Hello and welcome to this comprehensive guide on how to host a Minecraft server using port forwarding. If you’re a Minecraft fan, you know how important it is to have your own server where you can play with friends or even create your own community. In this article, we will show you how to host your own Minecraft server by configuring port forwarding on your router.
What is Minecraft Server Port Forwarding?
Before we dive into the steps, let us first understand what port forwarding is and why it is necessary for Minecraft servers. In simple terms, port forwarding is a process of forwarding incoming internet traffic from a specific port to a designated device on your local network. In the case of Minecraft servers, port forwarding allows players to connect to your server from outside your local network.
Why Do You Need to Forward Ports for Minecraft Server?
By default, Minecraft servers use port 25565 to communicate with the clients. However, this port is not open to the internet, as your router blocks incoming traffic by default. Therefore, if you want to host a Minecraft server, you need to configure port forwarding in your router to allow incoming traffic to reach your server.
Ready to get started?
Great. Let’s go through the steps required to configure port forwarding for your Minecraft server.
Step 1: Obtaining Your Internal IP Address
Before we can configure port forwarding, we need to obtain the internal IP address of the computer hosting the Minecraft server. To do this, follow these steps:
On Windows:
1. Click on the Start button, then type “cmd” into the search box.
2. Open the Command Prompt application.
3. Type “ipconfig” and press Enter.
4. Locate the “IPv4 Address” entry under “Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi” if you’re using Wi-Fi or “Ethernet adapter Ethernet” if you’re using an Ethernet cable. This is your internal IP address.
On Mac:
1. Click on the Apple menu, then “System Preferences”, then “Network”.
2. Select the active network connection (usually Wi-Fi or Ethernet) from the left-hand menu.
3. Click on the “Advanced” button.
4. Click on the “TCP/IP” tab.
5. Your internal IP address should be listed next to “IPv4 Address”.
On Linux:
1. Open the Terminal application.
2. Type “ifconfig” and press Enter.
3. Locate the network adapter that is currently connected to your network. It will likely start with “eth” or “wlan”.
4. Look for the “inet addr” field. This is your internal IP address.
Step 2: Accessing Your Router’s Configuration Page
Now that we have our internal IP address, we can proceed to the next step, which is accessing our router’s configuration page. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Open your web browser and type your router’s IP address into the address bar. The IP address is usually printed on a label on the bottom of the router. If you can’t find the IP address, you can try searching for it online by entering your router’s model number.
2. Enter your router’s username and password when prompted. If you haven’t changed your username and password, you can usually find them on the router’s label or in the manual that came with it.
Step 3: Configuring Port Forwarding
Now that we have access to our router’s configuration page, we can proceed to configure port forwarding. The steps may vary depending on your router’s make and model, but the general process is as follows:
1. Look for the “Port Forwarding” or “Virtual Server” option in your router’s menu. This option may be located under “Advanced” or “Firewall” settings.
2. Click on the “Add” or “Create” button to create a new port forwarding rule.
3. Enter a name for the rule (e.g. “Minecraft Server”).
4. Enter the internal IP address of the computer hosting the Minecraft server that you obtained in Step 1.
5. Enter the port number that Minecraft uses (default is 25565).
6. Select the protocol (TCP, UDP, or both) that Minecraft uses (default is TCP).
7. Save the changes and exit the configuration page.
Step 4: Checking Your Firewall Settings
Now that port forwarding is configured, we need to make sure that our firewall settings are correctly set up. To do this, follow these steps:
On Windows:
1. Click on the Start button, then type “Windows Defender Firewall” into the search box.
2. Open the Windows Defender Firewall application.
3. Click on “Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall”.
4. Click on the “Change settings” button.
5. Scroll down and locate “Java(TM) Platform SE binary” (or something similar) in the list.
6. Make sure that both “Private” and “Public” checkboxes are ticked.
7. If “Java(TM) Platform SE binary” is not listed, click on the “Allow another app” button and browse to the Minecraft server executable.
On Mac:
1. Click on the Apple menu, then “System Preferences”, then “Security & Privacy”.
2. Click on the “Firewall” tab.
3. Click on the “Firewall Options” button.
4. Locate “Java(TM) Platform SE binary” (or something similar) in the list.
5. Make sure that both “Incoming Connections” and “Automatically allow signed software to receive incoming connections” checkboxes are ticked.
6. If “Java(TM) Platform SE binary” is not listed, click on the “+” button and browse to the Minecraft server executable.
Step 5: Starting Your Minecraft Server
Congratulations! You have successfully configured port forwarding and firewall settings for your Minecraft server. Now you can start your server and invite your friends to join you. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Double-click on the Minecraft server .jar file to start it.
2. Wait until the server has finished starting up.
3. Connect to your server using your external IP address (you can find this by googling “what is my IP address” and checking the result).
4. Invite your friends to join you by giving them your external IP address.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about Minecraft server port forwarding:
Q: Do I need to port forward if I’m playing on the same network as the server?
No, you don’t need to port forward if you’re playing on the same network as the server. You can connect to the server using its internal IP address (which we obtained in Step 1).
Q: Can I use a different port number for my Minecraft server?
Yes, you can use a different port number for your Minecraft server. Just make sure to update the port forwarding rule in your router’s configuration page accordingly.
Q: Can I use port forwarding for other applications besides Minecraft servers?
Yes, you can use port forwarding for other applications that require incoming internet traffic from a specific port.
Conclusion
In this article, we have shown you how to host a Minecraft server using port forwarding. By following the steps outlined above, you should be able to configure port forwarding and firewall settings for your Minecraft server without any issues. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave them in the comments section below. Happy gaming!