Rent a Minecraft server – setup guide

In short

You choose a plan, and after payment your Minecraft server sets itself up. You set the server type and version in the panel with one click, and modpacks and plugins via the installer. Your friends enter your address under Multiplayer → Add Server – at Nexthosting this is free as a subdomain under .nexthosting.app.

This guide applies to Minecraft Java Edition. You bring in console and mobile (Bedrock) players with one click – see further below.

The process in four steps

From purchase to your first game

1. ▶OrderChoose plan and server name
3. 2Server startsusually within a few minutes
4. after payment
5. 3Copy the addressin the panel, or use the subdomain
7. ✓Connect in the gameMultiplayer → Add Server

Plans and prices

As of October 2026, cancellable monthly, final prices under § 19 German VAT Act (no VAT charged), no setup fee. Current prices: Minecraft in the shop.

nexthosting.net/gameserver/minecraft

The plan cards in the shop with the player slider.

Plan	Price per month	Players (guideline)	RAM	vCores	Storage	Backups	Port forwards	Databases
Basic	€7.99	1–10	4 GB	2	20 GB NVMe	2	2	1
Advanced	€15.99	1–20	8 GB	3	40 GB	5	5	3
Premium	€28.99	1–50	16 GB	5	80 GB	5	7	5
Community	€42.99	1–100	24 GB	7	120 GB	10	10	10
Custom configuration	from €8.22	–	free	free	free	–	–	–

Player numbers are guidelines and depend on the world, plugins and mods – there are no fixed slots. For modpacks, RAM decides. Small vanilla servers run on Basic, plugin servers on Advanced, larger modpacks rather from Premium. If it is not enough, you move up or add RAM (Extend server and Boost).

Which plan for Minecraft?

Vanilla with a few friendsBasic (4 GB)→

Paper server with plugins, up to about 20 playersAdvanced (8 GB)→

Modpack or a larger communityPremium (16 GB)→

Large community or heavy modpacksCommunity (24 GB) or custom configuration→

First steps

1. Open the panel from your customer account: Dienste (services) → Deine Produkte (your products) → Ansehen (view) → Gameserver-Panel öffnen (Opening the panel).
2. Wait for the status Läuft (running). The first start installs the server.
3. In the Versions-Wechsler (version switcher), choose the server type and version if you want something other than the default, and install it. Back up your world with one click first.
4. Under Subdomains, create your free address, e.g. survival.nexthosting.app. You can change the name at any time.
5. Make yourself an operator: command op YourName in the console.

Your own domain

With your own domain, players connect via play.your-domain.com without a port. For that you create an SRV record; the generator on the shop page creates it, and the steps are in Connecting your own domain to the game server.

How players join

Java Edition

1. Start Minecraft and choose the version (players need the same version as the server, and with mods also the matching mod loader).
2. Multiplayer → Add Server.
3. Choose any server name, enter the subdomain (e.g. survival.nexthosting.app) or IP:Port under Server Address, then Done.
4. Click the server in the list and choose Join Server. Alternatively, Direct Connection.

Bedrock (console, mobile)

Only after setting up Bedrock crossplay (see below). Then: Play → Servers → Add Server, enter the address and the port named in the panel under Bedrock-Crossplay.

Server types and versions

All Java versions from 1.8 are possible, including snapshots. In the Versions-Wechsler you choose type and version with a click:

Type	What it is for
Vanilla	official server, also snapshots
Paper, Purpur, Pufferfish	fast servers with plugin support (recommended for most)
Spigot, CraftBukkit	the classic for Bukkit plugins
Forge, Fabric	mods and modpacks (NeoForge and Quilt for individual mods)
Folia	regional multithreading for very large worlds
Velocity, Waterfall	proxies for networks of several servers

Caution

Changing the version is an intervention in the world. Especially when going back to an older version, the world can be damaged. Make a backup first: Backups and databases.

Plugins, mods and modpacks

• Plugins (Paper, Purpur, Spigot): in the Plugin-Installer you install plugins from Modrinth and SpigotMC with one click; depending on the plan, Hangar (Premium) and CurseForge (from Advanced) are added, and the Community plan has all sources. By hand, you put .jar files in the plugins folder and restart.
• Modpacks: in the panel under Modpacks & Mods you search for a modpack from Modrinth and install it. Before that, the panel asks about a backup, and the mods folder is emptied.
• Individual mods: for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt, you search for individual mods on Modrinth under Modpacks & Mods → Mods.
• Your own files: you upload everything via the file manager or SFTP: Files, editor and SFTP.

More background on the one-click setups: Templates, mods and modpacks. On Forge or Fabric servers, all players need the same mods in the same version.

Bedrock crossplay with Geyser and Floodgate

With one click in the panel section Bedrock-Crossplay, you install Geyser and Floodgate. Then console and mobile players can join your Java server (Paper, Purpur or Fabric). The address is the same as for Java; the port is shown in the panel.

Important files and server.properties

• server.properties Basic settings
• ops.json Operators
• whitelist.json Whitelist
• banned-players.json Banned players
• plugins Plugins (Paper & co.)
• mods Mods (Forge, Fabric)
• world The world
• Directorylogs

  • latest.log Current log

You edit server.properties conveniently in the Properties-Editor with labelled fields, or in the file manager. Important values:

motd=Welcome to our server!
max-players=20
difficulty=normal
gamemode=survival
white-list=false
online-mode=true
view-distance=10

Only change online-mode if you know exactly why. After every change, restart the server. You do not change the port and address in the file but via the panel (Network, ports and subdomains).

Admin, whitelist and commands

You enter commands in the panel console without a slash (Console and controls):

Command	Effect
op Name / deop Name	give or take operator rights
whitelist on and whitelist add Name	only approved players may join
kick Name, ban Name, pardon Name	kick, ban or unban a player
save-all	save the world immediately
stop	shut the server down cleanly (better than a hard stop)

For co-managers without their own password: Friends and sub-users.

Typical problems

Problem	Solution
“Outdated client/server” when joining	Players and server need the same version. Players choose the matching one in the launcher, or you change the server version.
Server crashes at startup	Read the console from the top. Usually a faulty plugin or a mod that does not match the version. Remove whatever was added last.
“Can’t keep up!” or lag	Check RAM and CPU in the history. Lower the view distance (view-distance), check plugins, bigger plan or Boost.
Server will not start because storage is missing	Delete old backups and world copies or add storage.
Timeout when connecting	Check the address (typos, port); the server must show Läuft (running). With your own domain, check the SRV record.

If nothing helps: Problem melden (report a problem) in the panel creates a ticket with a diagnosis and the end of your log (Reporting a problem).

Frequently asked questions

Can I upload my world?

Yes. Stop the server, upload the world folder via the file manager or SFTP (pack large folders as an archive first and unpack them in the file manager) and check level-name in server.properties.

Which Minecraft versions are available?

All Java versions from 1.8, including snapshots. You switch the version in the panel.

How many players fit on the server?

No fixed slots. You set the maximum in server.properties. The plan figures are guidelines.

Are there backups?

Yes, 2 to 10 slots depending on the plan, manually or on a schedule (Schedules and restarts).

Further reading

• All games and plans at a glance
• Templates, mods and modpacks
• Connecting your own domain to the game server
• Files, editor and SFTP
• Your first game server