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Make Your Minecraft Server Public

A fresh server only answers from your own machine. To let friends join from anywhere you bind it to every interface, forward port 25565 through your router, and hand out a public IP, or a clean domain like play.yourserver.net.

server console, play.yourserver.net
~/mc-server $ nano server.properties
server-ip=0.0.0.0 # bind all interfaces
server-port=25565 # forward this in your router
[Server] Done (4.812s)! Listening on 0.0.0.0:25565
[Net] checking external reachability
[Net] public IP 203.0.113.42:25565, OPEN
[Connect] Alex[/198.51.100.7] logged in
Alex joined the game
~/mc-server $ say welcome to play.yourserver.net
[Server] [Server] welcome to play.yourserver.net
The short version
  1. 1
    Bind to all interfaces
    In server.properties set server-ip=0.0.0.0 (leave it blank for default) so the server listens on every network adapter, not just localhost.
  2. 2
    Open the port
    Keep server-port=25565. Java uses TCP 25565; Bedrock uses UDP 19132. Allow that port through your OS firewall.
  3. 3
    Forward it on your router
    Log into your router and forward the port (TCP 25565) to your PC's local IP, e.g. 192.168.1.x. This lets outside traffic reach the server.
  4. 4
    Find your public IP
    Search 'what is my IP' to get your public address, e.g. 203.0.113.42. Friends connect with publicip:25565 (port can be dropped for 25565).
  5. 5
    Point a domain at it
    Add an A record for play.yourserver.net to your public IP (or a SRV record for a custom port) so players type a clean name instead of digits.

What you need

Public IP address
server.properties
Router port forward
Custom domain

Quick answers

?

Why can friends on my Wi-Fi join but nobody outside can?

LAN works because traffic never leaves your network. Outside players need port 25565 forwarded on your router to your PC's local IP, plus a firewall allow rule.
?

What port do I forward?

Java Edition: TCP 25565. Bedrock: UDP 19132. Forward the matching protocol to your machine's local (192.168.x.x) address.
?

How do friends connect?

Multiplayer, Add Server, enter your public IP. For 25565 just the IP works; for another port use ip:port. With a domain they type play.yourserver.net.
?

My IP keeps changing. What do I do?

Most home connections have a dynamic IP. Use a dynamic-DNS service (No-IP, DuckDNS) or a domain with an updater so the name always resolves to your current IP.
?

Is exposing my home IP safe?

It reveals your address and depends on your router being correctly locked down. A hosted server keeps your home network private and gives you a stable address.
?

Do I even need port forwarding?

Only when hosting from home. A managed host runs the server on a public machine with the port already open, so you just hand out the IP or domain.

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