Play with friends: server, LAN or Realms

Java Edition players have three ways to play with friends: open a singleplayer world to your local network, subscribe to a Realm from Mojang, or run a server of your own. They differ in who can join, what you control and whether the world is still there when you switch your computer off. The comparison below should help you pick one.

Checked against the Minecraft Realms page on minecraft.net, the Minecraft EULA, the Minecraft Wiki and the panel, October 2026.

Open to LAN

A LAN world is your own singleplayer world, shared with people on the same network.

1. Load the world, open the pause menu and choose Open to LAN.
2. Pick a game mode for joiners and whether they may use commands, then choose Start LAN World.
3. Chat shows a message such as "Local game hosted on port 2121". Note the port.

Friends on the same Wi-Fi or router see the world in their Multiplayer list. Players elsewhere on the internet cannot join unless you forward the port on your router or use a VPN. A LAN world is a singleplayer world opened from your own game, so it is online only while you have that world open.

Realms

Realms is Mojang's own subscription service, managed from inside the game. For Java Edition the Realms page lists you plus 10 other players online at once, a personal server available 24/7, and friends who play for free. A Realm only accepts players from the same edition, so Java players join Java Realms. According to the Minecraft Wiki, a Realm must run the latest stable or development version of the game, so you generally cannot hold it on an older one.

The owner pays. Under the EULA a Realm owner cannot sell access or receive money for letting people play, so a Realm cannot be run as a paid community. If you outgrow one, Move a Realms world to your server shows how.

A server on our hosting

A hosted server runs on our machines, so your friends can join while your own computer is off. You choose the setup instead of taking Mojang's:

• Software and version. The JAR Manager offers Vanilla, Paper, Purpur, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge, and many Minecraft versions.
• Who gets in. Turn on the whitelist from the Players tab with Turn whitelist on, so only the names you add can join. Under Config Editor, Online mode checks each player with Mojang.
• How many. Player slots in the Config Editor sets the limit. The panel says your plan does not cap it and your RAM does, so see How many players can your Minecraft server hold per GB of RAM? before choosing a number.
• Plugins and mods. The Plugins tab (Paper and Purpur) and Mods tab (Fabric, Forge, NeoForge) install them with one click.
• Bedrock players. The Crossplay tab lets them join your Java server. How to let Bedrock players join your Java server has the steps.

For the plans, see Minecraft hosting.

Which one to pick

Use LAN for an evening at home. Pick a Realm for a small group that wants no setup at all. Choose a server for more players than a Realm allows, plugins or mods, or a say in the version. Start a Minecraft SMP server with friends goes through the first steps, and how to connect to your server for the first time shows friends how to join.