Everything you'd ask support, answered.

How to create your first game server with Hostd

Create your first game server: pick a game and tier, pick a free address, pay, and connect. Per-game RAM guidance inside.

Inviting friends to play (and to manage your server)

Share the connection address for players, grant co-admin access via Members, or gate joins behind your Discord server with role and account-age checks.

Installing a Modrinth or CurseForge modpack on Minecraft

Install any Modrinth or CurseForge modpack at order time or onto an existing Minecraft server, with the right tier for the pack weight.

Adding a single plugin (Spigot/Paper)

Install EssentialsX, WorldEdit, LuckPerms, etc. straight from the dashboard.

Changing the Minecraft version

Upgrade or downgrade your vanilla Minecraft server in a couple of clicks.

Hostd Linkd: connect multiple Minecraft servers into one network

Run a Hypixel-style network with auto-configured Velocity, lockdown firewall, and shared start/stop. One address for your players.

How to allocate more RAM to a Minecraft server on Hostd

On Hostd, RAM is hard-locked at the plan level. The way to give the server more RAM is to upgrade the plan from the dashboard; -Xmx does not apply.

How to whitelist a Minecraft server (Java and Bedrock)

Lock your Minecraft server to a list of approved usernames from the dashboard or the console. Works on Paper, Forge, Fabric, and Bedrock.

How to op yourself on a Minecraft server

Op yourself from the dashboard Players tab or from the console with /op. Vanilla, Paper, Forge, Fabric, and NeoForge all use the same flow.

How to install Forge on a Minecraft server

Hostd installs Forge for you in one click. Pick the loader at order time or switch an existing server from the Settings tab.

How to install Fabric on a Minecraft server

Fabric is the lightweight alternative to Forge. Hostd installs it in one click; drop mods (and the Fabric API) into /data/mods and restart.

All The Mods 10 server setup on Hostd

ATM10 is a kitchen-sink NeoForge pack on Minecraft 1.21. Pick the Heavy tier, install in one click, and apply two server.properties tweaks before you invite people.

ATM10 server lag fix: digital miners, AE2, and chunkloaders

ATM10 lag almost always traces back to one of three causes: an unfiltered digital miner, an AE2 network past its size, or chunkloaded mob farms.

RLCraft server setup on Hostd: tier, Lycanites, and 1.12.2 quirks

RLCraft is a 1.12.2 Forge survival overhaul. Heavy tier minimum, the Lycanites mob cap is the big lever, and the vanilla difficulty flag does not apply.

What a Minecraft server actually needs to run

The real minimum requirements for a Minecraft server: Java version, CPU, RAM and a port. Why single-core speed matters more than core count, and why more RAM rarely fixes lag.

How the Minecraft server protocol works

What actually travels between a Minecraft client and server: the handshake, login and play states, packet structure, compression and encryption, and why the protocol is simple enough to reimplement.

Setting up your Counter-Strike 2 server: a walkthrough

Set up a Counter-Strike 2 server on Hostd: pick a plan, understand first boot, get a GSLT for the browser, and connect from CS2 in under five minutes.

CS2 server visibility: Auto, Public, and Direct-connect

Counter-Strike 2 server visibility explained: what Auto, Public, and Direct-connect mean, what each one does at boot, and which one fits your setup.

CS2 Steam Game Server Token (GSLT): get and apply one

A Steam Game Server Token (GSLT) is the 32-character string Valve issues per server so CS2 appears in the public browser and runs VAC secure.

Counter-Strike 2 server troubleshooting: crashes, lag, more

Counter-Strike 2 server troubleshooting on Hostd: browser visibility, Steam auth failures, lag, plugin loading, restart loops, and instant kicks.

Picking the right Valheim server plan for your crew

The guide to choosing a Valheim server plan: Lite, Standard, or Pro, sized for your group, your mods, and how serious you are about the world.

Connecting to your Valheim server: a step-by-step guide

How to connect to your Valheim server through Steam, the in-game friends list, or a direct address, plus what to check when friends say they can't find it.

Installing Valheim mods with BepInEx and Thunderstore

Install Valheim mods through the dashboard's Thunderstore browser, with BepInEx already in place: search, click, restart, and you're modded.

Valheim server troubleshooting: crashes, lag, no console

A practical guide to Valheim server problems: crash-on-start, in-game lag, mod conflicts, and the no-console reality that catches new admins out.

Picking the right Palworld server plan: 16 to 32 slots

Choose a Palworld server plan that matches your group: Standard for friends, Pro for active communities, Elite for sprawling bases and heavy automation.

Connecting to your Palworld server: friends and password

Connect to your Palworld server using the hostd.it address and port shown on your dashboard, set an admin or server password, and fix the most common join issues.

Tuning Palworld world settings: XP, capture, and raids

Tune your Palworld server with PalWorldSettings.ini: XP, capture, raids and day length, plus the new 1.0 settings for voice chat, Pal transfers and changed defaults.

Palworld server troubleshooting: saves, crashes, lag

Fix common Palworld server problems: the 1.0 save crash, version-mismatch timeouts, corrupted saves after patches, servers that won't start, Pal AI lag, and players who can't connect.

Palworld 1.0 for server owners: what actually changed

Palworld 1.0 is live. The changes that matter if you run a dedicated server: a doubled map, in-game voice chat, guild roles, PvP, and what to do about your existing world.

Palworld server clustering: the honest state of it

Is there server clustering in Palworld 1.0? Not in any usable form. Here is what actually shipped, why the pre-launch talk did not pan out, and what to do instead.

Palworld 1.0 crossplay: connect on Steam, Xbox, PS5

Connect to a Palworld 1.0 server from Steam, Xbox, PlayStation and Mac: the right join method per platform, and why console players use the in-game server browser.

Updating your Palworld server to 1.0 safely

Update your Palworld server to 1.0 without losing your world. What carries over, the one step modded servers must not skip, the version-mismatch fix, and the launch-day save crash.

How much RAM does a Palworld 1.0 server need?

How much RAM does a Palworld 1.0 server need? Pocketpair now recommend 16 GB. Here is what that means in practice for the bigger 1.0 map, busier bases and long nights.

Setting up a Palworld 1.0 PvP server

Palworld 1.0 has a proper PvP mode. How to enable it on your dedicated server with bIsPvP, pick a death penalty your players will actually accept, and run PvP without wrecking your PvE world.

Palworld: cannot connect to dedicated server

Most Palworld connect failures are wrong address format, a port-blocking ISP, or a hand-edited PublicIP in PalWorldSettings.ini. Walk through them in that order.

Picking your Rust server plan: 50, 100, or 200 slots

Pick the right Rust server plan by matching slots and RAM to how busy your wipe actually gets. Standard, Pro, or Elite, with guidance on each.

Connecting to your Rust server: F1 console and browsers

Connect to your Rust server via the F1 console, the modded browser, or Steam favourites. Plus what the query port does and why first boot takes 10 minutes.

Rust Oxide plugins and the wipe scheduler explained

Install Oxide and Carbon plugins from the dashboard and run map plus blueprint wipes on the schedule your community expects.

Rust server troubleshooting: crashes, wipes, plugin breakage

Walk through the common Rust server faults: long first boot, Oxide lagging a Rust patch, plugin breakage, wipe day lag, and players who cannot connect.

Rust "Disconnected by EAC" or EAC authentication errors

Rust EAC kicks are almost always a problem on the player's machine. The fix is to re-install EAC from the Rust folder; the server side updates on its own.

Picking your ARK: Survival Ascended server plan on Hostd

Pick the right ARK: Survival Ascended server plan with RAM and slot guidance. Standard, Pro, or Elite, sized for real tribe load on Hostd.

Connecting to your ARK: Survival Ascended server on Hostd

Connect to your ARK: Survival Ascended server via the in-game Unofficial list or by favouriting your hostd.it address. First boot, passwords, and ports covered.

ARK: Survival Ascended maps and CurseForge mods on Hostd

Switch ARK: Survival Ascended maps from the dashboard and install CurseForge mods in clicks. Catalogue, mod cap, load order, and the swap workflow.

ARK: SA server troubleshooting: crashes, mods, Proton

Fix common ARK: Survival Ascended server problems on Hostd: 15-minute first boot, Proton resets, mod mismatch kicks, map switches that won't apply, base lag.

ARK: Survival Ascended cluster hosting: 2 to 6 linked maps

Run an ARK: SA cluster as one subscription on Hostd. Two to six maps, one shared mod list, obelisk travel between them, and updates that happen in lockstep.

How to set up an ARK: Survival Ascended cluster server

A complete guide to ARK: SA clustering: matching cluster IDs, one shared cluster directory, per-instance ports, mod parity, and the expiry timers that delete uploads while you sleep.

Getting started with Self Hostd

Run a Minecraft server on your own machine and get a public address, a web panel and console from Hostd. Pair with a 6-digit code; no port forwarding.

Running the Self Hostd launcher from the command line

The full command-line reference for the Self Hostd launcher: every flag, the selfhostd.properties file, token handling, modes and exit codes.

Self Hostd pairing codes and tokens explained

The 6-digit code links a launcher to your server once; the token it leaves behind keeps them linked. Where each lives, how long they last, and how to re-pair.

Using your own tunnel or port forward with Self Hostd

Keep the web panel and console while players reach your server through your own route: --no-tunnel skips the Hostd tunnel without losing the panel link.

The Self Hostd plugin for Paper and Spigot servers

Run Self Hostd from inside a Bukkit-family server: drop the plugin into your plugins folder, paste your pairing code into its config, and keep running the server your way.

Self Hostd with Docker Compose

Run the Self Hostd launcher as a sidecar next to itzg/minecraft-server: one compose file, a pairing code entered once, and no published ports.

Our 7-day money-back guarantee

If Hostd isn't for you, refund no-questions-asked within 7 days of your first charge.

Hibernation: pause your server, keep everything

Pause any server for a flat $1.99 a month. Your world, mods, configs and address stay safe with us until you resume.

How to cancel a server / subscription

Stop the next renewal with one click - your server keeps running until the paid period ends.

Earning 50% off with the referral program

Both you and a friend get 50% off one month when they sign up through your link.

Your free hostd.it / hostdservers.com address

Every server gets a friendly domain - short and shareable, included in every plan.

Connecting to a Minecraft Java server

Paste the address - no port needed.

Connecting to a non-Minecraft game server on Hostd

How to join your CS2, Valheim, Palworld, Rust, or ARK: Survival Ascended server on Hostd: the address pattern, the Copy button, and per-game routes.

Taking a manual backup before a risky change

One-click full snapshot of your server data - always take one before swapping mods or worlds.

Moving your server from another host

Bring your existing world across by uploading a zip or giving us SFTP credentials.

Turning on two-factor authentication

Protect your account in under 60 seconds with Authy, 1Password, Google Authenticator, or any TOTP app.

Changing your account email

Not yet self-serve - contact support and we'll switch it within a business day.

Fixing Minecraft server lag: TPS, RAM, and disk fixes

Diagnose Minecraft server lag the right way: check TPS first, then RAM and disk, and only upgrade once you know which one is the real bottleneck.

Minecraft server won't start: console errors and fixes

Minecraft server won't start? Read the console, match the error, and fix it in minutes. Triage for Java OOM, port collisions, mod crashes, and Bedrock.

Scheduled console commands and admin actions per game

Scheduled commands on Hostd run safely across every game, with a small shared blocklist and per-game channels (RCON, REST, or none) you should know about.

java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space, what to do

Your Minecraft server crashed with a Java heap space error. Restart once first; if it repeats, you are under-allocated for the pack you are running.

Failed to bind to port: clearing the port and restarting

A "Failed to bind to port" error means something else is still holding the listen port. A clean container restart almost always fixes it.

Could not reserve enough space for object heap: the fix

The JVM asked for more memory than the plan can give it, almost always because a modpack hard-codes -Xmx. Clear the JVM arg and restart.

Connection timed out: no further information, how to fix

Your client never reached the server. Check the server is running, the address is right, and whether the timeout is just you or everyone.

Outdated client or outdated server: matching versions

The client and server are on different Minecraft versions. Bring the client in line, or change the server version from the dashboard.

Internal Exception: io.netty.handler.codec.DecoderException

A DecoderException disconnect means the client and server disagree about what packets look like. Usually a mod mismatch or an out-of-date optimiser.

Mixin apply failed: reading the crash and finding the mod

Mixin apply failed and Critical injection failure crashes name the mod in the mixin config line, not the stack trace. Here is how to read one and what to do next.

Client-only mods on a server: why they crash it

Optimisation and interface mods often exist only on the client. Put one on a server and it crashes at boot with a class-not-found error. Here is how to spot them.

Mod requires a version you do not have: dependency errors

Missing dependency, requires version 0.92.0 or above, and Incompatible mods found all say the same thing. Read the version numbers and install what is asked for.

Duplicate mods: two jars, one mod ID, no server

Found a duplicate mod and Duplicate mod ID errors mean two jars claim the same mod. The loader will not pick one for you. Here is how to find and clear them.

UnsupportedClassVersionError: matching Java to Minecraft

Class file version 65.0 means Java 21. Here is the full mapping, which Minecraft version needs which Java, and what to do when a single mod is the one complaining.

A single server tick took 60.00 seconds: watchdog crashes

The watchdog stops a server that stopped responding. Setting max-tick-time to -1 silences it, which is right sometimes and a mistake other times. Here is which.

No space left on device: finding what filled the disk

A full disk on a Minecraft server does not just stop saves, it can damage the world. Here is what usually fills it and what to delete first.

Failed to verify username: what it actually means

The server could not verify a player with Mojang. Usually the player's session went stale; occasionally Mojang is down. Neither is a fault on your server.

What online-mode=false actually does to your server

Offline mode is not just a cracked-client toggle. It changes how player identity works, and switching it on a live world looks exactly like data loss.

Corrupted chunks and region files: reading the errors

Region file truncated, chunk too big, failed to save chunk: what each one means, what causes them, and the order to try fixes in.

Kicked for flying: allow-flight on modded servers

Kicked for flying on a modded server is almost always a false positive. Here is what allow-flight really controls and when leaving it off is correct.