26.2 vs 26.3: Should Server Owners Update Yet?
Should you move your Minecraft server to 26.3 yet? Vanilla and Fabric can go now; Paper, Folia and Geyser crossplay servers should hold on 26.2.
Hosting Articles
How Many Players Can a Minecraft Server Hold?
How many players a Minecraft server holds comes down to CPU, RAM, and world load — not the max-players cap. Here's what actually sets the ceiling.
How to Whitelist a Minecraft Server the Right Way
A server owner's guide to setting up a whitelist properly: the commands, online-mode for accurate names, Geyser players, and the discoverability cost.
Paper vs Spigot vs Fabric: Which Server Software Should You Run?
Paper runs almost any plugin server best; Fabric and Forge run the content mods that change the game — here's how the two families differ and which to pick.
How to Choose an Anti-Cheat for Your Minecraft Server
How to choose a Minecraft anti-cheat by detection style, false-positive risk, performance overhead, and gamemode fit, so fair play keeps your players around.
How to Back Up a Minecraft Server (and Restore It)
The safe save-off, save-all flush, save-on backup sequence for a Java server, what to copy besides the world, and how to test a restore before you need it.
How to Make a Minecraft Server for Free
Make a free Minecraft Java server on your PC — install the right JDK, run the jar, set eula=true, allocate RAM, and let friends in over LAN or a tunnel.
How to Port Forward a Minecraft Server
Port forward a Minecraft server step by step — set a static local IP, open TCP 25565 (or UDP 19132 for Bedrock) on your router, and fix the two usual mistakes.
How to Set Up a Paper Minecraft Server (Java)
Set up a Java Paper server step by step — install a matching JDK, run the jar, tune server.properties, keep it online, and let friends connect.
How to Run a Minecraft Server Without Port Forwarding
Let internet friends onto a self-hosted Minecraft server with no port forwarding, using tunnels like playit.gg, mesh VPNs like Tailscale, or Realms.
How to Protect a Minecraft Server From DDoS Attacks
A practical DDoS guide for server owners: route traffic through a filtering proxy, hide and firewall your origin IP, forward real player IPs, add rate limits.
How to Set Up an SRV Record so Players Join Without a Port
Set up a Minecraft SRV record so players join with a clean domain instead of an IP and port — Java's _minecraft._tcp record, Bedrock caveats, and verification.
The Best Aikar JVM Flags for a Minecraft Server (and When to Use ZGC)
Aikar's G1GC flags explained for Minecraft server owners — why Xms should equal Xmx, the OS headroom rule, the large-heap variant, and when ZGC beats G1GC.
How to Fix TPS Lag Spikes on a Minecraft Server
Diagnose Minecraft server lag with /tps, MSPT, and Spark, tell steady low TPS apart from periodic spikes, then trace and fix the usual culprits.
Must-Have Paper Plugins for a New Minecraft Server
A category-by-category guide to the Paper plugins a new server actually needs — permissions, anti-grief, anti-cheat, world tools, performance, and voting.
How to Reduce RAM Usage on a Minecraft Server Without New Hardware
Cut Minecraft server RAM usage through config alone: tune view and simulation distance, cap entities, pregenerate, trim plugins, and set the heap right.
How to Set Up Permission-Based Ranks with LuckPerms
A practical guide to building a clean LuckPerms rank ladder: create groups, chain inheritance, add prefixes, and scope permissions for staff and player tiers.
How to Set Up NuVotifier for Vote Rewards (and Fix Votes Not Received)
Set up NuVotifier and a reward plugin so votes from a server list reach your Minecraft server — keys, ports, v1 vs v2, testing, and votes not received.
26.1 vs 26.2 for Server Owners: Update Now or Wait?
A decision framework for server owners weighing whether to update to Minecraft 26.2 now or stay on 26.1 — plugin readiness, player pressure, and rollback cost.
Do Plugins and Mods Break on Minecraft 26.2?
Why a major Minecraft drop like 26.2 can break plugins and mods, what actually changes under the hood, and a safe pre-update checklist for server owners.
How Much RAM Does a 20-Player Minecraft Server Need?
Real RAM tiers for a 20-player Minecraft server, why modded and Skyblock need far more than vanilla, and what to cut before you buy more memory.