Play on a Minecraft server with friends

Requirements

• A running Minecraft Java server (rented or self-hosted)
• Access to the server console and the server.properties file
• Your friends' Minecraft usernames (not their Microsoft e-mail)
• Everyone runs the same Minecraft version as the server – or you install ViaVersion later

Step 1: Find the right address

Minecraft Java connects over TCP port 25565 by default. If your server runs on exactly that port, the IP address or a hostname is enough. If it runs on a different port, your friends have to append it after a colon:

# Server on the default port 25565
203.0.113.10

# Server on a different port
203.0.113.10:25577

In the AvantaHost panel: open your server and switch to the Network tab (labelled „Netzwerk“). Under „Netzwerk & Ports“ you will find the primary allocation as IP:port – that is the address you share.

Nobody remembers an IP. In the same tab, under Server domains → free subdomain, enter a name such as yourserver and you get yourserver.avantahost.de (one free subdomain per server). You can also connect your own domain. The DNS record automatically points to the primary allocation.

In-game, use Multiplayer → Add Server (stays in the list) or Direct Connection (one-off).

Step 2: Turn on the whitelist

Without a whitelist anyone who knows your address can join – and server scanners find open Minecraft servers within hours. Turn the whitelist on before you post the address anywhere.

Run the following commands in the server console (in the panel: the Console tab). In the console you leave out the slash, in-game you type it in front:

whitelist on
whitelist add Steve
whitelist add Alex
whitelist list

The permanent setting lives in server.properties (in the panel: the Files tab). enforce-whitelist=true kicks players who are no longer on the whitelist when it is reloaded:

white-list=true
enforce-whitelist=true
online-mode=true

To give a friend admin rights (e.g. for gamemode or teleport): op Steve. To remove them: deop Steve. Be careful with OP – an operator can do anything, including turning the whitelist off.

Step 3: Understand the ports

Rented server: there is nothing to forward – the port from the network tab is already reachable. Don't change server-port in server.properties yourself: the server has to run on the port the panel assigned to it.

Server at home: set up a port forward in your router from TCP 25565 to your PC's local IP and share your public IP. Downsides: your home IP becomes public, the PC has to stay on, and many connections (DS-Lite, CGNAT) don't allow incoming IPv4 connections at all.

Step 4: Let Bedrock friends join (Geyser)

Java and Bedrock Edition are not compatible on their own. The Geyser plugin translates between them, and Floodgate means Bedrock players don't need a Java account. Both run as plugins on Paper or Spigot.

1. Download Geyser-Spigot.jar and Floodgate-Spigot.jar from geysermc.org.
2. Put both files into the plugins folder and restart the server.
3. In plugins/Geyser-Spigot/config.yml, set auth-type to floodgate and enter the port Bedrock players should use in the bedrock section.
4. Restart the server again.
5. Whitelist Bedrock players with fwhitelist add Name (you don't need to type the Floodgate prefix).

If your server runs a Minecraft version Geyser doesn't support directly, you also need ViaVersion. How to install plugins in general is covered in Install Minecraft plugins.

Common problems