Short answer
Create the server, then add each friend by name with /whitelist add. Make one or two people operators so the server can be managed without you, agree three rules in advance, and set a backup schedule the day you create the world.
A server for friends is a small administration problem with a long tail: someone builds something, someone griefes it, and nobody can undo it because there is no backup. Almost every unpleasant story about a shared world comes down to one of three omissions, and all three take ten minutes to fix on day one.
This guide is those ten minutes: the access list, the operator roles, the rules, and the backup. The technical setup is already covered in making a server, so this one starts once the server exists.
Before you start
- A server with room for your group
- Your friends' exact Minecraft usernames
- A decision about who manages it when you are not around
1. Add every friend by name, and turn on the whitelist
The whitelist is the difference between a private world and a public one. Turn it on in server.properties so unknown players are refused at the handshake, then add each friend by username with /whitelist add. A name has to be exact, including case.
Do this before you tell anyone the address. A server without a whitelist is discoverable by anyone who guesses the address, and a griefed world before the first backup is a bad first night.
white-list=true
enforce-whitelist=true/whitelist add SomeFriend
/whitelist add OtherFriend
/whitelist list2. Give two people operator, not everyone
Operator can run any command, including anything that modifies or deletes the world. Give it to the people who will actually manage the server, usually two, so the server survives a holiday or a lost password.
The default operator permission level is 4, which is everything. If you want a middle rank for people who should manage players but not touch the world, lower op-permission-level in server.properties and give operators level 3.
/op SomeFriend
/deop OtherFriend
/op SomePlayerop-permission-level=33. Agree three rules before anyone builds
Three is enough and fewer is better: what is off limits, what happens after griefing, and who gets the final say. Put them where everyone can see them, and the MOTD is a good place because it shows in the server list before anyone joins.
The most common failure is a rule that exists only in the owner's head. The second most common is no consequence, which turns a rule into a suggestion. Agreeing the consequence before it is needed is what makes the rule real, and it is a conversation that takes one message and saves the argument later.
If your group wants more than a chat agreement, a protection plugin with claim regions is the next step, and it is on the plugin list in the Paper plugins guide.
motd=Friends server. Ask before building near spawn.- Keep spawn and anyone's unfinished build out of bounds.
- No griefing; if something is broken, say so and it gets fixed.
- Ask before adding players who are not in the group.
4. Set up backups before the first valuable build
Backups are the only thing that makes griefing recoverable, and the only thing that survives a bad plugin update. Set a schedule that runs more often than you think necessary, and check once that a backup can be restored from it.
A backup is only useful if it contains the world folder, the player data and the configuration. Backing up a server has what each of those is and how to test a restore.
world/ the map, player data, statistics
server.properties rules, view distance, whitelist switch
plugins/ only if you use plugins, for their configs
whitelist.json the access list, so you can rebuild it5. Agree how the server is run when you are away
Two operators means the group can manage the server without you, which is what you want: restarting after a plugin update, removing someone who needs removing, checking whether a backup ran. Say so explicitly, because people assume the owner is the only one allowed to.
Write down where those two people can find the address, the version and who has operator rights. A shared server whose details live in one person's memory stops existing when that person stops playing.
Then let go of the rest. A server where one person approves every block placement is not a shared world, it is a private one with visitors.
Good to know
- A whitelist is a name list, not a password. Anyone who learns your friends' usernames can be added by someone with operator access, so treat operator rights as carefully as your own account.
- The MOTD shows in the server list before anyone joins, so it is the cheapest place to tell players what kind of server this is.
- Free servers sleep after five minutes empty. That is invisible during play and means a scheduled job needs something on the server to keep it awake.
- Bans cover removing a player properly, and restoring covers the morning after a bad one.
Common questions
How many people can play on a free server?
Ten player slots. That is a limit rather than a guarantee of performance: ten players in a large world with big farms will stress one core. Lower view distance before you add more people, not after.
Should all my friends be operators?
No. Operator can run any command, including deleting the world. Give it to the two people who will manage the server, and if you want a middle rank, set op-permission-level to 3 in server.properties.
Can someone I whitelisted still cause damage?
Yes. The whitelist controls who joins, not what they do. Protection plugins and rules are what prevent griefing, and backups are what recover it when they fail.
What happens if I stop playing for a while?
The server sleeps after five minutes empty and wakes on the first join, with the world intact. If the other operators are still around, they can manage it without you; that is the point of giving two people operator rights.
Sources
Official documentation this guide was checked against.
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