How to Make a Server Address in Minecraft

Whether you're setting up a private world for friends or joining an existing multiplayer server, understanding how server addresses work in Minecraft is essential. A server address is simply the network location your game client uses to connect to a remote server — and creating or formatting one correctly depends on a few key factors about your setup.

What Is a Minecraft Server Address?

A server address (sometimes called a server IP) is the identifier your Minecraft client sends a connection request to. It tells the game exactly where to look for the server on the internet or local network.

Server addresses come in two main formats:

• IP address — a numerical string like 192.168.1.10 (local) or 203.0.113.45 (public)
• Domain name — a readable hostname like play.yourserver.net

Both formats point to the same thing: a machine running Minecraft server software that's listening for incoming connections.

How to Add a Server Address in Minecraft Java Edition

1. Open Minecraft and select Multiplayer from the main menu
2. Click Add Server
3. Enter a display name (this is just for your own reference)
4. Type or paste the server address into the Server Address field
5. Click Done — the server will appear in your list

If the server is using the default port (25565), you only need the IP or domain. If it's running on a custom port, append it with a colon: 192.168.1.10:19133 or play.server.net:25566.

How to Add a Server Address in Minecraft Bedrock Edition

Bedrock uses a slightly different flow:

1. From the title screen, go to Play
2. Select the Servers tab
3. Scroll down and tap Add Server
4. Fill in the server name, address, and port number separately
5. Tap Save

🎮 Note that Bedrock's default port is 19132 (UDP), not 25565 — this matters if you're connecting between editions or setting up port forwarding.

How to Create a Server Address for Your Own Server

If you're hosting a Minecraft server yourself, you're essentially generating an address that others can use to connect. Here's how that works:

Local Network (LAN) Play

When you open a world to LAN in Minecraft, the game automatically broadcasts a temporary address to devices on the same Wi-Fi or wired network. Players on the same network can find it under the Multiplayer menu without needing to type anything.

For manual LAN connections, other players would use your local IP address — typically something like 192.168.x.x — combined with the port Minecraft displays on-screen when LAN is enabled.

Hosting Over the Internet

For players outside your local network to connect, you need a public-facing address. This requires:

• Your public IP address (found via sites like whatismyip.com)
• Port forwarding configured on your router to direct traffic to your server machine
• The Minecraft server software running and listening on the correct port

Your server address would then be your public IP: 203.0.113.45 or 203.0.113.45:25565.

Using a Domain Name Instead of an IP

Raw IP addresses are hard to remember and can change. Many server hosts and even home server operators use a domain name pointed at their server's IP via DNS A records or SRV records. This is what turns an IP into something like mc.yourname.com.

SRV records are particularly useful in Minecraft because they let you specify a custom port inside the DNS record itself — so players can connect with just a clean domain name, no port required.

Key Variables That Affect Your Setup 🔧

Not every server address setup works the same way. Several factors determine what your correct address looks like and how you format it:

Static vs. Dynamic IPs: A Practical Difference

If your internet service provider assigns you a dynamic IP, your public address can change each time your router reconnects. This means a server address you share today might not work tomorrow. Solutions include:

• Requesting a static IP from your ISP (often a paid upgrade)
• Using a Dynamic DNS (DDNS) service that automatically updates a domain name to point to your current IP
• Renting a VPS or dedicated server from a hosting provider, which typically comes with a stable, fixed IP and a ready-made server address 🖥️

What "Making" a Server Address Actually Means

There's an important distinction worth clarifying: you don't technically create a server address the way you create a username. A server address is discovered (your local IP), assigned (by your ISP or host), or configured (by pointing a domain at an IP).

What you do control is:

• Whether you use a raw IP or a domain name
• Which port the server listens on
• Whether that address is publicly accessible or network-local only

The "making" part is really about setting up the infrastructure so a valid, reachable address exists — and then formatting it correctly for players to use.

When the Right Address Isn't Obvious

Players running servers on cloud platforms (like AWS, Google Cloud, or game-specific hosts like Aternos or Minehut) will receive an address directly from the platform. That address format, whether it includes a custom domain or raw IP, is determined by the service.

Players self-hosting on home hardware deal with more moving parts: router configuration, firewall rules, IP type, and potentially DDNS. The technical skill and network setup required is meaningfully higher — and the right approach varies depending on your specific hardware, ISP, and how many players you expect to support.