Updated 10 October 2026
Mindustry is an open-source automation and tower defense game written in Java, and its multiplayer runs on servers that anyone can set up. The current release, v8 Build 160.7, landed on GitHub on 8 October 2026, and every release ships a separate server file alongside the game. This guide walks through hosting one: getting the server running, opening the port, configuring it and keeping troublemakers out. Every step follows the game’s official wiki and the project’s own GitHub pages.
Two ways to host a Mindustry game
The first way needs no setup at all. The game has a built-in local server that you start with the Host Multiplayer Game button, and friends on the same network find it automatically in their server list. The wiki is clear about its limits: it exists only while your game stays open, it shuts down the moment you close the game, and it draws on your own device’s resources, so it suits sessions between a few players at home.
The second way is a dedicated server. This is a headless version of the game with no graphics, run as its own program and controlled by typing commands into a terminal. Because it does nothing but serve the game, it can support more than two or three players, it can stay online around the clock, and it gives the administrator a long list of commands plus support for mods. Players connect to it through Join Game by entering its IP address and port, and once added it stays in their server list with a live status check.
Before you begin: a machine, Java and one file
The wiki highly recommends a dedicated machine running Linux or Windows. That can be a spare computer at home, a virtual machine rented from a cloud company or a game server you rent. You also need Java installed. The wiki simply says to install it, while the project’s README asks for JDK 17 when you compile the game from source, so a current Java release is the sensible choice if you are installing it fresh.
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The server itself is one file. Each release on the Anuken/Mindustry GitHub page lists it as server-release.jar, about 19.5 MB in Build 160.7, and the same file is also offered on itch.io. On Windows the file may appear simply as server-release, because the system hides the extension.
Step 1: Start the server
Make a new folder for the server, ideally one created just for it, and move the jar file into it. Open a terminal (Command Prompt on Windows), use cd to move into that folder, and run java -jar server-release.jar. When the server finishes loading, type help to see every console command. If the terminal answers with a message like “Unable to access file”, you are almost always in the wrong folder, so check the path and try again.
Step 2: Host a map
A running server does not accept players until it hosts a map. Type host followed by a map name and, optionally, a game mode; with nothing after it, the server chooses a random map in survival mode. The maps command lists what is available, showing your custom maps by default, while maps all or maps default widens the list. To control what comes next, nextmap sets the map that loads after a game over, and shuffle chooses between no rotation, all maps, custom maps only or the built-in ones.
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Step 3: Open port 6567
Mindustry uses port 6567 for both TCP and UDP. On Windows, the built-in firewall usually blocks it, so add an inbound rule that allows both protocols on that port. Until you also forward the port on your router, only devices on your own network can reach the server. Find the make and model printed on the router, look up its port forwarding guide, forward 6567 for TCP and UDP, and confirm the result with an open-port checker such as You Get Signal.
Friends outside your home connect with your public IP address, which a quick search for “what is my IP” reveals. The wiki adds a strong warning here: that address is tied to your household, so never post it publicly unless you understand the risk. For a public community it suggests putting a domain name in front of the server, or moving the server to a virtual machine from a hosting company instead.
Step 4: Configure the server
Settings are changed from the console with config, followed by a setting name and value. A few are worth setting on day one:
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- name and desc: the server’s title and the short line under it, which can run to 100 characters.
- motd: a message shown to every player who joins.
- autosave, autosaveAmount and autosaveSpacing: turn on periodic saving, decide how many saves to keep before old ones are replaced, and set the gap between them in seconds.
- autoPause: freezes the match whenever the server is empty, so it waits for the first player to return.
- enableVotekick and antiSpam: let players vote out a disruptive player and kick spammers automatically.
- startCommands: a comma-separated list of commands that runs every time the server starts, handy for hosting a map automatically.
- autoUpdate: makes the server update itself and exit whenever a new bleeding-edge build arrives.
To cap the crowd, the playerlimit command takes a number, or off to remove the cap. The rules command adds, removes or lists global rules that apply on every map, and pause on or pause off freezes the match whenever you need a break.
Step 5: Admins, bans and the whitelist
Give trusted players admin rights with admin add followed by their name or ID, and check the current list with admins. For trouble, kick removes someone by name, ban works by player ID, name or IP address, bans lists everyone who is banned, and unban lifts a ban by IP or ID. Pardon lets a votekicked player back in early. Broader filters exist too: subnet-ban rejects every address that starts with a given string, name-ban blocks names that match a pattern, and dos-ban adds or removes a DOS ban on an address.
For a private group, turn the whitelist setting on, then enter whitelist add with each friend’s ID. The players command shows who is online with their details, and info looks up the names and addresses a player has used before.
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Saves, waves and recovery
The save command writes the current game to a numbered slot, load brings a slot back, and saves lists everything stored in the save directory. If something goes wrong between manual saves, loadautosave restores the most recent automatic save. Two commands help when testing a setup: runwave triggers the next enemy wave immediately, and gameover ends the current match so the next map loads.
Renting a Mindustry server instead
If you would rather not keep a machine running at home or deal with port forwarding, Godlike.Host’s Mindustry page listed three plans on 10 October 2026, with 10, 20 and 30 slots and up to 4 GB of memory on the largest. The same page offered a 10-slot trial server with 1 GB of memory that lapses unless you extend it within three hours, with a reduced set of panel tools and a single location. Paid plans come with a control panel that covers mods, plugins, start-up settings and which game version runs, SFTP access to the files, an editor whose share links show one config file to a helper with no file access granted, a firewall you control for allowing or blocking addresses, a Discord bot for running the server from chat, and room for several separate or linked servers. Backups are included, up to three per day, and the page names Ryzen processors and SSD drives, with servers in 10 data center locations.
Limit: paid plans stop at 30 slots, so a large public server with a higher player cap needs another setup; the trial server sits in one location and runs out after three hours unless extended; and the backup allowance stops at three per day.
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FAQ
Can I host a Mindustry server from my phone?
You can start the game’s built-in local server from the Host Multiplayer Game button, but by the wiki’s description it lasts only as long as the game stays open and is meant for a few players on the same network. A server that stays online needs the dedicated server on a Linux or Windows machine with Java, or a rented one.
Which port does a Mindustry server use?
Port 6567, for both TCP and UDP. You can change it with the port setting, but players then need to enter the new port when they connect.
Who can use admin commands on my server?
Anyone you promote from the server console: type admin add followed by the player’s name or ID. Admin remove takes the rights away again.
Will the game keep running when nobody is online?
Only if you let it. Set autoPause to true and the server pauses itself whenever the last player leaves.
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No. The dedicated server is the single server-release.jar file plus Java, and it runs without the game client.
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