Sharing Minecraft from localhost

Dec 6, 2023 · 3 mins read
Guide

With pinggy.io, you can share your Minecraft server from localhost with just a single command. No port forwarding, no router settings, nothing to install. Replace the port 25565 with the port where your server is running.

Summary

  1. In Minecraft, launch a map and initiate the server setup. Click on Open to LAN.
  2. Note the port number. Example: 25565.
  3. Open a terminal / cmd, and run the following command (replace 25565 with your port):
    ssh -p 443 -R0:localhost:25565 tcp@free.pinggy.io
  4. This command creates a TCP tunnel and it will output a public URL like tcp://tljocjkijs.a.pinggy.link:40527.
  5. Your friends can use the endpoint provided by Pinggy tljocjkijs.a.pinggy.link:40527 to connect to your local game server.
SSH CLI
Mac / Linux Windows Powershell Windows CMD
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Invalid CIDR Format
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Open your world to LAN

This is the quickest route: any world you are already playing can become a server without downloading anything.

  1. Launch Minecraft and load the world you want to share.
  2. Press Esc and click Open to LAN.
  3. Choose the game mode and whether cheats are allowed, then click Start LAN World.
  4. Minecraft opens a port for incoming multiplayer connections and prints it in the chat, for example Local game hosted on port 25565. Note that number - it changes every time you reopen the world.

Open to LAN is a Java Edition feature. On Bedrock, or if you want the world to stay up after you quit, run a dedicated server instead (see below).

Start the tunnel

Open a terminal (or cmd on Windows) and run the command below, replacing 25565 with the port from the previous step:

ssh -p 443 -R0:localhost:25565 tcp@free.pinggy.io

Pinggy creates a TCP tunnel and prints a public address like tcp://tljocjkijs.a.pinggy.link:40527.

Join the server

Your friends open Multiplayer → Direct Connection and enter the host and port from that address, without the tcp:// prefix: tljocjkijs.a.pinggy.link:40527.

Both the world and the tunnel have to stay running. If you close either one, everyone gets disconnected.

Running a dedicated server instead

If you want a server that stays up independently of your game client, use the Minecraft server JAR.

  • Download the Minecraft server software:

    • Visit the official website.
    • Download the server software suitable for your operating system.

  • Setting up the server:

    • Once downloaded, navigate to the directory where the server file is located.
    • Open a terminal or command prompt in that directory.

  • Launch the server:

    • Run the following command:
      java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar server.jar nogui
      Replace server.jar with the actual name of your server file if different.

  • Configuring the server:

    • After the server starts, follow the console prompts to configure settings such as game mode, difficulty, etc.
    • You can also modify the server.properties file for more advanced configurations. The port it listens on is the server-port value in that file, 25565 by default. That is the port to pass to the tunnel command above.