How to Set Up a Minecraft Server for Twitch

Streaming Minecraft on a server that you share with your viewers makes the experience more interactive. Have them join you on adventures or work on large scale projects together. As your community and server grow, so will the creativity and adventure. 

We have written this article as a guide to those who want to build a Minecraft server, but don’t know where to begin. We cover the basics of where to get a server as well as ideas on how you should manage it. 

There are several things you need to do and consider when building your channel’s Minecraft server.

1. Twitch Minecraft Server Hosting Options

While Minecraft has its own server option (Minecraft Realms), only ten gamers can play at a time. You can, however, send out as many invitations as you would like. Having ten people at a time could help your moderators week out members who are only there for malicious pranks. You can also have them check the list against your subscriber list periodically and ban people who are no longer supporting your channel (if that’s one of your rules). 

Ultimately, however, you will want to choose a hosted Minecraft server that will grow with your community and not give you any trouble with latency or lag. Alternately, there are several guides online that will also teach you to build a Minecraft server on your own.

We recommend Apex Hosting due to it being very easy to set up, it’s low latency, and the free subdomain it gives you. You can easily set up the subdomain as one of your Twitch panels to get your viewers in your server with you in no time.

Apex has DDOS protection, one-click modpacks that allow you to quickly change versions on the fly, letting your viewers play special world games with you each community night. They also offer support 24/7 so that you can get your questions answered as quickly as possible. You also don’t have to worry about losing any progress with their automated backups.

2. What Kind of Map? What Difficulty?

Spend some time choosing a map for your Minecraft server. You want to have an exciting spawn point and easy access to other biomes a short distance away. Choose the biomes you love. Look through lists of popular seeds online or use a seed generator like MineAtlas. Launch the seeds in-game and explore a while to see if you like the feel of the map. Write down your top 3 picks, then ask your viewers (or your friends) to help you narrow it down to one. 

Your difficulty level will also depend on you and your viewers. If you all want to explore and create, then go with creativity mode. Survivor mode will allow you to interact with the environment and create unique quests. We recommend survival mode (Hard) to attract the most amount of viewers. 

3. Who Should You Let Join Your Minecraft Server?

Ultimately, this will be up to you and the rules you want surrounding your server. You can open it up to any of your followers or reserve it as an optional perk for your subscribers. Here are a few things you can consider:

• Opening it up to anyone could let in malicious users. Unless you want a server that is open to anarchy, screen people (or ask your Mods to do it later on) before you whitelist them on the server.
• If you are still a small-channel streamer, start by allowing your followers to join, then later restrict it to subscribers. This will cut down on how many people join, and it is a great incentive. You can decide whether or not to kick them if they let their subscription lapse. 
• Have clear, defined rules for your server. List them in your Discord and make sure that your viewers read through them and understand them before they join. 

4. Rules for Your Stream Channel Minecraft Server

You get to determine the rules (or lack of rules) on your server. We recommend using chat rules that are similar to your channel rules to make it easier for your viewers.  

You should also add Minecraft related rules to your server, such as “no griefing” or “respect each other’s personal space.” As you are building this server as a perk for your viewers, you want to make sure that everyone has a good time and enjoys themselves. 

Let people know what disciplinary action will be taken if rules are broken. Make sure that you follow through on them. 

5. Moderators for Your Minecraft Server

You should also select a few mods for your server. Choose people who enjoy the game and will be on it frequently. They can help manage it and settle disputes. Your Minecraft mods should be trustworthy and dependable. They are helping you grow your brand.

Suspend or ban people for rule-breaking. If you don’t know who is breaking the rules right away, spend some time surveying your server invisible (or have your Mods do it). Several plug-ins will let you go unseen. Observe your server members until it is clear they are not causing problems.

A great resource to learn about plug-ins and other server-related questions is the AdminCraft Subreddit. If you are experiencing any issues that you can’t solve on your own, browse their forums or ask a question.

6. Set up Your Spawn Point

The first thing you should do on your server is set up your spawn point. Build a welcome station that your viewers can see as soon as they land in the world. Have this be your “home base” where people can gather if they want to work together. Post the rules somewhere in the base. 

Protect your spawn point by disabling anyone to build or destroy blocks on those chunks. Use your Minecraft server software or a plugin to make sure that you are the only one who can control the area. 

A popular feature of many servers is the “kit” command. Use a plug-in to create a start out kit for your viewers. It can be as simple as a set of stone tools to get them started or you can give them full diamond armor right off the bat. If your spawn point is on a small island, make sure to give them a boat in the kit. Since you’ve disabled the chunks around the area, they won’t be able to build one for themselves.

There are other options you can set for your server, such as night becoming day, even if just one person sleeps. Talk to your viewers and see which settings they would prefer.

7. Discord Channels for Your Minecraft Server

You should definitely have Minecraft related channels in your Discord server. Have private ones where the players can discuss future play or ask for help. Give them voice and text channels. Consider creating a public Discord channel where your Minecraft members can post pictures of their creations and adventures for everyone to see. It is a great marketing and some people may subscribe to become a part of that community.

Pros and Cons to Having a Minecraft Streamer Server

There are several benefits to having your own Minecraft Server dedicated to your followers. It is a great way to build your community in a fun way, and your viewers may become very loyal to you as you. You always have content that you can do with your viewers and, in an open sandbox like Minecraft, you’ll never run out of new ideas for content. 

Some downfalls of having your own Minecraft server is maintaining it. People will argue with each other. Some people may troll others or grief someone else’s base. In the event that you get burned out and stop streaming Minecraft, you may lose the viewers who are there for your server.

Conclusion

A unique Minecraft server is a lot of work, but it can make your community very, very happy. Balance the time you spend on it doing maintenance with other responsibilities. Delegate what you can to your moderators and trusted individuals. Most of all, remember to have fun and enjoy spending time with those who support you and your channel.