Getting Started24 articles

From the setup email to your friends standing in your world.

Minecraft EULA Compliance & IP BlocksWhat happens if Mojang blacklists your server IP and EULA compliance.1 min read Connecting via Custom Ports (5-Digit Ports)Why you need to append a custom port to connect to your shared node.1 min read Finding your server address and portWhere the address lives in the panel, and when you need to include the port.1 min read Starting your server for the first timeWhat happens on the first boot, how long it takes, and what to wait for before joining.1 min read Accepting the Minecraft EULAThe one-line file that stops a brand new server from starting, and how to set it.1 min read Giving yourself operator permissionsGranting yourself admin from the console, and why you should not do it from in-game.1 min read The server.properties settings worth knowingThe handful of lines in that file that actually change how your server plays.1 min read Turning on the whitelistRestricting your server to a list of approved players, and the trap that locks you out.1 min read Adding a server iconThe exact image format Minecraft accepts, and where the file has to go.1 min read Writing a MOTD with coloursThe message under your server name in the multiplayer list, and how to colour it.1 min read Getting your friends connectedWhat to send them, what they need to match, and the two reasons they cannot get in.1 min read Changing your Minecraft version safelyHow to move up a version without losing the world, and why going down is different.1 min read Difficulty, game rules and the settings people ask you to changeKeep inventory, mob griefing, daylight cycle — where they live and what they cost.2 min read Serving a resource pack to everyone who joinsTwo lines in server.properties, one hosting decision, and the mistake that breaks it.2 min read Moderation without plugins: kick, ban and the allowlistVanilla gives you enough to run a well-behaved server. Here is all of it.2 min read Command blocks and datapacksTwo ways to add custom behaviour without a single plugin.2 min read Your first week: a checklist worth followingThe eight things that, done early, prevent most of what goes wrong later.2 min read What a Minecraft server actually isThe five-minute explanation that makes every other article make sense.2 min read Java or Bedrock: which one are you hosting for?Two different games with the same name, and what that means before you buy anything.2 min read Which Minecraft version should your server run?Newest is not automatically best, and the reason is your plugin list.2 min read Writing rules people actually readFive short rules beat thirty long ones, and the reason is enforcement.2 min read Getting players, and keeping the ones you getWhere players actually come from, and the first ten minutes that decide whether they stay.2 min read Choosing staff, and what to do when it goes wrongThe most common way a small server dies is a bad staff decision, not a technical one.2 min read The words everyone uses and nobody definesTPS, chunk, op, jar, tick, allocation — a glossary you can read in three minutes.2 min read