Swarm Hosts / Guides

Host a Minecraft server on hardware you own

Put a spare desktop, mini PC, home server, or VPS to work as a Minecraft Java server. Swarm Hosts lets you launch and manage it from a browser while the world stays on your machine.

This is a good fit if you want to keep your existing hardware and manage routine tasks without writing startup scripts or using SSH each time. You still look after the computer, its internet connection, and its storage.

What you need

  • Linux with Docker Engine or rootful Podman, or Windows 10/11 with Docker Desktop in Linux-container mode.
  • A recommended starting allocation of 2 CPU cores and 4 GiB of memory for a small vanilla server, plus resources for the operating system and container runtime.
  • Enough disk space for the game, world, logs, and backups.
  • A stable internet connection and a machine that stays awake while people play.

Use a supported managed relay to let friends join without router port forwarding. Managed shared relay is included in Free and Plus where supported. Direct connections may require port forwarding; see Relays and Port Forwarding.

Launch your first world

  1. Create a free account.
  2. Install the agent and confirm your host is online with a ready container runtime.
  3. Follow First Swarm Server to launch Minecraft Java.
  4. Wait for the Minecraft status check, join the world, and test with a friend.
  5. Create a backup before changing settings or adding mods.

Start with a small vanilla world and a few players. Keep Authenticate with Mojang enabled for a normal public server. Watch CPU and memory use during a session before increasing player limits or adding a large modpack.

What you can manage

From the server page, you can start, stop, and restart the game, read logs, change supported settings, manage player access, work with files, and create or restore backups. The Minecraft Java guide explains settings, Server Actions, and available content tools.

Free and Early Access

Free includes one connected Swarmhost and as many game servers as it can run. Plus is $5/month or $50/year for more connected hosts under fair use; paid checkout is not open yet. See Pricing for the current plan details.

Where to go next