Getting started with your Minecraft server

Your Minecraft server is created automatically as soon as your payment goes through. To play: open it in the Game Panel, press Start and accept the EULA, add yourself to the whitelist, and join with the address shown in the panel. This guide walks you through your first ten minutes.

1. Open your server in the Game Panel

1. Log in to the billing panel and open Services.

2. Open your Minecraft service.

3. Under Service Actions, click Auto Login to Panel. The Game Panel opens and you are already signed in.

4. On the panel home page, click Manage server on your server's card.

Other ways to sign in are in How to log in to the Game Panel.

2. Check the software and version

Open the Versions tab. The top shows what is Currently running, the Installed Minecraft Version and the Installed Build, for example "Paper · 26.3 · #249". New servers run Paper, our recommendation for most Java servers.

• Happy with it? Move on.

• Want a different version, or mods instead of plugins? Change it now, before you build anything: How to change your Minecraft version or server software.

• Want a whole modpack? Use the Modpacks tab: How to install a modpack.

The right Java version is picked automatically, so you don't need to change anything in Startup. Not sure which software to use? Read Which Minecraft server software should I choose?

3. Start the server and accept the EULA

1. Open Console so you can see what the server is doing.

2. Click Start.

3. The first time, a popup Accept Minecraft® EULA appears. Read the Minecraft EULA and click I ACCEPT. (Every Minecraft server must accept it before it will run.)

4. The server boots and generates the world. When the console shows a line containing Done, the status changes to Online. On a fresh server this takes about 20 seconds.

4. Add yourself to the whitelist

In the Console box, type this with your exact Minecraft username (no /) and press Enter:

whitelist add YourName
op YourName

The first line lets you join. The second makes you an operator so you can use commands in game. You can also add players in the Players tab under Whitelist. Add every friend the same way, or turn the whitelist off with whitelist off if you want anyone to be able to join. Details: Whitelist, op and ban players.

5. Find your address and join

Your address is shown at the top of the panel and on the Dashboard under Server Info as Hostname, for example agni.ender.co.in:45808. The part after the colon is your port.

1. Open Minecraft Java Edition and choose Multiplayer → Add Server.

2. Paste the whole address, including the port, into Server Address and click Done.

3. Double-click the server to join.

Your game version must match the server version (or use ViaVersion). For Bedrock and consoles, see How to join a Minecraft server.

6. Invite your friends

Whitelist your friends (step 4) and send them the same address. They don't need a panel account to play. If a friend should help run the server, add them under Users instead of sharing your password: How to add sub-users.

Next steps

• Add plugins such as EssentialsX or LuckPerms from the Plugins tab: How to install plugins.

• Set up backups in Backups, ideally on a schedule: How to create and restore backups.

• Tweak settings like difficulty and max players in Properties: server.properties explained.

• Change the server name in the list: How to change the MOTD and server icon.

• Check performance: Paper includes the spark profiler, so spark tps and spark profiler start work without installing anything. See Find lag with spark.

Frequently asked questions

Still stuck? Open a ticket with your server name and a screenshot of the console.