I can give you advice on a home server: You'll need some serious CPU capabilities for a home server. A i5 4600 series is recommended. It is also a good idea to have java(64 bit only, 32 bit can't use more than 1GB) configured for 12GB and the server to run using 12GB.(The proper number is 1024x12).
I've tried running a server on a low end PC and it's doable but the fans were maxed. Right now I'm using my gaming rig with a i5 4790k, 16GB of ram(12 allocated and 4 left over for my OS and when I want to play games) and I am confident it can handle 50 players while having me playing minecraft or playing any other game since the OS uses 2GB and most games that I play barely use 1GB. On top of that I use an Nighthawk ProGaming XR500 router to manage my internet connection so it prioritizes the server PC over all other connected devices with QoS. You don't want to run a server without a decent router with QoS because you end up choking the server any time you want to download something.
And lastly, it's a good idea to have windows backup do hourly backups of the server files. It only saves the world up until the last time you entered the stop command. I know, I spent half a day trying to figure out how to efficiently backup my server. So you setup a backup to a seperate HDD or a flash drive, doesn't matter. Then you select the files you want. Then when the backup is set up in the system you open the search bar in the start menu and type "task scheduler" and then on the left side open the folder Task Scheduler Library then Microsoft then Windows then WindowsBackup. Now go to the center panel and find the backup that has the start time you selected, it's easiest that way to find it. Change the description to something like "Minecraft Home Server" so you can easily distinguish it the next time you have to find it Then double click on that, then go to triggers and double click on the first trigger. Set the increments to daily, then check the box that says "repeat task every" and put 1 hour to balance CPU usage and stability, and in the "for a duration of" part put indefinitely. And now it will do a backup every hour saving the server up to the point you last issued a stop command so it has a chance to save the file. The -save all command won't guarantee you save the world, tried it several times and doing a stop command and then restarting the server is the only way to do it without a script.
So there is my 2 cents. Hope you do well.
