Minecraft server

A Minecraft server is a player-owned or business-owned multiplayer game server within the 2011 Mojang video game Minecraft. Players can start their own server either by setting one up on a computer using software provided by Mojang, or by using a hosting provider. Minecraft multiplayer servers are guided by server operators, who have access to server commands such as setting the time of day and teleporting players. Operators can also set up restrictions concerning which usernames or IP addresses are allowed or disallowed to enter the server.[1] Multiplayer servers have a wide range of activities, with some servers having their own unique premises, rules, and customs. Player versus player combat (PvP) can be enabled to allow fighting between players. Many servers have custom plugins that allow actions that are not normally possible in the vanilla form of the game. The largest and most popular server is Hypixel, which has been visited by over 14 million unique players.[2][3]

History

Multiplayer was first added to Minecraft on May 31, 2009, during the Classic phase of the game.[4]

In 2013, Mojang announced Minecraft Realms, a server hosting service intended to enable players to run server multiplayer games easily and safely without having to set up their own.[5][6] Unlike a standard server, only invited players can join Realms servers, and these servers do not use IP addresses. At Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016, it was announced that Realms would enable Minecraft to support cross-platform play between Windows 10, iOS, and Android platforms starting in June 2016,[7] with other platforms releasing over the next two years.

In June 2014, Mojang modified the EULA of the computer versions of the game to prevent servers from selling microtransactions that unfairly affected gameplay,[8] such as pay-to-win items,[9] only allowing servers to sell cosmetic items.[10] Many servers shut down due to this.[11]

On September 20, 2017, the Better Together Update was released for Bedrock codebase-derived editions of the game, which added multiplayer servers, along with five official featured servers: Mineplex, Lifeboat, CubeCraft, Mineville City and The Hive.[12]

Management

Managing a Minecraft server can be a full-time job for many server owners. Several large servers employ a staff of developers, managers, and artists.[11] As of 2014, the Shotbow server employed three full-time and five part-time employees. According to Matt Sundberg, the server's owner, "large server networks are incredibly expensive to run and are very time consuming."[13] According to Chad Dunbar, the founder of MCGamer, "it really costs to run networks above 1000 concurrent players." This includes salaries, hardware, bandwidth, and DDoS protection,[8] and so monthly expenses can cost thousands of dollars.[11] Dunbar stated that MCGamer, which has had over 50,000 daily players, has expenses that can be "well into the five-figure marks" per month. As of 2015, monthly expenses of Hypixel, the largest server, are nearly $100,000 dollars a month.[8] Many servers sell in-game ranks and cosmetics to pay for its expenses.[11][8]

Software

Most popular Minecraft Java Edition servers run a modified version of the server in order to enable 'plug-ins'. Some notable plug-in software include Bukkit, Spigot, Paper and Sponge.[14] These modify the server’s code to modify taking input and giving output to the user. Some server software, like Glowstone does not modify the game’s base code, however these can cause many bugs. BungeeCord and Waterfall are two notable server software which allow multiple servers to be linked up together. Most popular servers use BungeeCord or Waterfall for linking up their servers. Many whitelisted YouTuber servers, like HermitCraft run the vanilla server software provided by Mojang.

Bedrock edition server software are usually run custom versions of server software, usually written in Java, JavaScript or PHP. The most popular server software for plugins and optimizations include Pocketmine-MP,[15], Altay and Jukebox.[16] WaterDog and Nemisys are popular server linking software. Some server software, like DragonProxy, ProtocolSupport and Geyser allow Bedrock Edition clients to play on Java Edition servers. Aside from plugins and optimizations, people running Bedrock Edition servers use custom server software for compatibility, as the official Minecraft Bedrock Edition server software is made only for Ubuntu and Windows.[17]

Popularity

The most popular Java Edition server is Hypixel, which, released in April 2013, has had over 14 million unique players,[2][3] around half of all active players of the Java Edition itself.[18] Other popular servers include MCGamer, released in April 2012, which has over 3.5 million unique players;[19] Wynncraft, released in April 2013, which has over 1 million unique players;[20] and Emenbee, released in 2011, which also has over 1 million unique players.[21][22] As of 2014, servers such as Mineplex, Hypixel, Shotbow and HiveMC receive "well over a million unique users every month", according to Polygon.[9]

Notable servers

2b2t
Main article: 2b2t
2b2t's spawn region as of July 2019.

2b2t, founded in late 2010, is one of the oldest running servers,[23][24] whose map is also one of the longest-running unaltered server maps in the game.[25] The server is an anarchy server, which, in the context of Minecraft, is understood simply as a server with "scarce or no server-wide rules."[26]

Hypixel
Main article: Hypixel

Hypixel, Minecraft's most popular server, was founded in April 2013 by Simon Collins-Laflamme and Philippe Touchette.[8]

MinecraftOnline

MinecraftOnline (MCO) is the oldest running survival multiplayer Minecraft server, created by Eugene Hopkinson on August 4, 2010, and opened to the public after 2 days of testing. The world map has never been reset, making it the oldest running server map in the game.[27][28][29]

Mineplex
Main article: Mineplex

Mineplex was founded on January 24, 2013,[29] and is one of five servers officially partnered with Mojang.[30][31] The Dallas Mavericks partnered with the server in 2016 to create a minigame, Dallas Mavericks World, on the server, which released in the summer of 2016.[32][33][34][35]

The Uncensored Library
Main article: The Uncensored Library

The Uncensored Library is a Minecraft server and map released in 2020 by Reporters Without Borders and is an attempt to circumvent censorship in countries lacking freedom of the press.[36]

It has been featured in various media outlets such as the BBC,[36] DW News,[37] CNBC,[38] CNN,[39] Tech Crunch,[40] The Verge,[41] Gizmodo,[42] Engadget,[43] Mashable,[44] PC Gamer,[45] and others.

Vatican City server

In 2019, Catholic priest and technology podcaster Robert Ballecer started an organized religious Minecraft server to provide a less toxic gaming environment for Vatican City. The server was immediately subject to DDoS attacks.[46][47][48]

References
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  2. Fogel, Stefanie (December 13, 2018). "Creators of Popular 'Minecraft' Server Announce New Game 'Hytale'". Gaming. Variety. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  3. Jarvey, Natalie (December 13, 2018). "Riot Games Leads Investment in Hypixel Game Studio". Tech. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
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  5. Crecente, Brian (March 18, 2013). "Minecraft Realms hopes to make an increasingly complex game more family-friendly". Polygon. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  6. Peel, Jeremy (March 14, 2013). "Minecraft Realms is a subscription service for families that will "bring in more money than the game itself"". PCGamesN. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
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