Minecraft server hosting, by the day
A Java Edition server for your group, sized for how many of you actually play. Pick Paper for plugins or Fabric for lightweight mods, and pay by the day, the week or the month.
Tonight and all weekfrom£2.00a week
2 GB, up to 5 players Our estimate, from published requirements and community reports · Prices for the United Kingdom · Final price
For 6 players we'd size it at 3 GB: £2.00 a day, £2.85 a week.
Hosting
How to host a Minecraft Java server with Galeforce.
Four steps, and the first three are in the panel.
- Pick a size. For 6 players we'd size it at 3 GB. The table below has other group sizes, and the RAM calculator works out yours.
- Pick a pass. At 3 GB that's a day, a week or a month, paid up front. It renews until you cancel, or you pay once.
- Start it from the panel. The panel installs the server and starts it. Before the first start you accept Mojang's EULA in the panel, and then the server starts.
- Invite your friends. In Minecraft, open Multiplayer → Add Server and paste the address from your panel. On Minecraft 26.3 and later, a new server starts with its whitelist on: add each friend with whitelist add <name> in the panel's console, or turn Whitelist off on the Game page.
Would you rather run it on your own PC? Our guide covers both ways: How to host a Minecraft server.
Sizing
How much RAM a Minecraft Java server needs.
Java needs a fixed heap for the world, then memory grows with loaded chunks per player; plugins are light. Our recommended size for each group is below. Try your own numbers.
| Group and RAM Est: Our estimate, from published requirements and community reports | RAM Est: Our estimate, from published requirements and community reports | Day | Week | Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 player, 2 GB | 2 GB | Week only | £2.00 | £5.44 |
| 6 players, 3 GB | 3 GB | £2.00 | £2.85 | £8.16 |
| 16 players, 4 GB | 4 GB | £2.00 | £3.42renewing, £3.80paid once | £9.79renewing, £10.88paid once |
| 50 players, 8 GB | 8 GB | £2.00 | £6.84renewing, £7.60paid once | £19.58renewing, £21.76paid once |
| 100 players, 12 GB | 12 GB | £3.24 | £10.26renewing, £11.40paid once | £29.37renewing, £32.64paid once |
Per server, paid up front. Each pass renews until you cancel, or you pay once.
Renewing or paid once. Bought with renewal, a week or month pass of 4 GB or more costs 10% less than the same pass paid once, on the first payment and every renewal, while renewal stays on. Stopping renewal is free and takes nothing back: the pass you've paid for runs to its end at the price you paid. Any pass paid for once is at the pay-once price.
Connecting
Ports and joining.
In Minecraft, open Multiplayer → Add Server and paste the address from your panel. On Minecraft 26.3 and later, a new server starts with its whitelist on: add each friend with whitelist add <name> in the panel's console, or turn Whitelist off on the Game page.
| Port Docs: From the game's own server documentation or defaults | Protocol | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| 25565 | tcp | Game |
| 25565 | udp | Server-list queryoptional: the server runs without it |
Defaults shown; your server gets its own ports on our machines, and the panel shows the address to use.
Field notes
Worth knowing first.
- Server software is downloaded from its official source on every install, checksum-verified where the source publishes one, and never mirrored.
- Before the first start you accept Mojang's EULA in the panel, and then the server starts.
Included
What your Minecraft Java server gets.
- 01
Live CPU and RAM graphs
Watch CPU and memory as you play, so lag has a number you can point at.
- 02
Crashes explained
When the server stops unexpectedly, the panel names the likely cause in plain English and suggests the fix.
- 03
Auto-stop when empty
On by default: it saves and stops after 15 minutes with nobody online, so nothing runs unwatched. Change the delay or turn it off any time.
- 04
server.properties editor
Every setting it shows is explained and checked for type and range before you save. For a server.properties on any server, there's also a free public tool.
- 05
Adding mods
Search Modrinth in the panel's Mods tab (Plugins on Paper): each mod or plugin installs with the ones it needs, and the Installed list updates them. Version & loader switches the loader or the Minecraft version; it keeps a copy of every file on the server for 7 days, and Undo puts it all back.
Questions
Minecraft Java server hosting, answered.
- How much RAM does a Minecraft Java server need?
- For 6 players, we'd size a Minecraft Java server at 3 GB. The smallest size we quote for it is 2 GB, which our estimate fits up to 5 players in. Java needs a fixed heap for the world, then memory grows with loaded chunks per player; plugins are light.
- How much does a Minecraft Java server cost?
- From £2.00 a week in the United Kingdom and $2.50 a week in the United States, at 2 GB, which our estimate fits up to 5 players in. A bigger server costs more, by its RAM. Prices are final: nothing is added at checkout. Every size and pass, country by country.
- How do my friends join a Minecraft Java server?
- In Minecraft, open Multiplayer → Add Server and paste the address from your panel. On Minecraft 26.3 and later, a new server starts with its whitelist on: add each friend with whitelist add <name> in the panel's console, or turn Whitelist off on the Game page.
- How do I add mods to a Minecraft Java server?
- Search Modrinth in the panel's Mods tab (Plugins on Paper): each mod or plugin installs with the ones it needs, and the Installed list updates them. Version & loader switches the loader or the Minecraft version; it keeps a copy of every file on the server for 7 days, and Undo puts it all back.
- Do I need to keep my PC on?
- No. Your Minecraft Java server runs on our machines, so it's there for your friends whether your PC is on or off. You start and stop it from the Galeforce panel, and a pass is time, not running hours: it runs out whether the server is on or off.
Guides
Read before you start.
- SetupHow to host a Minecraft serverHost a Minecraft Java 26.3 server on your own PC: Java 25, server.jar, eula.txt, port 25565 and the new whitelist default, plus fixes for the usual errors.13 min · 11 Nov 2026
- SetupA temporary Minecraft server: for a day or a weekendHow to run a Minecraft Java server for just one day or a weekend: five ways compared, what each asks of you, and what happens to the world afterwards.7 min · 11 Nov 2026
- SizingHow much RAM does a Minecraft server need?RAM for a Minecraft server by player count and modpack size, how to set it with -Xmx, the settings that cut it, and how to tell a memory problem from lag.5 min · 12 Nov 2026
- Settingsserver.properties explained: every setting that mattersWhat each Minecraft Java 26.x server.properties setting does, its default and safe values, plus recipes for whitelists, hardcore and build servers.8 min · 11 Nov 2026
- FixesCan't connect to your Minecraft server? 7 checksWhat Connection timed out, Connection refused, Incompatible client and not white-listed mean on a Minecraft Java server, and the fix for each.8 min · 11 Nov 2026
- SetupHow to upload a world to a Minecraft serverMove a single-player or old-host world to a Minecraft Java server: zip the right folder, match the version, set level-name. Covers the 26.1 folder change.8 min · 11 Nov 2026
- CostHourly, daily or monthly: which is cheapest for a game server?Hourly, monthly or by the day: how game server billing works, the break-even for each, worked through for real play patterns, and the catches to check.6 min · 12 Nov 2026
Free tools
Free Minecraft Java tools.
They run in your browser, for any server: ours, another host's or your own PC.
More games
Other games you can rent.
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