How to create and configure a free server on PC

If you are thinking of create or configure Your own Minecraft server on PCwe explain how to do it step by step, so much free as through Payment servers.

The main difference between the first and the second is the hosting service. In the former you will be you, or one of your friends, who hold the server using their own computer as a server.

It is not an option that recommends too long in the long term, because to play, That person will have to be connected and with the operating server at all times. In other words: every time you want to play, your PC will have to be available yes or yes, which is a bass for both for him and others.

The second option, and the most recommended, is to use a payment server, although I will talk to you in another later guide. Of course, there are also free servers. I will talk a little about these at the end of this same guide.

Steps to configure a Minecraft server (Java) on free PC

If you have finally decided to configure your server using the computer of one of the players as a host, The first thing is to check if your PC meets the minimum recommended requirements. Are:

1. CPU: Dual-Core 2 GHz or Higher (Intel/AMD)
2. RAM: Minimum 6 GB (8 GB If you are more than 5 players)
3. Disco: 10 GB Libres (recommended SSD)
4. Internet: 10 mbit/s Update/drop for online servers

This is the minimum that I would recommend, although it is actually better if you have a more powerful CPU and a faster speed. The space can be superior if the server ends up very large. You must also take into account the following:

1. Firewall and ports. Make sure the 25565 port is correctly open on the router and the firewall to allow external connections.

That said, the process is as follows:

Download server software

1. Visit the official Minecraft page: https://www.minecraft.net/es-es/download/server
2. Download the Minecraft_Server file. 1.21.5.Jar (according to when you read this tutorial, the version may have changed)
3. Create a folder in you a locable place (eg, “Minecraft server”) and place the .jar file there.

This is the most basic. Right now all we have done has been to download the file that will allow us to configure the server, but we cannot do anything if we do not have Java installed.

Install Java (if not installed)

1. Verify if you have Java 19: Open a terminal (Windows: cmd; macos/linux: terminal) and write Java -version.
2. If you don’t have Java 19 or higher, download it from https://java.com/en/download/
3. Execute the installer and follow the instructions. Eliminate old versions if requested.

Once this is done (if necessary) you will have already met the previous requirements to configure your own Minecraft server on PC. The following is …

Start the server

1. In the “Minecraft Server” folder, double click on Minecraft_Server.1.21.5.jar. If you do not run, use the terminal:
2. Windows: Open CMD, navigate to the folder with CD Route/de/La/folder and run: Java -XMX1024M -XMS1024M -Jar Minecraft_Server.1.21.5.Jar Nogui

In Linux and Macos the command should be the same, so you should not have problems. Keep in mind, yes, after executing this CMD, configuration files will begin to be created and after a while it will stop.

Accept the license agreement (EULA)

1. Open the Eula.txt file in the server folder with a text editor (eg, notes).
2. Change eula = false to eula = True and Guarda.
3. Run the previous command to start the server.

With this, in theory, Your server should already be operational, but you still need to make additional adjustments so that the rest of the users can access, either by LAN connection or via the Internet.

Configure the server (optional, but highly recommended)

To perform this step you will have to go to the folder in which all the files and documents of your server are. It is the folder we create at the beginning. Once inside, search or open “Server.Properties“With a text editor. Inside you can configure different options such as: for example:

1. Gamemode = Survival (Change Creative or Adventure if you prefer)
2. difficulty = easy (options: peaceful, normal, hard)
3. Max-Players = 20 (adjust according to your PC).
4. Motd = a Minecraft server (welcome message).
5. PVP = True (active/disable PVP).

These changes have to make them with the closed server. In fact, if you have played before, You may have to restart it to run properlyso the ideal is to integrate them before playing for the first time.

How to configure a free Minecraft server to play with friends

Done this, the next thing we must do is prepare the server so that other players can connect. There are two ways: Through a local network (LAN) or online through the forwarding of ports. I explain both methods.

Through a local network (LAN)

1. Start the server and write down the local IP (eg, 192.168.1.10). Write ipconfig (Windows) or Ifconfig (macos/linux) in the terminal to find it.
2. In Minecraft, go to multiplayer> Add server, use the local IP and connect.

After this, you should be able to access, although you may need to open a port, such as 25656, of your router. To do this you will have to talk to your Internet provider.

Online through port forwarding

1. Access the configuration of your router (usually in 192,168.1.1 in a browser).
2. Look for “Rehender of ports” and creates a rule for the TCP/UDP 25565 port, pointing to the local IP of your PC. Check your router’s manual for details.
3. External IP: Look for “What is my ip” on Google to obtain your public IP (eg, 203.0.113.1).
4. Share Public IP: 25565 (eg, 203.0.113.1:25565) with your friends to connect.
5. Firewall: Be sure to allow port 25565 in the Firewall of your PC (Windows: Configuration> Firewall> New Rule).

In the local mode the port is optional and will rarely be necessary. Through port forwarding it is something totally necessary.

Connect to the server

From this point, as long as you have the open server on your PC, any player should be able to join after performing these last steps:

1. Open Minecraft: Java Edition.
2. Go to multiplayer> Add server.
3. Enter the local IP (LAN) or public IP: 25565 (online) and a name (eg, “my server”).
4. Click “Bijo to the server.” If nothing has failed, the rest of the players (and yourself) can access the server.

More common errors when configuring a Minecraft server

Unfortunately, It is easy for things not to go well for some reason. There are some very frequent mistakes, although most of them have an easy solution.

For example, two of the most common are that The message “Invalid Server Key” appears when trying to enter or do not connect. In the case of the first, the most common is that the server, the client and the players are using a different version of Minecraft. Make sure you all use it.

In the case of the second, the reasons can be very varied, but the most common are That the router port is not correctly open, that the firewall is blocking it or that the server is not active.

If you notice that the server is too slow, It is possible that your PC does not have enough power For all the players you are or that Your connection does not have enough rise speed.

And even if it seems weird, sometimes there are people who can sneak into the one who you don’t want inside the server. In that case, you can activate White-list = True in Server.Properties and add user names on Whitelist.json to restrict access.

Also I recommend using online-mode = True to verify legitimate accounts and not install mods until you are more familiar With the operation of the server. If you want to make backups, almost all the archives in the world are in the “World” folder of the folder configured at the beginning of the tutorial.

WARNING: Host a server on your PC requires that you are on and consume bandwidth.

There is also free server if you don’t want to use your PC in Minecraft

Although they are less and less common, and some have had problems with resource management, There are free servers (Terns and Minehut are the most famous) in which you can create your own server.

They are quite simple and explain step by step how to make a server with them. Neverthelessthe performance is usually quite limited, there are a maximum number of players and sometimes they do not accept certain mods. In addition, some players may have problems connecting.