The complete guide to hosting a Minecraft (Java) server for free in 2026. Run Vanilla, Paper, Spigot or Fabric 24/7 with no sleep and no credit card — deploy in a minute.
Hosting a Minecraft server used to mean renting expensive game hosting or dealing with Aternos-style queues and sleep. With Raven Host you can run a real, always-on Minecraft server for free — no card, no queue.
Step 1: Create a free account. Sign up with Discord — no payment details, no trial that expires.
Step 2: Pick Minecraft from the game types. Choose Vanilla, Paper, Spigot, Folia or Fabric, then pick the version. The free tier installs it for you automatically.
Step 3: Name your server and deploy. Hit deploy and inside about a minute your server is online on the US-Texas node with 100% CPU, 1.5 GB RAM and 10 GB disk.
Step 4: Get your IP. Your server gets a subdomain like yourgame.games.ravenhost.space — friends type that in the multiplayer menu and join.
Step 5: Add plugins or mods. Paper for plugins, Fabric for mods — both run on the free tier, no upgrade required.
The server never sleeps and there's no queue to start it. Your world is online around the clock so farms keep running and friends can join anytime. Upgrade to a paid game plan only if you need more CPU or RAM.
That's it — you're hosting Minecraft for free, 24/7.
Create a free account and get online in under a minute. No credit card required.