# How to host a Minecraft server

Hosting a Minecraft server means running the official server software on a machine that stays on, then letting players connect to it. The steps below work for self hosting today and match what a rented host does behind its panel.

> No Kraftify region is funded yet, so there is no hosted option to buy here. Self host with the steps below, and see Region status for the status of record.

## Java or Bedrock

| Edition | Players join from | Server software |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Java | PC, Java Edition | Java server jar, needs a Java runtime |
| Bedrock | Console, mobile, PC | Bedrock dedicated server for Windows or Ubuntu |

Java supports mods and plugins through loaders like Paper or Forge. Bedrock supports cross platform play across console and mobile. Pick the edition your players already own, because the two cannot join each other.

## What you need

- A machine that stays on: 4 GB of memory minimum, more with mods or many players.
- A Java runtime for Java Edition, matching the version the server asks for.
- Storage for the world. Worlds grow with exploration, so leave headroom.
- The default port 25565 for Java, reachable from outside your network for remote players.

## Setup, step by step

1. Download the server software from the [official download page](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server).
2. Run it once to generate the world and config files, then stop it.
3. Accept the End User License Agreement in the generated file, as the console asks.
4. Edit the server properties: name, difficulty, view distance and player limit.
5. Open or forward the port on your router so players outside your network can connect.
6. Start the server and share your address. Test from a second device before inviting everyone.
7. Schedule [backups](/docs/backups) of the world folder before changing versions or adding mods.

## Rented instead of self hosted

A rented host replaces steps 2 through 5 with a panel: pick edition and version, size it, start it. You keep the world files, the seed and the player list. On Kraftify that object is a target with a kind of minecraft, a pinned version and a size. See [Deploy a target](/docs/deploy), [Templates](/docs/templates) and [What is a game server?](/docs/what-is-a-game-server).

## Sources

- [Minecraft server download](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server). Mojang. Official Java and Bedrock downloads with setup requirements.
- [Bedrock dedicated server](https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/bedrock). Mojang. System requirements and install notes for Bedrock.
- [Backups](/docs/backups). Kraftify docs. Schedules and restores for target files including worlds.