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Disclaimer: I am not guaranteed 100% an expert on this topic, the information below is based off of my opinion, and my experiences as a server Administrator / Owner. Some of the information included in this tutorial may not be the best for you, or may not even be good at all. Keep this in mind while or if you read this tutorial.
Please read the three paragraphs below before you continue reading on.
Thinking about it at first, starting a server may seem like an easy and exciting task. While it may be exciting, it is not as easy as it sounds. There are many different aspects when it comes to starting your own server, and for that purpose I have created a blog in assistance to creating a server. The blog can be found here, http://www.planetminecraft.com/blog/starting-up-your-own-server/
Although, how to start a server is not the main topic of this tutorial. In this tutorial, I will be explaining aspects of picking a good server host for your Minecraft server. I will not go much into detail on all of the aspects of a good server host, and will not include all of the aspects of a good server host. That would literally make my hands feel like jello.
I will try to keep the tutorial at a moderate length, but at times certain parts will be more lengthy than others. Keep this in mind before you read the tutorial, you might also want to dedicate quite a bit of time; because I'm pretty sure at some point the tutorial will start to get long.
Pricing: This is what I feel as the most important aspect in picking a server host, the price range. You need to keep your price range in an area where you can afford to host it for some time without any donations. I'm not saying that you won't get any donations in the beginning of your server, I'm only pointing out that you may not get donations the first few months; and will need to rely on your own payments / however you pay for your server. You also need to take into account of the addons you may want to add along with your server, things like, a Dedicated IP, DDoS Protection, Advanced Support, Automatic Plugin Setup, whatever it may be.
Keep into mind of your price range, estimate how much it may cost each month for you to run your server; and how long your server will be able to last with only you as a source of payments. Also, once you start getting donations; do not go from something like a $20 plan to a $60 plan if you get something like three $20 donations. Do not expect to make profit each month, but you will run your server, so you decide what you think is best.
Server Specs: This varies from server to server, it all depends on how your server is run; and what you run on it. To start off, if you plan on opening a server just to test coded plugins, test things, limited resource demanding stuff; then you may be able to find a cheap server with sufficient RAM (512MB Maybe?). If you plan on having a community server with large world borders, resource demanding plugins, large amount of plugins, etc; then you may will need to spend more money so that your server has sufficient memory to run the way you want it to run. I cannot specifically define how much RAM you will need based on how you run your server, so that is your call. But keep in mind how much RAM you may need for the things you plan on implementing onto your server. More plugins/players, more RAM needed to keep the server running smoothly.
Average Latency: Depending on the hardware that the host uses, the average latency per server can vary. It is good to check with a host to find how much the latency usually is for a server. You want the latency to be low for the best performance for your server, including you and your players. Most host say the latency for their servers is low; not all host tell the truth although. Be careful who you trust.
SSD: You want your server to have a pretty good SSD, one that can read and write information at a good speed. The SSD will affect your server performance if the one chosen for your server is a low grade one, but most host offer a good SSD for all servers.
Host Reputation: This is something you need to keep in mind before you set with a certain host, the reputation that the host has. If you find a host with something like $1.50 for 1GB of RAM (each), then they may be fooling you with your money. Do some research on the host before you set on buying a server from them. The better the reputation, the better chance you have of having a good time with your server. The host should not have something like a 2 star rep. But before you judge how the reputation of a host is, keep in mind how many people rated the host, and how reliable the website/user is. If the host has 1 star, from 1 person, that person may be a troll, or someone who just didn't run their server carefully. It all depends on the situation. Personally, I stick with the better known host rather than a host open for only 1 month with odd details. But, that does not make all host bad. Keep in mind who you choose for your host, and how you judge a host based off of their reputation.
Player Slots: This also depends on how you plan on using your server. If you keep the server local / just for yourself; it might be better to save money and stick with a host that allows you to pick the amount of slots you can use, or just go with a few slots. If you plan on having a big community server, you will need more slots to hold sufficient players (maybe). Depends on how you run your server, if you want only 30 slots, and allow something like staff and donors to get on by kicking a regular user off; then run it like that. I do not recommend doing do, but that all relies on you.
I personally like to stick with host that allow more slots for the dollar, or allow custom amount slots. So, you can decide what fits with your server.
Support Staff: This isn't really important when it comes to buying a server, but it does come into use when your server has a problem, or you just have plain feedback for the host. It is good to have a host that has mature staff and are willing to help you with any problem you face. I choose to stay away from the host with unprofessional staff, as it could affect how your server is ran since they are staff members for the host. But it is whatever you prefer though, if you do not mind having staff that can be unprofessional; then go ahead. What you do with your server is your choice.
Available Server Locations: It is to pick a host with a server location that is close to where you believe most of your playerbase will be located, not necessarily city wise; but more of country wise. It is not wise to host a server in Canada, when you and most of your player will be located in the United States. It may not be as important to have a server closest to you, if you plan on having players a decent distance away from you. Keep this in mind before you buy a server, it could end up affecting your server playerbase.
Storage Limit: Part of having a fun server is having plugins that allow players to have fun on the server; well not just fun, also for basic use. Anyways, to have plugins, you must have storage set for your server. This is something that is set by the host, not something you can change yourself; as far as I am aware. I recommend getting a host that allows an unlimited storage limit, or one that is higher than others; but most host allow an unlimited storage limit. Keep this in mind while selecting a host, it will be an important aspect to running a server.
Uptime / Availability: In order to really manage a server, you will need to have access to the control panel of your server. Well, you cannot do that if your host doesn't always have the control panel up; availability is an important role in owning a server. You would want to manage your server as soon as you feel you must do something with your server. You shouldn't need to get angry at your host because their control panel is down, they should always have it up and available for users.
Uptime is also another aspect, but it goes into availability; sort of. You would like the hardware that owns your server to be online at all times, so that you can keep your server up for as long as you would like. Almost every host offers a very good uptime and availabilty time, keep an eye for that when looking for a server host.
Setup Time: When you buy a server, you want to be able to use it as soon as the payment goes through. This is where setup time may become a problem, but usually with low tier host. In order to have the server running and available when you buy it, the server setup needs to be completely setup successfully. It is true that almost all host offer instant setup, or a very low setup time; but you have to keep an eye for this when picking a server host. Don't be disappointed when you buy a server and wonder why it hasn't been setup, and you realise that the setup time is 3 hours (Something of that sort).
Available File Types: To install server plugins, you need to implement the .jar file into your server's plugins folder. This is where the available file types come into play, sorta. Almost all host will tell you that they allow all file types, or something like that. Do not get tricked into buying a server when you are not even allowed to upload a server plugin. But do keep in mind, you really do not need to worry about this as much as the other server aspects. But either way, most host offer all types of available file types; but some may restrict the usage at the very low tiers where you have something like 512MB of RAM.
This also applies to modpacks, the host needs to have the ability for you to upload a modpack successfully. Mod Packs such as FTB and tekkit may not be allowed on some host due to whatever reason. But as I said, there is little need to worry about this as much as other server aspects, most host offer modpack compatibility.
DDos Protection: When your server is ready for use, and later becomes a server with a decent population, you can expect to get threats and network attacks. If you plan on becoming a server with a large community, you will need DDos protection for those few amount of people who are hostile towards your server. You do have the option of buying the DDos protection yourself, but it would be more efficient to get a host that offers the protection implemented automatically.
Recommended Server Host:
I have been playing Minecraft for awhile, and though that time; I have owned and assisted with owning quite a few amount of servers. Most have had good host, while some could of had a better host. Based of off my experience, I have gathered a small list of server host that I feel are best for owning a Minecraft server. But do keep in mind, these are based off of my opinions and experience; you may have a different opinion based on the host. Also, please do not just pick one of the host from this list; do some research to find which host is going to be the best fit for you and your server. This all varies from server to server, so please keep that in mind.
Anyways, here is the list of host I feel that are some of the best.
That was just a short list of server hosting aspects you should keep an eye for before buying a server from a certain host. I did not go into too much detail in this tutorial, I will continue to add on to this as I continue to think of them. Also, feel free to post feedback in the comments below. If you notice an issue, or want to add on to the post; comment below and I will be sure to look and reply to the comment as long as I feel it is helpful towards the blog.
Thank you for reading, if you liked this blog; feel free to diamond the blog. Post feedback in the comments below.
Please read the three paragraphs below before you continue reading on.
Thinking about it at first, starting a server may seem like an easy and exciting task. While it may be exciting, it is not as easy as it sounds. There are many different aspects when it comes to starting your own server, and for that purpose I have created a blog in assistance to creating a server. The blog can be found here, http://www.planetminecraft.com/blog/starting-up-your-own-server/
Although, how to start a server is not the main topic of this tutorial. In this tutorial, I will be explaining aspects of picking a good server host for your Minecraft server. I will not go much into detail on all of the aspects of a good server host, and will not include all of the aspects of a good server host. That would literally make my hands feel like jello.
I will try to keep the tutorial at a moderate length, but at times certain parts will be more lengthy than others. Keep this in mind before you read the tutorial, you might also want to dedicate quite a bit of time; because I'm pretty sure at some point the tutorial will start to get long.
Pricing: This is what I feel as the most important aspect in picking a server host, the price range. You need to keep your price range in an area where you can afford to host it for some time without any donations. I'm not saying that you won't get any donations in the beginning of your server, I'm only pointing out that you may not get donations the first few months; and will need to rely on your own payments / however you pay for your server. You also need to take into account of the addons you may want to add along with your server, things like, a Dedicated IP, DDoS Protection, Advanced Support, Automatic Plugin Setup, whatever it may be.
Keep into mind of your price range, estimate how much it may cost each month for you to run your server; and how long your server will be able to last with only you as a source of payments. Also, once you start getting donations; do not go from something like a $20 plan to a $60 plan if you get something like three $20 donations. Do not expect to make profit each month, but you will run your server, so you decide what you think is best.
Server Specs: This varies from server to server, it all depends on how your server is run; and what you run on it. To start off, if you plan on opening a server just to test coded plugins, test things, limited resource demanding stuff; then you may be able to find a cheap server with sufficient RAM (512MB Maybe?). If you plan on having a community server with large world borders, resource demanding plugins, large amount of plugins, etc; then you may will need to spend more money so that your server has sufficient memory to run the way you want it to run. I cannot specifically define how much RAM you will need based on how you run your server, so that is your call. But keep in mind how much RAM you may need for the things you plan on implementing onto your server. More plugins/players, more RAM needed to keep the server running smoothly.
Average Latency: Depending on the hardware that the host uses, the average latency per server can vary. It is good to check with a host to find how much the latency usually is for a server. You want the latency to be low for the best performance for your server, including you and your players. Most host say the latency for their servers is low; not all host tell the truth although. Be careful who you trust.
SSD: You want your server to have a pretty good SSD, one that can read and write information at a good speed. The SSD will affect your server performance if the one chosen for your server is a low grade one, but most host offer a good SSD for all servers.
Host Reputation: This is something you need to keep in mind before you set with a certain host, the reputation that the host has. If you find a host with something like $1.50 for 1GB of RAM (each), then they may be fooling you with your money. Do some research on the host before you set on buying a server from them. The better the reputation, the better chance you have of having a good time with your server. The host should not have something like a 2 star rep. But before you judge how the reputation of a host is, keep in mind how many people rated the host, and how reliable the website/user is. If the host has 1 star, from 1 person, that person may be a troll, or someone who just didn't run their server carefully. It all depends on the situation. Personally, I stick with the better known host rather than a host open for only 1 month with odd details. But, that does not make all host bad. Keep in mind who you choose for your host, and how you judge a host based off of their reputation.
Player Slots: This also depends on how you plan on using your server. If you keep the server local / just for yourself; it might be better to save money and stick with a host that allows you to pick the amount of slots you can use, or just go with a few slots. If you plan on having a big community server, you will need more slots to hold sufficient players (maybe). Depends on how you run your server, if you want only 30 slots, and allow something like staff and donors to get on by kicking a regular user off; then run it like that. I do not recommend doing do, but that all relies on you.
I personally like to stick with host that allow more slots for the dollar, or allow custom amount slots. So, you can decide what fits with your server.
Support Staff: This isn't really important when it comes to buying a server, but it does come into use when your server has a problem, or you just have plain feedback for the host. It is good to have a host that has mature staff and are willing to help you with any problem you face. I choose to stay away from the host with unprofessional staff, as it could affect how your server is ran since they are staff members for the host. But it is whatever you prefer though, if you do not mind having staff that can be unprofessional; then go ahead. What you do with your server is your choice.
Available Server Locations: It is to pick a host with a server location that is close to where you believe most of your playerbase will be located, not necessarily city wise; but more of country wise. It is not wise to host a server in Canada, when you and most of your player will be located in the United States. It may not be as important to have a server closest to you, if you plan on having players a decent distance away from you. Keep this in mind before you buy a server, it could end up affecting your server playerbase.
Storage Limit: Part of having a fun server is having plugins that allow players to have fun on the server; well not just fun, also for basic use. Anyways, to have plugins, you must have storage set for your server. This is something that is set by the host, not something you can change yourself; as far as I am aware. I recommend getting a host that allows an unlimited storage limit, or one that is higher than others; but most host allow an unlimited storage limit. Keep this in mind while selecting a host, it will be an important aspect to running a server.
Uptime / Availability: In order to really manage a server, you will need to have access to the control panel of your server. Well, you cannot do that if your host doesn't always have the control panel up; availability is an important role in owning a server. You would want to manage your server as soon as you feel you must do something with your server. You shouldn't need to get angry at your host because their control panel is down, they should always have it up and available for users.
Uptime is also another aspect, but it goes into availability; sort of. You would like the hardware that owns your server to be online at all times, so that you can keep your server up for as long as you would like. Almost every host offers a very good uptime and availabilty time, keep an eye for that when looking for a server host.
Setup Time: When you buy a server, you want to be able to use it as soon as the payment goes through. This is where setup time may become a problem, but usually with low tier host. In order to have the server running and available when you buy it, the server setup needs to be completely setup successfully. It is true that almost all host offer instant setup, or a very low setup time; but you have to keep an eye for this when picking a server host. Don't be disappointed when you buy a server and wonder why it hasn't been setup, and you realise that the setup time is 3 hours (Something of that sort).
Available File Types: To install server plugins, you need to implement the .jar file into your server's plugins folder. This is where the available file types come into play, sorta. Almost all host will tell you that they allow all file types, or something like that. Do not get tricked into buying a server when you are not even allowed to upload a server plugin. But do keep in mind, you really do not need to worry about this as much as the other server aspects. But either way, most host offer all types of available file types; but some may restrict the usage at the very low tiers where you have something like 512MB of RAM.
This also applies to modpacks, the host needs to have the ability for you to upload a modpack successfully. Mod Packs such as FTB and tekkit may not be allowed on some host due to whatever reason. But as I said, there is little need to worry about this as much as other server aspects, most host offer modpack compatibility.
DDos Protection: When your server is ready for use, and later becomes a server with a decent population, you can expect to get threats and network attacks. If you plan on becoming a server with a large community, you will need DDos protection for those few amount of people who are hostile towards your server. You do have the option of buying the DDos protection yourself, but it would be more efficient to get a host that offers the protection implemented automatically.
Recommended Server Host:
I have been playing Minecraft for awhile, and though that time; I have owned and assisted with owning quite a few amount of servers. Most have had good host, while some could of had a better host. Based of off my experience, I have gathered a small list of server host that I feel are best for owning a Minecraft server. But do keep in mind, these are based off of my opinions and experience; you may have a different opinion based on the host. Also, please do not just pick one of the host from this list; do some research to find which host is going to be the best fit for you and your server. This all varies from server to server, so please keep that in mind.
Anyways, here is the list of host I feel that are some of the best.
Spoiler - Server Host
Disclaimer: Again, the host listed below are based off of my opinion. Not all of the host may seem helpful towards you or any other person. But I feel these are some of the better ones I have seen. They are not listed based off of best to worst; they are listed based off of when they came into thought.
1. BeastNode: https://www.beastnode.com/minecraft
2. OnlineGameHost: https://www.onlinegamehost.com/billing/aff.php?aff=036
3. Fadehost: http://my.fadehost.com/aff.php?aff=832
4. FragNet: http://clients.fragnet.net/aff.php?aff=52311
5. BisectHosting: [url=(Ad link removed)/minecraft.html](Ad link removed)/minecraft.html[/url]
5. FluctisHosting: http://fluctishosting.com/gameservers.php
1. BeastNode: https://www.beastnode.com/minecraft
2. OnlineGameHost: https://www.onlinegamehost.com/billing/aff.php?aff=036
3. Fadehost: http://my.fadehost.com/aff.php?aff=832
4. FragNet: http://clients.fragnet.net/aff.php?aff=52311
5. BisectHosting: [url=(Ad link removed)/minecraft.html](Ad link removed)/minecraft.html[/url]
5. FluctisHosting: http://fluctishosting.com/gameservers.php
That was just a short list of server hosting aspects you should keep an eye for before buying a server from a certain host. I did not go into too much detail in this tutorial, I will continue to add on to this as I continue to think of them. Also, feel free to post feedback in the comments below. If you notice an issue, or want to add on to the post; comment below and I will be sure to look and reply to the comment as long as I feel it is helpful towards the blog.
Thank you for reading, if you liked this blog; feel free to diamond the blog. Post feedback in the comments below.
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