A Minecraft server is either a player-moderated or player-operated server for the famous 2020 multi-player sandbox action game. In this sense, the word “server” typically means a collection of multiple machines, not a single unit. In a traditional server setup, computers act as clients in a multi-player online game, communicating with each other to take part in the action. The single machine is the gaming computer where the action is managed through input/output (I/O) devices such as joysticks and keyboards. In a pure server setup, one computer serves as the authoritative command center over the rest of the machines in the system. This may sound like a complicated system administration, but it’s actually much simpler than you might think.
Minecraft servers are essentially the legs and feet of the game. They act as servers by managing game processes such as game logging, rendering, communication with external programs, and downloading of game files to the client computers for play. The Minecraft client is what players use to actually see the game, interact with it, and take part in it. A good server system needs to have some special features in place that are necessary for a smooth user experience. For example, a Java server must support streaming, which allows clients to receive updates without having to wait on an update to be pushed to their computer.
But what about those who want to play the game but don’t have the time, inclination, or resources to maintain a dedicated server? There is, of course, the option of using an HTTP server. This is similar to a web browser in that it accepts commands from the user and passes them on to the server. However, unlike a browser, an HTTP server handles all requests from a client without needing to keep up with ever-changing protocols. It’s much like how an HTTP viewer navigates through a website. These types of servers run on dedicated computers that host many of the websites that are involved in the Minecraft online community.
Many gamers find that having a stable server to play on makes the game much more enjoyable. When players get a server that constantly functions well, they can log on and immediately begin playing without any downtime. Long delays will often result in a game being abandoned as clients become frustrated and give up. And with so many players playing at once, even a small delay can create a world-wide panic.
When gamers start an instance on a server, they may not know what to do next. For example, many servers offer a “Jaredis” server. This is an instance which shows the player where the closest spawn point is so that they can quickly go back to the spawn point and try again. Players can do much more with these types of servers and can spend as much or as little time playing the game as desired.
Minecraft servers can be found on a number of gaming websites. However, before hosting your own server, you will first need to sign up for a service such as Yahoo! or Microsoft’s Office Suite. You also need to decide how you will charge your users and how you will maintain your server. Once you have figured all of these out, you can then begin hosting your own server.
