Running a 24/7 free Minecraft server can be challenging, but with the right hosting platform and optimization, it is possible. Minehut is one of the most popular free Minecraft server hosting providers, but their free servers do have some limitations. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll look at whether you can host a free 24/7 Minehut server, alternatives for unlimited free servers, and tips to optimize your server for maximum uptime.
Can You Host a 24/7 Server for Free on Minehut?
Unfortunately, Minehut‘s free servers cannot run continuously for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Here are the key limitations of Minehut‘s free servers:
5 minutes idle shutdown: Free Minehut servers will automatically shut down after 5 minutes of inactivity, i.e. if no players are online. This prevents it from running 24/7.
Limited to 10 online players: Free servers can only support up to 10 online players concurrently. If the server fills up, no more players can join until someone leaves.
1GB RAM limit: Free servers are capped at 1GB of allocated RAM. This restricts the number of mods/plugins you can install. Insufficient RAM can lead to crashes.
No custom JAR files: You cannot upload a custom server JAR file, which limits your ability to install mods.
To keep a Minehut server online 24/7, you would need to upgrade to a paid plan like Minehut Unlimited which provides unlimited player slots, custom JAR support, and no idle shutdowns. However, even the Unlimited plan has limited RAM on free servers.
Alternatives for 24/7 Free Minecraft Server Hosting
While Minehut itself does not allow 24/7 free servers, there are a few other options to explore:
Aternos: A free server hosting provider like Minehut. Aternos servers stay online as long as players are connected. No idle shutdowns. But limited to 5 players online for free users.
Host on your own computer: You can host a 24/7 MC server on your own PC. But it will consume your computer‘s resources and internet data. Requires port forwarding skills.
Amazon AWS free tier: Advanced users can host a cloud server on Amazon‘s AWS free tier. The server stays online 24/7. But requires technical expertise to setup and manage.
McMyAdmin free trial: Get a 2 week free trial of their premium MC server hosting plans. Lets you test unlimited hosting, but only for 14 days.
The easiest option is Aternos if you just want to play with friends. Self-hosting on your own PC or cloud server requires more technical skills but allows full control.
Optimizing Your Server for Maximum Uptime
Even if you cannot get a 100% free 24/7 Minecraft server, you can still optimize uptime on free hosting plans:
Avoid resource intensive mods/plugins: Too many mods can overwhelm limited RAM and crash your server frequently. Test thoroughly before adding more mods.
Lower view-distance setting: The server view distance impacts RAM usage and tick rate. Set it as low as playable, e.g. 10 chunks.
Use latest stable Minecraft version: Outdated MC versions have more bugs and performance issues leading to crashes.
Add an auto-restart cron: Having the server auto-restart every few hours helps clear memory leaks. Popular restart cron tools include McMyAdmin and AMP.
Spread load across multiple servers: Host different minigames or worlds on separate servers so each one has less load.
Pre-generate terrain: Pre-generating the world terrain reduces lag spikes and chunk loading crashes when exploring new areas.
Limit worlds and players: Having too many resource intensive worlds and player bases on one server will bog it down and lead to stability issues.
Check server logs frequently: Logs provide insight into lag, memory issues or plugin conflicts. Resolve these early before they cascade.
With the right optimization and stability measures, you can achieve close to 24/7 uptime even on free Minecraft servers with resource limitations.
Does Minehut Have Free Servers?
Yes, Minehut does offer free Minecraft server hosting. The key details of their free servers are:
- Servers are free forever, no trial periods.
- 1GB RAM allocated to the server.
- Supported Vanilla MC and Spigot servers.
- Easy one click install and setup process.
- Free servers support up to 10 online players concurrently.
- Servers automatically shut down after 5 minutes of inactivity.
- No option for unlimited online time.
- Custom JAR not supported on free servers.
The free servers are great for playing casual MC with friends, testing plugins or learning administration basics. But limited resources prevent heavy modpacks or 24/7 uptime.
To unlock more resources and features, Minehut offers paid tiers and credits:
- Minehut Unlimited provides unlimited playtime, more RAM and custom JAR support.
- Additional RAM can be purchased starting at $1/GB/month
- Other perks like subdomains, whitelists, more worlds are available.
Overall, Minehut free servers are fine for vanilla MC servers with less than 10 players. But if you want to scale up, the paid tiers help substantially.
What is The Best Free Minecraft Server Hosting in 2024?
When looking for the top free Minecraft server hosting providers in 2024, some of the best options include:
Minehut
- Intuitive control panel and 1-click installs
- Global free server network
- Established platform with modpacks
- Limitations on RAM and uptime on free servers
Aternos
- No restrictions on uptime for free users
- Supports modpacks like PaperMC and Spigot
- Easy backup and restore features
- Maximum of 5 players online for free users
ScalaCube
- Unmanaged VPS free trial for 14 days
- Deploy custom modpacks and plugins
- DDoS protection and IPv6 support
- Requires technical expertise
FreeMCHosting
- Completely free with no trials or limitations
- Ad-supported to cover server costs
- Very limited resources and flexibility
When choosing among these, go with Minehut or Aternos for easy setup with friends. FreeMCHosting if you want completely unlimited free hosting. ScalaCube for advanced technical users that need optimizability.
Evaluate factors like maximum players, uptime policy, ease of use, flexibility, RAM, and support when deciding on the ideal free Minecraft server host.
How to Make a Minecraft Server for Free
While dedicated free hosting services like Minehut are the easiest option, you can also host your own DIY Minecraft server for free using these steps:
Requirements
- Minecraft Java Edition
- Stable internet connection
- Port forwarding skills
- Public IP address
Directions
Install Java 8: Have at least Java 8 installed to run the MC server.
Download server JAR: Go to the Minecraft site and get the server JAR.
Create server folder: Make a new folder for the server files.
Run the JAR: Open a command prompt in the folder, type
java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar server.jar nogui
. This starts the server with 1GB RAM allocated.Accept EULA: Open
eula.txt
and changeeula=false
toeula=true
.Port forward: Forward port 25565 on your router to your computer‘s internal IP.
Connect: Give your friends the public IP to connect.
Add mods/plugins: Drop any mods or plugin JARs into the
mods
orplugins
folders.
This will allow you to host a free MC server on your own machine. The limitation is your computer will need to stay on 24/7, so self-hosting works best on a spare PC.
Can You Host a Minecraft Server on AWS Free Tier?
Yes, the Amazon Web Services (AWS) free tier offers enough computing resources to host a basic MC server for 12 months at no cost. Here is an overview:
- Create a Linux EC2 compute instance (t2.micro – 1GB RAM)
- Add storage volume for server files (30GB free initially)
- Allocate an Elastic IP for static public IP
- Install Java 8 and setup MC server
- Open port 25565 for connections
AWS requires strong technical and DevOps skills. But the benefit is your server stays online 24/7 at no cost for 1 year. After 12 months, you continue using existing resources at standard AWS rates.
Some key tips for an AWS free tier MC server:
- Use the AWS CLI or Terraform to automate deployments
- Pre-generate terrain before going live
- Enable daily backups to S3 in case of issues
- Monitor server performance with CloudWatch
- Schedule auto restarts with EventBridge
What‘s the Minimum RAM for a Minecraft Server?
The minimum RAM for a MC server depends on the number of players and mods. Here are some general guidelines:
1-5 Players: For a small server with just friends, 1GB RAM is often sufficient.
5-10 Players: With a few more users, allocate at least 2GB RAM. This supports basic gameplay.
10-20 Players: For larger servers, 4GB RAM is recommended to have stable performance under moderate load.
Modded Server: Heavily modded MC servers need 6GB+ RAM depending on complexity. Test resource usage thoroughly.
It‘s better to err on the side of excess RAM if possible, and scale up gradually. Insufficient RAM will lead to frequent crashes, lag and inability to support peak loads. Monitor memory usage over time to fine tune allocation.
What‘s The Best Free Minecraft Server Hosting for Mods?
The best free MC server hosts for modpacks in 2024 are:
Aternos: Supports modpacks and has no uptime limits for free users. But max 5 players online.
Minehut: 1-click Spigot, PaperMC, and Fabric modpack installs. But free servers only get 1GB RAM.
Bisect Hosting: Good free MC server trial for testing mods. 14 days only though.
AWS: Advanced but fully customizable deployments for complex modpacks. Free for 12 months.
When running modpacks, having sufficient RAM and ability to upload custom JARs is critical. Test performance thoroughly before making modded servers live for players.
Limiting the size and number of mods will also help optimize performance on free server plans with less resources. Measure both RAM usage and tick rates when stress testing.
Are Minehut Servers Safe? What are Common Issues?
Minehut is generally safe and legitimate for MC server hosting. Some common Minehut issues and how to resolve them:
Griefing: Other players destroying your builds. -> Enable Minehut AntiCheat and whitelist your server.
Chat spam: Spambots flooding chat with ads. -> Install antispam plugins like MuteThem or AutoMutePlus.
Hacking: Players using cheats, exploits or hacked clients. -> Install plugins to detect cheating like IllegalStack or BanManager.
Lag: Blocky movement and delays due to overloaded server. -> Lower view distance, limit entities and optimize plugins.
Crashes: Server stops responding and goes offline unexpectedly. -> Check debug logs and identify any plugin or memory issues.
Queue Full: Unable to join server as max players reached. -> Upgrade to higher free tier or paid plan with more slots.
Overall, Minehut has strong security measures like DDoS protection and custom firewalls. Enable plugins, make frequent backups, pre-generate terrain and limit risks like open LAN access to maximize server safety and stability on a free plan.
Is It Possible to Get a Free Minecraft Server with Unlimited RAM?
Unfortunately, there are currently no well-known free Minecraft server hosting providers that offer unlimited RAM. Even most paid MC server hosts have RAM caps.
That said, here are some options to get unrestricted RAM for MC servers:
Trial tiers on paid hosts – Many hosts offer 1-2 week trials on higher tier plans with no RAM limit. Watch for credit card required though.
Education programs – Some hosts like Shockbyte offer free or highly discounted tiers for students with verification. These tiers may have 10-20GB RAM.
AWS free tier – As covered previously, AWS lets you deploy cloud servers with up to 30GB RAM for 12 months free. Complex setup, but technically unlimited.
Self-host on a beefy dedicated server – If you have access to your own high spec server, you can manually install Java and MC server to utilize all its RAM.
Getting a truly unlimited, forever free RAM Minecraft server from a public provider remains very rare. But the options above can deliver greatly expanded resources for proof-of-concepts and testing heavy modpacks.
Can You Host a Minecraft Server on Raspberry Pi for Free?
Yes, you can use a Raspberry Pi single board computer to host a DIY Minecraft server for free. The Pi only has 1GB-4GB of RAM, so it can only support small servers, but works as a cheap option.
Here are some tips for using a Raspberry Pi as a free MC server:
- Use Raspberry Pi OS Lite 64-bit for best performance
- Allocate max RAM possible to MC server on first boot
- Keep worlds and player bases small
- Limit render distance and entities
- Install optimization mods like Lithium and Phosphor
- Ensure good network connectivity and cooling
Overall, a Raspberry Pi MC server works well for personal use and playing with a couple friends smoothly. But don‘t expect to host large public servers due to the Pi‘s hardware constraints.
What are Some Tips for Reducing Lag on a Minecraft Server?
Here are some tips for reducing lag and improving performance on a Minecraft multiplayer server:
- Limit view distance to 10 chunks or lower
- Lower target TPS with mods like Carpet
- Disable animated textures to reduce GPU load
- Limit mob and entity numbers through plugins
- Avoid chunk loaders and hoppers to reduce ticks
- Pre-generate the world map to optimize chunk loading
- Restart server daily to clear RAM issues over time
- Spread load across multiple smaller servers
- Add more RAM if available to scale up capacity
- Use latest PaperMC or modpacks designed for stability
- Remove laggy plugins and mods that cause issues
Frequent lag makes gameplay very frustrating for users. Profile CPU and memory usage over time to identify the key causes, and target optimizations at those areas.
Are There Any Completely Free and Unlimited Minecraft Servers?
There are a handful of providers that offer completely free and unlimited Minecraft server hosting without any trials, limitations or gimmicks:
FreeMCHosting – Ad-supported unlimited hosting, but very limited control and resources.
ByetHost – No player limits or restrictions, but requires creating an account.
Minecraft Server – Free unlimited servers in a few global locations. But has some downtime.
ScalaCube – 14 day free cloud server trial with full control. Requires signup.
Bisect Hosting – 72 hour MC server trial with 3GB RAM and no obligations.
These options are useful for testing, learning or personal servers. But lack of dedicated resources means performance is not reliable compared to paid plans. Proceed with caution.
For mission critical MC servers, opt for an affordable paid plan from a reputable provider. Prices start at $5/month which unlocks more reliability and support.