1. Pick a host and plan
Friends on vanilla need less RAM than a modpack. For a small Paper server, Starter or Basic works. Plugin-heavy or 20+ players: Standard (8 GB). Order at billing with a 3-day trial so you can test ping and TPS before paying.
2. Choose Paper (or Fabric/Forge)
At checkout, pick the Minecraft egg you want — Paper for plugins, Fabric/Forge for mods. After payment confirms, Spirit provisions the server automatically (usually under a minute).
3. Start the server and grab the IP
Open the panel, hit Start, watch the console until you see “Done”. Copy the IP:port from the server page and connect in Multiplayer → Direct Connection.
4. Install plugins or mods
For Paper: drop jars in /plugins via the file manager or SFTP. Or use Modrinth in the Spirit panel for Fabric/modpacks. Restart after installing.
5. Set a seed, difficulty, and whitelist
Edit server.properties (online-mode, max-players, difficulty, white-list). Use the console for /whitelist add and op commands.
6. Share with friends & measure performance
Send them the IP. If MSPT climbs, reduce view distance, remove heavy plugins, or upgrade RAM. Our Virginia node is built for tick rate — verify with /tps or spark.
Ready to go live?
Spirit Hosting runs AMD EPYC in Virginia with instant setup and a 3-day free trial. See minecraft hosting or start a trial.