Setting up a Minecraft server sounds like the kind of thing you need to be a sysadmin for. On Falix it's a handful of clicks — and it's free, because Minecraft runs on the free plan. This guide takes you the whole way: from nothing, to a running world, to friends walking around in it.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| You need | A Falix account |
| Time | About fifteen minutes, most of it waiting for the world to generate |
| Plan | Free plan is fine — Minecraft runs on it |
1. Create the server
From your server list, click Create server and open the Games tab (not Applications). Choose Minecraft Java/Bedrock. Before it lets you finish, you'll need to tick the Minecraft EULA checkbox — that's Mojang's rule, agreeing to how the game may be run. Give the server a name, create it, and Falix builds the container and drops you on the server menu.
2. Press Start and agree to the EULA
Open the Console page and press Start. The first boot may stop itself with a message about needing to agree to the EULA — Minecraft insists on this on the server side too. When it does, the console shows an I Agree button; click it and the panel writes the agreement file for you. Then press Start again.
3. Choose your software with the Version Changer
A fresh server can run plain Vanilla, but most people want something faster and plugin-ready. Open the Version Changer from the Console page — it's a menu of server software grouped into families. For your first server, pick one of the two recommended Plugin Servers:
- Purpur — Paper with extra tuning knobs. A great default.
- PaperSpigot — the most widely supported base. If a plugin lists compatibility, it lists Paper.
Pick a software and a Minecraft version, and the panel does the rest: it downloads the right server.jar, switches to the matching Java runtime, and configures it. No jar files to hunt down or upload. (Want the full tour of every option? See Minecraft software and versions.)
4. Wait for "Done"
Press Start once more and watch the console. Generating the world takes a moment on the first boot. You're looking for a line like:
Done (8.941s)! For help, type "help"That Done (…s) line is the finish line — your server is live and accepting players. The status bar up top flips to online and shows the player count.
5. Get your friends in
The fastest way to see your join address is the Connect button on the Console page — it shows your server's join info and lets you copy the address in one click. That raw address and port (also on the Network page) works immediately, but there's a much nicer way. On the Network page, create a free subdomain — pick a name and a suffix like falixsrv.me, giving you something like yourname.falixsrv.me.
Here's the good part: Java Edition subdomains get an automatic SRV record, so your friends type just the name — yourname.falixsrv.me — into Minecraft. No port, no colon, no numbers to remember. They open Multiplayer → Add Server, paste the name, and join.
💡 Tip: Java Edition subdomains get an automatic SRV record — friends join with just the name, no port, no colon, no numbers to remember.
(Playing on phones or consoles? Bedrock players join differently — they type the address and port separately. See Bedrock and crossplay.)
On the free plan: the server sleeps
⚠️ Heads up: A free Minecraft server stops on its own about ten minutes after the last player leaves — start it again from the Console when you want to play.
One honest thing about free hosting: a free Minecraft server stops on its own about ten minutes after the last player leaves. Nobody's on, so it naps to save resources. When you want to play again, start it from the Console — and if your session timer has run out, top it up on the Timer page (a quick captcha). Doing this daily is normal. Free-plan gaming explains the timer, the sleep rules, and how to get the most out of a free server.
Verify it works
You've got a working server when the console prints the Done (…s) line and you (or a friend) can connect using the subdomain. The Console page's status bar shows the live player count — watch it tick up as people join.
Troubleshooting
- Console stops with "You need to agree to the EULA" — press the I Agree button the console offers, then Start again (step 2).
- Won't start after picking a version — newer Minecraft needs newer Java, and the console says so plainly. The Version Changer normally sets this for you: see Minecraft software and versions.
- Friends can't connect — check the server shows online (the
Doneline printed) and they typed the subdomain exactly. On free, it may have gone to sleep — start it again. - Out of session time — extend it on the Timer page; free-plan gaming has the details.
Next steps
- Install plugins — the whole point of Purpur and Paper.
- Customize your server — MOTD, icon, whitelist, operators.
- Performance and lag — keep it smooth on 2.5 GB.
- For a screenshot walkthrough of connecting, see the Knowledge Base: joining a Java server.