Blog
Plain guides for running a Minecraft server: what the settings do, why things lag, how friends get in.
- BackupsHow to back up a Minecraft server (and restore it)What to copy, when it is safe to copy it, and how to make backups happen on their own.
- PerformanceWhy your Minecraft server lags, and how to fix itServer lag, ping lag and frame-rate lag are three different problems. Here is how to tell which one you have.
- SecurityKeep your Minecraft server private: whitelist and operatorsHow the whitelist decides who joins, what operators can do, and the mistakes that let strangers in.
- MaintenanceHow to update your Minecraft server without breaking your worldA new Minecraft version is out. Here is what to check, what to back up and what you cannot undo.
- TroubleshootingCommon Minecraft server errors and what they meanThe messages beginners hit most often, in plain words, with the first thing to try for each.
- Using MineshireWhat happens to your servers when you close MineshireThe close button does not stop anything by default. Here is where Mineshire goes, how to quit it for real, and what depends on it being open.
- Using MineshireMineshire tunnels explained: guest accounts and addresses that stop workingWhat a tunnel does, what the guest option means, why an address can stop working, and how to check that it works.
- SoftwareMinecraft plugins vs mods: what is the difference?Plugins and mods both change a server, but they work in different places and ask different things of your players.
- NetworkingHow to let friends join your Minecraft serverSame Wi-Fi, a different house, a different country: which connection method fits which situation.
- NetworkingPort forwarding for a Minecraft server, step by stepOpen port 25565 on your router the right way, and find out quickly if your internet provider makes that impossible.
- Settingsserver.properties explained: the settings that matterThe handful of lines in server.properties that change how your Minecraft server plays, with their default values.
- Using MineshireWhy your Mineshire backup plan did not runBackup plans skip running servers and only work while Mineshire is open. Here is how that works, and how a backup differs from an export or a duplicate.
- Using MineshireBedrock players on a Java server: how it works in MineshireWhy Bedrock players use a different address and port, what Geyser and Floodgate do, and where a tunnel fits in.
- Getting startedHow to make a Minecraft server on your own PCWhat you need, what the steps are, and where beginners usually get stuck when they host a Java server at home.
- PerformanceHow much RAM does a Minecraft server need?A practical way to pick a memory number for your server, and why giving it more is not always better.
- SoftwareVanilla, Paper, Fabric, Forge: Minecraft server software comparedThe main kinds of Minecraft server software, what each one runs, and the question that decides which fits you.
- Using MineshireChanging a server’s Minecraft version in MineshireWhat the version change window checks, why older versions are not offered, and what happens to Java, plugins and mods.
- Using MineshireNew world, Duplicate, Export, Repair: what each Mineshire button doesFour buttons in a server’s settings that sound alike and do very different things. Which ones delete something, and which are safe.