Creating your first Minecraft server on Tick Hosting takes about five minutes from start to finish, and no prior server-hosting experience is required. Here is exactly what each step does.
Step 1: open Free Server from your dashboard
Once logged in, find Free Server in your dashboard's sidebar navigation and open it.
Step 2: click Start a Server
On the Free Server page, click the Start a Server button to begin the creation flow.
Step 3: choose your server software
You will be asked to pick what kind of server to run:
- Minecraft Java Edition — vanilla or moddable, the most flexible option and where most plugins and mods live.
- Minecraft Bedrock Edition — for console, mobile, and Windows players, cross-platform by default.
- Pre-configured setups — ready-to-play configurations if you would rather skip manual setup entirely.
If this is genuinely your first server, a pre-configured option is the easiest way to get playing fastest, you can always customize further once it is running.
Step 4: choose your Minecraft version
Pick the game version you want. The latest release gets you current features and the longest support runway; an older version like 1.20.x is worth choosing specifically if a modpack or plugin you care about requires it. See our Java version guide if you need to match a specific Java runtime to your chosen version later.
Step 5: resources are assigned automatically
Free servers come with a real, usable resource allocation, RAM, CPU, and storage, sized for small communities and casual play right out of the box. If you need more later, boosting or upgrading to premium are both available without starting over.
Step 6: choose your location
Pick the region closest to where most of your players actually are, this directly affects connection latency. Tick Hosting offers multiple locations across North America and Europe; choosing the closest one to your group gives the smoothest gameplay experience.
Step 7: deployment
Once created, your server deploys in roughly 2-3 minutes. When it is ready, you will have a running server with console access, a file manager, and everything else needed to start configuring it.
What to do right after
- Learn the console so you can run commands and watch logs directly.
- If you want plugins, see our general plugin installation guide.
- If friends without premium Minecraft accounts want to join, see our TLauncher setup guide.
- Bookmark how hibernation and renewals work so nothing catches you off guard later.
Ready to start?
Create your first server from Tick Hosting's plans page, the free tier costs nothing and takes exactly the steps above.