Having hosted game servers before, I could relate to wanting an uninterrupted gaming experience for my players. However, making a private Minecraft server available to friends presented a number of challenges as well. The type of dedicated hosting you select is vital if you are looking to give your players an excellent gaming experience. So I wanted to share some of the reasons dedicated hosting may be the better way to go when it pertains to hosting your own game server.
• CPU and RAM: A game like Minecraft requires a fast processor, as well as sufficient RAM (at least four cores and eight GB is considered adequate).
• Network Speed: The network speed is essential for a low lag gaming experience. Look for a minimum network speed of 1 Gbps.
• Storage: I believe an SSD is the most advantageous storage option, since they allow for fast loading of the game world, and they have a lower chance of lag. HDD servers should be avoided, as they tend to be extremely slow.
1) OVH - Has good connectivity/network & allows for much customization.
2) Hetzner - Is affordable & reliable.
3) SoYouStart - Is a smaller brand from OVH and is great as a test server.
4) Contabo - Is less expensive & has good memory/RAM.
Utilizing Dedicating Hosting For Game Server
When you have dedicated web hosting for your game server, you are provided with all the control and higher performance over your resources. Unlike shared hosting, dedicated web hosting does not allow any other users to share your CPU, RAM, or storage space with you. I learned this the hard way, as I tried using shared hosting to run a small Minecraft server and could not even support a few players.What To Consider When Selecting Server
When I am searching for the right type of server to host my game, I take the following into consideration:• CPU and RAM: A game like Minecraft requires a fast processor, as well as sufficient RAM (at least four cores and eight GB is considered adequate).
• Network Speed: The network speed is essential for a low lag gaming experience. Look for a minimum network speed of 1 Gbps.
• Storage: I believe an SSD is the most advantageous storage option, since they allow for fast loading of the game world, and they have a lower chance of lag. HDD servers should be avoided, as they tend to be extremely slow.
Recommendations For Hosting Providers
In my own experiences, these companies have all been good choices for servers:1) OVH - Has good connectivity/network & allows for much customization.
2) Hetzner - Is affordable & reliable.
3) SoYouStart - Is a smaller brand from OVH and is great as a test server.
4) Contabo - Is less expensive & has good memory/RAM.
Additional Suggestions To Optimize Your Game Server
- Consider loading a simpler operating system such as Ubuntu Server.
- Disable any applications that are not in use to save CPU resources.
- Keep backups of your server in case you ever encounter any issues.