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Posted on Edited on Originally published at overnight.host

How to set up a Minecraft server (Paper, Forge, Fabric)

#gamedev #minecraft #hosting #tutorial

Setting up a Minecraft server, from vanilla survival with friends to a heavy modpack, is mostly about two choices: **which server type* and how much RAM. Here's the whole path.*

Step 1: Choose your server type

  • Vanilla: pure Minecraft, no add-ons. Simplest, fewest features.
  • Paper (most popular): a high-performance fork of Vanilla that supports plugins and handles more players smoothly. Best default for survival/SMP with a few extras.
  • Forge: for mods and most big modpacks (ATM, RLCraft, etc.).
  • Fabric: a lighter, modern modding platform; great for performance mods and newer modpacks.

Rule of thumb: want plugins? Paper. Want a modpack? Forge or Fabric (match what the pack lists). Just vanilla with friends? Vanilla or Paper.

Step 2: Size your RAM

  • 2 GB: vanilla with a handful of friends.
  • 4 GB: Paper with plugins, comfortable small community.
  • 6–8 GB: modpacks and 20+ players.

Step 3: Deploy (on our panel)

  1. Order a game plan and pick Minecraft at checkout.
  2. Your Pterodactyl panel login is e-mailed to you once the service is set up.
  3. In the panel, choose your version/type (Paper/Forge/Fabric) and click start.
  4. Copy your server address and port, and you're live.

Step 4: Plugins (Paper) or mods (Forge/Fabric)

You get full file access. For Paper, drop .jar plugins into the plugins/ folder and restart. For Forge/Fabric, upload the modpack's server files (or the matching mods) and set the right startup jar. The panel's file manager and console make this point-and-click.

Step 5: Backups & restarts

Take a backup before big changes; you can snapshot manually in the panel any time. Schedule automatic restarts (e.g. nightly) from the panel to keep things fresh.

Step 6: Invite your friends

Share your address:port. If you bought a custom domain you can point a subdomain at it for a tidy join address. That's it: world online, friends in.

Our Minecraft servers run on SSD storage on our own single-tenant bare metal in Dallas, TX and Charlotte, NC, on a Pterodactyl panel with full file access, from €4.99/mo. All prices are final totals under the German small-business rule (§19 UStG); no VAT is added or shown. Setup is automated; see the Minecraft hosting page.

Originally published at overnight.host: honest, no-nonsense VPS, game server & web hosting. Browse the guides »

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