Three focused server choices
Minecraft is one catalog game with three server-software choices. Paper is the recommended Java option for most groups because it keeps normal Java gameplay while supporting compatible server plugins and practical performance improvements. Java Vanilla is Mojang’s official server for groups that want the unmodified baseline. Bedrock Dedicated Server is Microsoft’s official server for Bedrock Edition players.
The editions use different network protocols. Paper and Java Vanilla listen for Java clients over TCP, while Bedrock uses its RakNet protocol over UDP. GHosting checks the real public protocol before calling an install ready, rather than treating an open process as proof that players can connect.
Current stable releases and authenticated play
Every new server targets the current stable Java release or latest Bedrock release. Managed updates preserve the world and customer configuration while replacing downloadable runtime files. Snapshots, previews, arbitrary versions and managed downgrades are not offered at launch.
Java online mode and Bedrock Xbox Live authentication stay enabled. Cracked or offline-mode servers are not supported. Before the first installation, the dashboard asks the customer to accept the Minecraft EULA and records that acceptance for the specific server.
Plugins, datapacks and Bedrock packs
Paper plugin JARs, Java Vanilla datapacks, and Bedrock resource or behavior packs can be uploaded through the browser file manager or SFTP. Runtime downloads are kept separate from worlds, configuration, permissions and uploaded content so a managed update does not treat customer data as disposable.
The scope is intentionally clear. There is no one-click plugin or modpack catalog, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, proxy network, third-party plugin debugging or legacy-version matrix. Managed Paper-to-Bedrock crossplay is also not advertised until both sides of that path pass the same real protocol checks as the native variants.
Choose headroom for the world, not a headline player count
Minecraft can be CPU-sensitive before memory is exhausted. Generating chunks, several players exploring in different directions, mob farms, redstone, high view distances and plugins all change the load. That makes one universal players-per-gigabyte promise misleading.
Start with the entry plan for a new small world with ordinary distances. Choose a middle tier when several players explore independently or when Paper plugins become part of the server. Use the largest tier for an established busy world or more demanding automation, and upgrade before sustained lag appears.
- 4 GB Creeper: a new world for a small group
- 6 GB Wither: a regular group and a practical plugin set
- 8 GB Ender Dragon: an established busy world or heavier automation
Uploading a world you already play on
A Minecraft world is a folder, which makes moving one straightforward. Upload it through Files or SFTP while the server is stopped, put it where the server type expects it, and start again. Builds, inventories and the end portal you already found all come with it.
Match the edition and the version before you upload. A Java world does not open on a Bedrock server and the reverse is equally true, and new servers run the current stable release rather than an arbitrary older version, so a world from an old snapshot is not a supported migration. Take a copy of the folder before you replace anything.
Try the real server for 48 hours
A verified account can start one 48-hour Creeper trial with no payment card and no automatic renewal, subject to available capacity. It is the same 4 GB server, panel, console, settings and file access as the paid plan.
The choice between Paper, Java Vanilla and Bedrock is easier to make on a running server than on a comparison table, and it is a choice worth getting right before a group builds anything. Upload a plugin set or an existing world, restart, and read the log. Continue on a paid term and the same world and plugins stay in place.
Regions and flexible billing
Pick Europe or North America based on where most of your players are. Minecraft tolerates a long route better than most games until redstone timing or PvP is involved, and both are common reasons a group notices the host is far away.
Choose pay once or optional automatic renewal. A pay-once server stops at the end of its term, while a subscription renews for the amount and cadence accepted at checkout until you cancel. Renew inside the seven-day grace window and the same world, plugins and permissions come straight back. Past that the server is deleted, so download the world folder before a long break. Your first server is covered by a 72-hour money-back guarantee.