Want to make a Minecraft server so you can play with your friends? It's easier than you'd think, thanks to numerous options that allow tons of flexibility.

The best Minecraft servers on Java and Bedrock can be hard to find, so we've dug them out for you, alongside instructions on how to host your own if you prefer to.

Java 18's Simple Web Server lets you use a command-line tool or API to host files and more. Here's how it works.

Close the server window and create a new file in MyFirstMinecraftServer called resources.bat. In the file, type the following line in: java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar minecraft_server.jar ...

Sometimes it can take as little as an hour. Likewise, you can have a server running on your PC as soon as you download Minecraft Java Edition, if you know how to set things up on your end.