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

#gamedev #minecraft #hosting #tutorial

Whether you want vanilla survival with friends or a heavy modpack, setting up a Minecraft server 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 arrives by email within minutes.
  3. In the panel, choose your version/type (Paper/Forge/Fabric) and click start.
  4. Copy your server address and port — 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 — our plans include automatic daily backups, and 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 single-tenant bare metal with DDoS protection and daily backups, from €4.99/mo. 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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