How to Start a Minecraft SMP with Friends (2026 Setup)

To start a Minecraft SMP with friends, get a Paper server that stays online when you log off, whitelist everyone in your group, agree a few rules before the first night, add a small set of plugins (land claims, rollbacks, homes) and split the monthly cost. A 4 GB server covers most friend SMPs, and split four ways it costs about 3.50 USD a month each. Here is how to set each part up so the server survives past week two.

What is a Minecraft SMP?

SMP stands for survival multiplayer: a shared survival world where everyone lives, builds and trades, usually for months. The difference from "a server we play on sometimes" is that the world keeps going. People log in at different times, build near each other, start projects together and leave chests for each other. That only works if the server is online when nobody is, and if the world feels safe from griefing and lost progress.

Step 1: Pick the server software

Use Paper. It plays like vanilla, runs noticeably better than the official server, and loads the plugins that make an SMP work. Nobody has to install anything to join.

Two exceptions:

• Your group wants mods (new biomes, tech, magic). Then use Fabric or NeoForge and everyone installs the same pack. See making a modded server from a CurseForge modpack.
• Your group is into technical Minecraft with perfect vanilla redstone and duping. Then use Fabric with Lithium, since Paper fixes some of the exploits technical players rely on.

Everything else in this guide assumes Paper. The full comparison is in Paper vs Spigot vs Purpur vs Fabric vs Forge.

Step 2: Get a server that stays online

An SMP needs the world up when the host is asleep. Running it on someone's PC means that PC stays on day and night, the router needs port forwarding and every friend gets the host's home IP. Renting a small server avoids all three.

Size it by people and plugins:

When in doubt, 4 GB. The details are in how much RAM a Minecraft server needs.

Step 3: Split the cost with your friends

Nobody wants to be the one paying for everyone forever. At GamezServers checkout choose Split with friends and pick how many people are paying, from 2 to 10. Each person pays their own share by card, with a 1 USD fee per share. For a 4 GB server split four ways that is 2.50 USD plus the fee, so about 3.50 USD each a month.

You pay your share and the server starts straight away. Friends get their own payment link and pay when they are ready, and every share that comes in keeps the server running longer. Friends who sign up with the email they paid with see the server in their own dashboard and can use the console, the buttons and the files, so the server does not depend on one person being around. More in how to split the cost of a game server.

Step 4: Lock it down with a whitelist

A whitelisted SMP only lets in people you add. Since Minecraft 26.3, new servers start with the whitelist already on, so nobody gets in until you add them, you included.

In the console:

whitelist on
whitelist add YourName
whitelist add FriendOne
whitelist add FriendTwo

Or click Whitelist player in the GamezServers panel and type each name. Also set enforce-whitelist=true in server.properties, so removing someone from the list kicks them straight away. Keep online-mode=true, which stops anyone joining under a friend's name.

Op yourself and one other trusted person, not everyone. Ops can change game modes, spawn items and stop the server. The details are in our whitelist guide and how to op someone.

Step 5: Set the world up before anyone joins

Do these before the first login, because some only apply to a new world:

• Seed: pick one and put it in level-seed. Sharing the seed is part of the fun for some groups. Others prefer not to know.
• Difficulty: difficulty=normal or hard in server.properties. Easy feels pointless on an SMP after day one.
• Spawn protection: set spawn-protection=0, or non ops cannot build near spawn and everyone thinks the server is broken.
• Distances: view-distance=10 and simulation-distance=8 are fine for small groups.

Then a few game rules, typed in the console:

gamerule players_sleeping_percentage 50
gamerule keep_inventory false
gamerule pvp false

players_sleeping_percentage is the big one. The default is 100, which means everyone online has to sleep to skip the night. On an SMP someone is always mining, so set it to something like 50, or even 1 so a single sleeper skips the night. Game rule names changed to this snake_case style in 1.21.11, so ignore older guides that say playersSleepingPercentage.

PvP: since 1.21.9 it is a game rule, not a server.properties line. Most friend SMPs turn it off and add a "duels only with consent" rule. Our server.properties explained covers every other setting.

Step 6: Plugins that suit an SMP

Keep the list short. Each of these solves a real SMP problem:

Want vanilla purity? Drop EssentialsX and keep CoreProtect anyway. Even on servers with only close friends, accidents happen: a creeper in someone's storage room, a lava bucket in the wrong place. Being able to undo it saves friendships.

Plugins go in the plugins folder and load on restart. Our plugin install guide has the full steps, and the best Minecraft server plugins has more to pick from.

Step 7: Datapacks for small tweaks

Datapacks change gameplay without plugins and work on Paper too. They go in the datapacks folder inside your world folder, and load on a restart. To load them without restarting on Paper, use minecraft:reload, which only reloads datapacks. Plain reload on Paper is the Bukkit command that reloads plugins too, which you should avoid. Popular SMP tweaks from Vanilla Tweaks include:

• Player head drops when players die to each other.
• More mob heads, and armor statues to pose armor stands.
• Coordinates hud and track statistics, for groups who want them.

Check each pack's supported Minecraft version before you add it, and keep a backup when updating Minecraft, since datapacks often need updating too.

Step 8: Agree the rules early

The servers that last are the ones where the group agreed a few things on day one. A short rules post in your Discord is enough:

• Building distance. How far from someone's base you can build without asking. 100 to 200 blocks is common.
• Stealing and pranks. Usually "no taking from chests that aren't yours", plus whether harmless pranks are allowed.
• PvP. Off, or consent only.
• Shared farms. Who builds and maintains them, and whether everyone can use them.
• Laggy builds. Huge mob farms and item sorters can slow everyone down. Agree to switch farms off when not in use.
• New players. Who can invite people, and whether the group votes first.

You can put a one line summary in the motd so it shows in the server list.

Step 9: Back up and keep it running

Take a backup before every big change: a Minecraft update, a new plugin, a risky build or a dragon fight. On GamezServers that is the Backup button, 3 backups per server.

For Minecraft updates, wait until Paper has a stable build for the new version and your plugins list it as supported. An SMP that is a week behind is fine. One with broken land claims is not.

If the server lags as the world grows, our lag fix guide goes through the usual causes in order.

FAQ

How many people can join a friends SMP?

As many as your plan and rules allow. A 4 GB Paper server is sized for up to 25 players, which is more than most friend groups ever reach. Lag usually comes from farms and exploring before it comes from headcount.

Should an SMP use plugins or stay vanilla?

A few plugins make an SMP better without changing how it feels. CoreProtect and GriefPrevention prevent the arguments that end servers. If your group wants pure vanilla, at least keep CoreProtect running quietly in the background.

Can friends on Bedrock join our SMP?

Yes, with the Geyser and Floodgate plugins on Paper. Bedrock needs a UDP port, so read how to let Bedrock players join a Java server before you promise anyone a crossplay world.

What if the person who pays stops paying?

With a split bill each friend pays their own share. If someone leaves the split, the remaining payers cover their part so the server keeps running, and they get an email before their share changes. The owner can also move to a smaller plan or cancel any time from the dashboard.

Does the server have to run all the time?

No. With Sleep when empty, a GamezServers server stops after 4 days with nobody online and anyone with access starts it again in one click. Turn it off in Settings if your group wants it always on.

Start the SMP tonight

A GamezServers Minecraft server is live about 60 seconds after payment, starts on Paper, has whitelist and op buttons in the panel and lets you split the bill at checkout. New customers get 50% off the first month. The Minecraft quick start takes you from checkout to your first login.