Connecting to a Minecraft Java server

Paste the address - no port needed.

The short version

Paste the address from your dashboard into the Minecraft Java multiplayer screen. No port is needed: Hostd publishes an SRV record so the bare subdomain resolves to the right port. If the client says it cannot resolve the address, wait a minute for DNS to propagate and try again.

#Java clients

Minecraft Java resolves our SRV record automatically - type just yourname.hostd.it in the server address field. No port.

#Other games

Most non-Minecraft games need the port. On your dashboard's server page, hit Copy - the copied string is already formatted correctly (name.hostd.it:25566). Paste it into the game's "Add server by IP" dialog.

#First-time "can't resolve"?

DNS propagation after a brand-new server finishes in ~60 seconds. If you hit "Unknown host" right after provisioning, wait a minute and try again. After the first successful resolve, your OS caches it.

#Adding the server in the client

Multiplayer → Add Server. The name field is a label for your own list and can say anything. The address field is the part that matters.

Direct Connect is the faster route for a one-off. It does not save the entry, which is either the point or an annoyance depending on why you are there.

#Why there is no port

Minecraft Java is the only game we host where the client looks up an SRV record before connecting. That record carries the port, so the client finds it without being told.

Every other game needs address:port, because their clients do not perform that lookup. If you are joining a Bedrock, Valheim, Palworld, Rust, ARK or CS2 server, see Connecting to a non-Minecraft game server.

You can still type the port explicitly on Java if you prefer. It works and it changes nothing.

#When one person cannot connect and everyone else can

This is the common case, and it is almost never the server.

Check the address character by character. hostd.it and hostdservers.com are different domains, and typing the wrong one produces a confident error message about the wrong server.
Flush their DNS cache. On Windows, ipconfig /flushdns in a command prompt. This fixes the case where they tried during the first sixty seconds and their machine cached the failure.
Try a different network. Phone hotspot is the fastest test. School, office and some hotel networks block the ports games use, and no amount of server-side configuration changes that.
Check their Minecraft version matches the server's. A version mismatch reports itself as outdated client or outdated server rather than a connection failure, but people frequently describe both as "it won't let me in".

#When nobody can connect

Now it is worth looking at the server. Check it is actually running rather than stuck in a restart loop, and read the console. A server that boots, crashes and restarts looks online at a glance and refuses every connection in between. Minecraft server won't start covers reading that console.

#Frequently asked questions

Do I need a port for a Minecraft Java server?

Not on Hostd. An SRV record maps the bare subdomain to the correct port, so players type yourname.hostd.it and nothing else. Adding a port manually still works if you prefer to be explicit.

Why does my Minecraft server say it cannot resolve the hostname?

Usually DNS has not reached the player's resolver yet, which resolves itself within a few minutes of first setup. If it persists for one player only, their DNS is caching an old record; flushing it or switching resolver clears it.

Does this work for Bedrock players too?

Bedrock uses a separate address and port field in the client, so Bedrock players enter the address and the port separately. The SRV shortcut is a Java client feature.

Written and maintained by the Hostd engineering team. Last updated 2026-08-05. Notice a mistake? Tell us.