Host a Minecraft server without port forwarding
Relay Pro gives your Minecraft server a custom address that anyone can join. No router settings to change, no static IP needed, no networking knowledge required. Works on home internet, mobile data and connections behind CGNAT. Java and Bedrock supported, from £1.50 a month.
Why you'd want this
Running a Minecraft server is the easy part. Getting people to actually connect is where it usually falls apart. These are the four reasons that happens.
Port forwarding doesn't work for everyone
A lot of connections now share one public IP across many homes (CGNAT), and it's the norm on mobile broadband, 4G, 5G and Starlink. Even if you change every router setting correctly, the connection still won't reach you. There's nothing you can do about it on the router itself. Read our port forwarding guide if you want to try the manual route first.
Your IP address keeps changing
Most home connections rotate your public IP every few days. Yesterday's address stops working, the server looks offline to everyone, and you're back in Discord posting the new one.
Sharing a raw IP isn't ideal
Typing 86.142.71.204:25565 is clunky, easy to mistype, and it tells anyone who joins roughly where you live. A custom address is friendlier and keeps your IP private.
Router settings are intimidating
Even when port forwarding does work, getting into the router config and changing the right settings without breaking the home internet is more risk than most people want to take on. If you've never set up a Minecraft server before, our setup guide walks through the basics first.
How it works
Think of it like call forwarding for your Minecraft server. A small program on your PC stays connected to one of our servers, and when a player types your address into Minecraft, we pass the connection through to your server. Your router never receives an incoming request, so there's nothing to set up on it.
Player ─▶ yourname.play.mcservermanager.com ─▶ Relay node (EU, US or AU) ─▶ Your PC ─▶ Minecraft server
============================================ MC Server Manager - Relay Pro v1.0.1 ============================================ [14:02:11] Connecting to relay node 88.99.174.31:7001 ... [14:02:11] Connected. Players can join: survival.play.mcservermanager.com:25565 [14:02:11] Bedrock players connect to: survival.play.mcservermanager.com:25410
Because the connection comes from your side outward, your router treats it like any other normal program reaching the internet. There's nothing to open, nothing to configure, no risk of accidentally exposing anything else on your network. The same setup works on home wifi, mobile data, hotel wifi, anywhere with an internet connection.
Setup, start to finish
Two paths depending on whether you use the MC Server Manager desktop app. Pick the one that matches you, both take about two minutes.
If you run your server through the MC Server Manager desktop app, the relay is built in. Nothing to download separately, no scripts to run.
Subscribe to Relay Pro from your account
Open the relay section in the app or on the website, pick a region (Europe, United States or Australia) and the name you want, something like survival or myserver. That becomes your full address: survival.play.mcservermanager.com. Pay by card, cancel any time.
Start your server
Start your server in the app like normal. The relay launches with it, connects in the background, and your address shows up in the server panel. It stops automatically when you stop the server.
Share the address
Copy your address from the server panel and send it to players. Java players paste it as a server, Bedrock players use the separate Bedrock port shown alongside it.
If you're running your server outside the desktop app, on Mac, on Linux, or you just don't want to install another program, the standalone setup pack works the same way.
Sign up and pick your address
Create an account on the website, pick a region (Europe, United States or Australia) and the name you want. That becomes your full address: survival.play.mcservermanager.com. Pay by card, cancel any time.
Download the setup pack
One click and you get a small ZIP file. Inside is the relay program (a JAR file), a config file with your account details already filled in, and start scripts for Windows, Mac and Linux. Nothing to edit by hand.
Unzip and run the start script
Put the unzipped folder anywhere you like. Double click start.bat on Windows, or run ./start.sh on Mac and Linux. A console window opens, the relay connects, and prints your address ready to share. Leave the window open while you want the server reachable.
Share the address
Send your full address to anyone you want to play with. They paste it into Minecraft as a server and connect. Java players use the standard port, Bedrock players use a separate port the relay shows when it starts.
If Windows pops up a firewall prompt
The relay only makes outbound connections so Windows usually leaves it alone, but very occasionally Defender or a third-party antivirus asks for permission the first time it runs. If a prompt appears, tick Private networks and click Allow access. That's it.
If you accidentally clicked Block, open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security (search it from the Start menu), go to Outbound Rules, find any block entry for java.exe, javaw.exe or mcservermanager-relay.jar, right click and delete it. Start the relay again and you'll get a fresh prompt. If you'd rather add the rule manually instead of waiting for a prompt, create an outbound rule that allows the same program, no port restrictions needed.
Pricing
Two plans, both less than a coffee a month. The difference is the player limit and how much data you get, and the price is the same whichever region you pick. Same network, same custom address, same DDoS protection on both. No contract, cancel any time from your account page and it stops at the end of the month. Prices are in GBP, and if you're outside the UK you'll see and pay in your local currency at checkout.
Built for playing with a few friends rather than running a public server. If you outgrow it, switch to Pro any time.
For servers with a proper community on them. Same price in every region.
No player cap on Pro
Bring as many people as your PC can handle, the relay won't be the thing that stops you. What Pro has instead is a monthly data allowance of 1TB on the Europe and United States nodes, 512GB on Australia, which works out at roughly 24 players online around the clock for a whole month, or a lot more if they log off sometimes. Starter gets 250GB.
Your account page shows exactly how much you've used, we email you at 80% so it's never a surprise, and if you do hit it the relay pauses until the 1st. Your server and world aren't touched, only the relay stops routing.
Standard comes with it
Either plan unlocks the paid app features, like unlimited session time, for as long as you're subscribed. If the subscription stops, the app goes back to Lite.
If you'd rather own Standard outright it's £1.99 once and it stays yours, whatever happens to the relay. Buying it that way is cheaper from the second month, so it's worth doing if the app is what you're really after.
Pick your region
Same price whichever you pick, so choose the one closest to your players. Test them and take the smallest number.
Hetzner data centre in Nuremberg. Best for European, UK and Middle East players.
Kamatera data centre in Sydney. Best for AU, NZ and South East Asia players.
OVH data centre in Virginia. Best for North and South American players.
Ping shows your round-trip time to each relay node from this device right now. It's the latency the network adds on the way to the node, your in-game ping also depends on where the server itself is running.
How it compares to the alternatives
There are a few ways to share a Minecraft server. Here's an honest look at how Relay Pro fits in so you can pick what's right for you.
vs port forwarding on your router
Free if your internet provider supports it, and plenty still do, but it can't work at all behind CGNAT. Even when it works, it exposes your real IP address to anyone who joins your server. Relay Pro works on any connection and keeps your IP private.
vs renting a server from a hosting company
Paid Minecraft server hosting starts around £5 to £10 a month and keeps your server online 24/7 without your own PC running. Relay Pro is for the case where your PC is already running the server, you just want people to be able to connect to it from outside your network. We also have a comparison of all the alternatives if you want to see hosting providers side by side.
vs playit.gg
Playit works, but the player-facing address is on their domain by default and a custom name needs a paid plan. Setup also requires installing and signing into their separate client app. Relay Pro gives you a custom address at the entry price and runs from a single JAR with no extra accounts.
vs ngrok
Ngrok is a general-purpose tunnel built mainly for web traffic. Bedrock support takes extra setup, your own domain is on a paid tier, and the free plan gives you one static address rather than one per server. Relay Pro is built for Minecraft, handles Java and Bedrock natively, and gives every server its own name.
Common questions
Do I need to open ports on my router?
No. The relay opens an outbound connection from your PC to our server, the same kind any browser or game makes when it goes online. Your router doesn't need any incoming ports opened, which also means it works on connections that don't allow port forwarding at all.
Is it complicated to set up?
No. Sign up, download the ZIP, double click the start script. The config file inside has your account details already filled in, so there's nothing to type or configure. The whole thing takes about two minutes.
Does it work for Bedrock players on console, mobile or Windows?
Yes. Java players connect using your address on the standard port. Bedrock players use the same address on a separate port that's shown when the relay starts, and listed on your account page.
What do I need installed?
Just Java, which is already installed on any machine that runs a Minecraft server. The setup pack is a single JAR plus a config file and start scripts. Nothing else to download.
Does it work on Mac and Linux?
Yes. The setup pack includes start.bat for Windows and start.sh for Mac and Linux. Same JAR, same behaviour.
Is it safe to leave running?
Yes. The relay only handles traffic between your Minecraft server and players, it doesn't touch the rest of your PC and it doesn't expose any other ports. Stop it any time by closing the window.
How much latency does it add?
Around 20 to 80 milliseconds if you pick the closest region to your players. Similar to most paid hosting and to Realms, most players won't notice the difference compared to a direct connection.
I'm in the US, can I use this?
Yes. There's a US node in Virginia, so American players connect to that rather than crossing the Atlantic. Expect roughly 15 to 30ms from the East Coast and Midwest, and around 60 to 80ms from the West Coast. Pick the region closest to your players when you set the relay up, and you can move it later without your address changing.
How many players can connect?
Relay Pro has no player limit at all, and Relay Starter caps at 8. On Pro the thing you'll run into first is your PC's CPU, RAM and home upload speed, the same as any other hosting setup, not the relay. What Pro does have is 1TB of data a month, which is roughly 24 players online around the clock, and your account page shows how much of it you've used.
What happens if my internet drops?
The relay reconnects automatically when your connection comes back. Your address stays the same, players can rejoin once it's reconnected.
Does it work with modded servers?
Yes. The relay forwards the raw Minecraft traffic without touching it, so any server type works including vanilla, Paper, Spigot, Fabric, Forge and modpacks.
Does the relay need a Windows Firewall rule?
Usually no. The relay only makes outbound connections, which Windows allows by default. On the rare occasion Defender or a third-party antivirus prompts you the first time you start it, tick Private networks and click Allow access. If you blocked it by mistake, open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security, find any block entry for java.exe, javaw.exe or mcservermanager-relay.jar in Outbound Rules, delete it, and start the relay again to re-trigger the prompt.
Can I cancel?
Yes, any time, from your account page. It stops at the end of the month you've already paid for. No cancellation fee.
Is there a free trial?
Not at the moment. The monthly price is small enough that one month is less than a coffee, and there's no commitment past that month if it isn't for you.
Skip the router setup, just play
Sign up, pick your address, share it. About two minutes from start to your players connecting.
Built and maintained by Natchland, maker of MC Server Manager. Last updated .