We have tried to host our own server at Coder Kids, and it can get challenging and frustrating. Reminder that this is the free option, which comes with some downsides. This process is not difficult - just takes some knowledge of files and some reading. If you’re a parent, the following video does a really good job of explaining how to do it. Setting up a free server takes some computer know-how and is not something we expect children under 15 to be able to do on their own. It’s a monthly subscription that you pay for the quality of service provided by Microsoft. The servers are provided through Microsoft and will provide a reliable connection. It starts at $7.99 so that you can play with 11 people. Minecraft Realms is a service provided by Microsoft, where you can purchase your own server through Microsoft for a fee. If you’re interested in custom modding your own Minecraft world with friends you will need to pursue a custom server option like the one above or the options below. After that, you can explore with running a Spigot server, which is what we run our Minecraft server on, and it allows a wide variety of plugins - for example, language filters, discord integrations, and a wide variety of other options This part does take quite a bit of research, and you might leave it up to your child to figure out fully.Īt the moment Minecraft Realms does not support mods, but it does have a solid amount of custom games/worlds made by Microsoft and other people who play in Realms. A Vanilla server is simply one that runs the game without major modifications. If you are a parent looking to set your child up with a server for the first time, I’d recommend keeping it “Vanilla”. Prices on Apex are affordable, starting as low as $4.99 a month. If your child is familiar with Minecraft and OP controls, we’d recommend Apex. They have a control panel that allows adults and kids to pretty easily manage their server, see chat logs, and make whitelists of permitted users.

Our top choice for a paid server is Apex Hosting.

Server mods for minecraft