free · zerotier for minecraft
ZeroTier for Minecraft, and what it asks of your friends
ZeroTier builds a virtual network that behaves like a single LAN spread across the internet. Join a network by its ID, get authorised, and remote machines start behaving as though they were plugged into the same switch. For Minecraft that has a pleasant side effect: LAN discovery can work, so a server sometimes appears in the multiplayer list without anyone typing an address.
The cost is the same one every mesh network carries, plus a ceiling. Each player installs ZeroTier, joins your network by ID, and waits for you to authorise their device, and the free Personal plan covers ten devices on one network. The server is one of those ten, so nine friends is the practical maximum. Self Hostd takes the other approach: your server gets one public address, and the people joining it install nothing and wait for nothing.
Where ZeroTier is strong
- It emulates a genuine layer 2 network, so LAN-oriented features in games work more often than they do over tunnels that only forward a port.
- Cross-platform across Windows, macOS, Linux, and it runs on hardware as small as a router or a single-board computer.
- Works from behind CGNAT and restrictive networks, because members make outbound connections rather than accepting inbound ones.
- Nothing is exposed to the public internet, so there is no address for a stranger to find or attack.
- The free Personal plan is free forever and covers ten devices on one network, which suits a small group of regulars.
What changes when nobody joins a network
No install, no network ID, no authorisation
The three-step ritual of "install this, join this 16-digit network ID, wait for me to tick your device" disappears. Friends type an address and play.
No ten-device ceiling
ZeroTier's free Personal plan covers ten devices on one network, and your server occupies one of them. Nine friends is the practical limit before you are choosing who to remove or paying to expand.
No admin work for you
Every new player on ZeroTier is a device you have to authorise. A public address has no membership list to keep.
Anyone can join
A ZeroTier network is private by design, which suits a fixed group and rules out a server you want people to be able to discover and join.
It knows what a Minecraft server is
ZeroTier carries frames and rightly does not care what is in them. Our launcher sizes RAM, applies sensible Java flags, restarts crashed servers and explains crashes in plain English.
The rest of the toolkit
Live console in the browser, control from Discord, and off-site backups twice a week, on the free tier.
Side by side
| ZeroTier | Self Hostd (free) | |
|---|---|---|
| Players install software | Yes, every one | No |
| Joining process | Install, enter network ID, wait for authorisation | Type the address into Minecraft |
| Free plan size | 10 devices on 1 network, server included | No limit on who connects |
| Admin work per new player | Authorise their device | None |
| Works behind CGNAT | Yes | Yes |
| Public server possible | No, membership is the point | Yes |
| Exposed to the internet | Nothing | A relay address, not your home IP |
| Backups | Not applicable | Twice-weekly, off-site, one-click restore |
Based on each product's published free tier as of 11 August 2026. If something here has changed, tell us and we will correct it.
Moving from a ZeroTier network to a public address
- 1Leave your server folder aloneWorld, mods and configuration are untouched. ZeroTier can stay installed if you use it for other things.
- 2Create a server and pairMake a free account, press Create your server, copy the 6-digit pairing code, drop the Self Hostd launcher into your server folder, open it, paste the code and press Start.
- 3Share the addressAnyone who only installed ZeroTier for Minecraft can uninstall it. The new address works from a plain Minecraft client.
Full step-by-step instructions, including the modpack path, live in the Self Hostd setup guide.
Questions you'd be right to ask
Can you play Minecraft over ZeroTier?
Yes. Install ZeroTier on the server machine and on each player's machine, have everyone join the same network ID, authorise their devices, then connect to the server machine's ZeroTier address. No port forwarding is involved.
Why does my ZeroTier Minecraft server not show up on LAN?
LAN discovery relies on broadcast traffic reaching every member, which depends on the network being configured to allow it and on the client and server being on the same virtual network. Connecting directly to the server machine's ZeroTier address is more reliable than waiting for it to appear in the list.
Is ZeroTier better than Hamachi for Minecraft?
For most people yes. ZeroTier is cross-platform, actively developed, and does not carry Hamachi's history of adapter conflicts. Both share the same fundamental requirement that every player installs a client and joins your network.
Do my friends need ZeroTier to join my server?
Yes. The server is reachable only inside your virtual network, so anyone joining must be a member of it. If you want people to connect without installing anything, you need a tunnel or a hosted server instead.
How many players can join a ZeroTier network for free?
The free Personal plan covers ten devices on a single network. Your server machine takes one of those, so nine other people can join before you need a paid plan.
No network ID to hand out
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