1234509876), but a quad core at 3ghz+ is recommended
4gb ram
And that's if you want to host a server on the same machine you're going to play on.
If you want to host 24/7, you should probably have a dedicated machine, it needs at least:
A dual core, 2.5+ghz CPU
You may squeak by with 2gb ram (I do :P), but 4gb+ is preferred
Decent internet:
At least 10mbps down, and at least 4mbps up (Your mileage may vary, but this is what I've found is minimum)
You can check at www.speedtest.net
(All specs are subjective, and are based on my own experience. They may be higher or lower than other suggest. Don't quote me on these, they're just the recommended amount I've worked with)
And a bit of determination. That's it! So, not a whole lot for a free Minecraft server, is it?
There's two methods to go about this, depending on what you want to do:
The internet LAN game:
This is the easiest method, by far.
All it requires is a small program, port forwarding, and the regular 'ol "Open to LAN" button in Minecraft!
Ever since 1.4.7, I've been using this amazing tool to play minigames, work on maps, and anything else that didn't need a full server, with my friends, and it's never failed me.
This tool is MC Open to Internet.
It's very simple to use:
Download the tool
Port forward (same way as you do with a normal server)
Run the tool
Select "Act as a proxy" at the top
Run your Minecraft singleplayer game
Open to LAN
Have your friends connect to your external IP (or your IP with :25565 at the end)
And bam! Instant "server", and it is 100% compatible with every modpack, mod, and launcher!
So long as you can click "Open to LAN", this tool will work!
The conventional server:
This is a bit harder, but not impossible.
So, let's assume you have a dedicated machine, and have gotten a server up and running following the guide in my signature.
Now what?
You need to port forward! (Hamachi is an option, but it's honestly more work than it's worth)
If you have a router that's owned by more than 3 people around the world, chances are, there's a port forwarding guide for it. Google is your best friend here. (But I'd gladly help you if you can't find anything)
But, more or less, this is what you want to end up with (my Xfinity router):
You want it forawrded to your internal IP (In windows, to get this, open a cmd window, and type ipconfig. It is the IPV4 address for your network adapter. In the OS in my sig, it is displayed on the main screen of the OS.)
And you want it using only ports 25565, start and end. You may or may not have an IPV6 icon like i do, but you can most likely leave it blank. (If not, post below and I'll help you!)
And it needs to be TCP and UDP. The name can be whatever you'd like.
Now the hard part is out of the way!
Just give your friends your external IP (gotten from www.whatsmyip.org), and if it doesn't work initially, have them add :25565 to the end of it. (With the : )
And bam! You've got a server, free of charge.
So, hopefully I've helped you decide on a much cheaper solution to a paid host!
Happy hosting!
(Apologies if this is in the wrong section, please move if it is)
Want to host a dedicated server yourself, easily, and for free? Click here!
Need to post a DXDiag log and don't know how? Here you go!
I make YouTube vidoes! Why not go check em out?
My specs:
R7 1700 (8c/16t) @ 3.8ghz
Cryorig H7 cooler
G1 Gaming GTX 1080 8gb @ ~2000mhz core
16gb DDR4 3200mhz ram
250gb 850 EVO SSD
240gb Sandisk SSD Plus
1tb WD Blue 7200rpm HDD
1tb Generic 2.5" 7200rpm HDD
500gb WD 7200rpm HDD
Win 10
3x 24" 1080p Monitors @75hz
Click me, and let all your dreams come true....
Thanks! I'll update my post with that then.
Haven't had a >3ghz machine to both play and host on, so I wasn't sure how well it'd perform.
Want to host a dedicated server yourself, easily, and for free? Click here!
Need to post a DXDiag log and don't know how? Here you go!
I make YouTube vidoes! Why not go check em out?
My specs:
R7 1700 (8c/16t) @ 3.8ghz
Cryorig H7 cooler
G1 Gaming GTX 1080 8gb @ ~2000mhz core
16gb DDR4 3200mhz ram
250gb 850 EVO SSD
240gb Sandisk SSD Plus
1tb WD Blue 7200rpm HDD
1tb Generic 2.5" 7200rpm HDD
500gb WD 7200rpm HDD
Win 10
3x 24" 1080p Monitors @75hz
Click me, and let all your dreams come true....
Only problem with hosting it yourself is uptime. I think having the server open 24/7 is pretty important so that's why a lot of people pay.
Sorry, should have specified (and I will probably go back and edit the OP), it'd be best to have a dedicated machine for 24/7.
I run a 24/7 server on my old dual core 2.5ghz, 2gb ram desktop. Just stays under my desk, and I control it through the MineOS webmin panel.
Works perfectly fine for me and ~20 other folks who come on.
Want to host a dedicated server yourself, easily, and for free? Click here!
Need to post a DXDiag log and don't know how? Here you go!
I make YouTube vidoes! Why not go check em out?
My specs:
R7 1700 (8c/16t) @ 3.8ghz
Cryorig H7 cooler
G1 Gaming GTX 1080 8gb @ ~2000mhz core
16gb DDR4 3200mhz ram
250gb 850 EVO SSD
240gb Sandisk SSD Plus
1tb WD Blue 7200rpm HDD
1tb Generic 2.5" 7200rpm HDD
500gb WD 7200rpm HDD
Win 10
3x 24" 1080p Monitors @75hz
Click me, and let all your dreams come true....