Minecraft is a game everyone is familiar with, but this game doesn't come with built-in multiplayer functionality. We need to deploy our own server or use tunneling services to play together. This tutorial will teach you the basics of Minecraft multiplayer, guaranteed to get you connected!

This is a basic tutorial covering a brief understanding of the differences between genuine and offline (pirated) versions, peer-to-peer multiplayer, and deploying simple servers.

This tutorial does not cover Bedrock Edition or Minecraft China Edition

Recommended reading order: 1→2→3→4/5

1. Multiplayer Methods

Minecraft can be played in multiplayer through two main methods: LAN multiplayer and server multiplayer

Both multiplayer methods have their pros and cons. Choose the most suitable method based on your gaming habits, number of players, and desired gaming experience.

2. Differences Between Genuine and Offline (Pirated) Versions

Whether Minecraft is genuine depends on whether the player has passed the login verification of Mojang's authentication servers. Passing verification means it's genuine; failing means it's considered offline version, commonly known as "pirated". Which launcher you use doesn't affect this determination; whether it's the official launcher, PCL2, or HMCL, what matters is whether you've logged in with a genuine account. However, the official launcher cannot start the game without logging into a genuine account.

The main difference between genuine and offline versions is that genuine players can join servers with authentication enabled. Otherwise, the gaming experience is virtually identical. Therefore, whether to buy the genuine version should be based on your personal situation: if you can afford it, support the genuine version; if you can't afford it now, play the offline version first and purchase the genuine version when possible.

3. Launchers

Common launchers available today include:

• Official Launcher (Official, fewer features, doesn't include common mod loader downloads like Forge and Fabric, unstable connection in China)(Besides being official, everything else is a drawback)
• PCL2 Launcher (Currently the most popular in China, clean and simple interface, complete common features)
• HMCL Launcher (Completely open source, also a veteran launcher in China, known by every veteran MC player in China)
• BakaXL Launcher (Friend system, modpack import/export, frequent updates, no sponsorship or paid theme features PCL2: Are you targeting me?)

Besides the above launchers, there are many other niche clients like FSM, but usually the four above can meet 99.99% of players' needs.

4. LAN Multiplayer

Although it's called LAN multiplayer, you can also use port mapping to achieve remote connections. !!!Note: LAN connection has authentication enabled by default and cannot be disabled in vanilla. You can use third-party mods to disable it!!!

Here we'll divide into host and player sides: Host side:

• Download the game (if you want mods, install Forge or Fabric first then add mods)
• Start the game
• Create a singleplayer world
• After entering the world, open to LAN and remember the port number from "Local game hosted on port xxxxx"
• Open tunneling software and create a tunnel, fill in the local port with the port number from the game
• After creating the tunnel, start it and send the tunnel IP or domain to players
• Return to the game and wait for players to connect

Player side:

• Download the game
• Install the same mods as the host, versions must match exactly (skip if host has no mods)
• Start the game
• After receiving the host's IP address or domain, click Multiplayer
• Add Server
• Enter the IP address or domain in the address field
• Save and connect to play

If you encounter connection errors, check if your game version and mods are exactly the same as the host's (version numbers must match), and whether the client is genuine and logged in successfully. If you still can't connect after checking everything, copy the error to Baidu or Bing to search; you can also ask ChatGPT or Gemini for help. You can also contact me and send me 50 yuan, I'll help you solve it

5. Server Multiplayer

Server hosting is a big topic, divided into those with public IP and those without, quite complex.

If just a few people spontaneously want to play, LAN multiplayer is recommended. Servers are suitable for planned long-term multiplayer sessions.

Even without buying a dedicated server, running a server on your own computer incurs hardware wear and electricity costs. Consider carefully whether hosting a server is necessary before doing so.

Considering this tutorial is aimed at beginners (and it's troublesome for me to write), server multiplayer will be demonstrated using the MCSManager panel. (Why suffer when there are good tools available)

5-1. Windows Setup

5-1-1. Preparing Resources

First deploy the Java runtime. Different MC versions require different Java versions:

• ≤1.12.x Install Java8
• 1.13.x - 1.16.x Install Java11
• ≥1.17.x Install Java17

(If the official site is inaccessible or slow, you can use 123Pan provided by this site) Remember the installation path for later use.

Then download the server software. Server software generally comes in four types: Vanilla, Plugin, Mod, and Plugin+Mod. For convenience, most people use either Vanilla or Plugin+Mod.

• Vanilla download: mcversions.net
• Mod server download: Forge, Fabric
• For Plugin+Mod servers, CatServer is recommended (CatServer only supports three Forge MC versions: 1.12.2, 1.16.5, 1.18.2. For other versions, Mohist is recommended)

After downloading the server software, go to MCSManager to download the panel.

5-1-2. Server Deployment

• Extract MCSManager panel to any directory
• After starting the panel, a browser will automatically open to localhost:23333. If it doesn't open automatically, open it manually
• After registering an account, create a server, or click Quick Start on the left
• Normal creation process (the one-click server setup has too few versions, manual download is recommended)
• Java Edition
• Upload single server software
• The startup command can be generated using the command assistant on the right
• Enter the server directory and upload the server software to complete creation
• Go directly to the console

It should start now. If it still doesn't start, check if the Java version, path, and server path are correct.

Next, configure server information. Open server.properties. If using the panel, there are accompanying explanations - just configure according to them.

5-1-3. Network Configuration

There are two scenarios here: with public IP and without public IP.

With public IP, just open the firewall. For cloud providers, open the firewall in the server console.

Without public IP, you'll need tunneling to connect. frp deployment tutorial:frpThe general process is:

• Download frpc
• Create a tunnel with local IP 127.0.0.1 and local port 25565
• Copy the configuration and paste it into frpc.toml
• Start frpc frpc -c frpc.toml

If using the official launcher, it's even simpler - just create and start the tunnel. (If you're self-hosting frp, you should know how to configure it) After starting the tunnel, copy the node address to the client to connect. For mod servers, ensure server and client mods are synchronized.

For remaining content, refer to MCSManager Docs

5-2. Linux Setup

The basic process is installing Java, installing the panel, and the rest is similar to Windows.

5-2-1. Preparing Resources

First install Java. Installation on Linux is similar to Windows - download the tar.gz and extract to a directory. Different MC versions also require corresponding Java versions:

• ≤1.12.x Install Java8
• 1.13.x - 1.16.x Install Java11
• ≥1.17.x Install Java17

(If the official site is inaccessible or slow, you can use 123Pan provided by this site) After downloading your version, place it in the ~/ directory and enter the following commands to extract and move to the /usr/java directory.

Java is now ready. Then install the panel.

After installation, enter {server IP}:23333 in your browser to access the panel (remember to open the firewall for cloud servers). Before entering the panel, we need to download the server software:

• Vanilla download: mcversions.net
• Mod server download: Forge, Fabric
• For Plugin+Mod servers, CatServer is recommended (CatServer only supports three Forge MC versions: 1.12.2, 1.16.5, 1.18.2. For other versions, Mohist is recommended)

After downloading, start creating the server.

5-2-2. Server Deployment

MCSM usually has a beginner's guide. You can follow the guide or click Quick Start on the left.

• Normal creation process (the one-click server setup has too few versions, manual download is recommended)
• Java Edition
• Upload single server software
• The startup command can be generated using the command assistant on the right
• (The Java path in the startup command is the path where we extracted and moved earlier, example: /usr/java/bin/java)
• Enter the server directory and upload the server software to complete creation
• Go directly to the console

It should start now. If it still doesn't start, check Java version, path, permissions, and whether the server path is correct.

Next, configure server information. Open server.properties. There are accompanying explanations - just configure according to them.

5-2-3. Network Configuration

Same as Windows, divided into with and without public IP, but most Linux users are on cloud servers which usually have public IPs.

With public IP, just open the firewall. For cloud providers, open the firewall in the server console.

Without public IP, you'll need tunneling to connect. frp deployment tutorial: frp

The general process is:

• Download frpc
• Create a tunnel with local IP 127.0.0.1 and local port 25565
• Copy the configuration and paste it into frpc.toml
• Start frpc ./frpc -c frpc.toml
• Configure a system service

After starting the tunnel, copy the node address to the client to connect. For mod servers, ensure server and client mods are synchronized.

For remaining content, refer to MCSManager Docs

That's about it for the basic tutorial. It's written roughly, but it should basically get things running and playable.
There's actually room for optimization, like switching JDK to Zulu, or running frp directly on MCSM. But I'm lazy and don't feel like writing more.
You can figure it out yourself - import frpc directory → startup command frpc -c frpc.toml, and it runs.
I might consider writing an advanced tutorial later, including automatic client mod sync with server, integrating skin servers like LittleSkin, or even self-hosting a skin server.
Of course, that's for later. Let me slack off first.

2025-11-25 Update:
Advanced tutorial is here! Minecraft Multiplayer and Server Hosting Advanced Tutorial - Skin Server Authentication
I'll write a tutorial on automatic client mod updates in a while, but for now, let me slack off.