A free Minecraft server with no queue and no start button
The usual pain with free Minecraft hosting is that the server is off until somebody starts it. You open a website, press a button, wait, then tell your friends it is ready. On JetRift the server starts when the first player joins, so your friends can play whenever they want, including when you are not online.
Set one up in about a minute
- Go to jetrift.com and sign in with Google. No card is needed.
- Pick a name. You get an address like
yourname.jetrift.com. If it is taken or not allowed, it tells you why. - Open Minecraft Java Edition, go to Multiplayer, Add Server, and paste the address.
- Send the same address to your friends and press Join.
The Minecraft version has to match the one shown on your server page. If you see "Outdated client" or "Outdated server", that is the cause, and the known issues page explains how to fix it.
What happens when someone joins
When the last player leaves, the world is saved and the server goes to sleep. It costs nothing while it sleeps. The next person to join sees a short waiting screen for a few seconds while the world wakes, and is then moved into it. Nobody needs to refresh or press anything. The address never changes.
That only works because the server software itself starts quickly. JetRift runs on Butternut, a Minecraft Java server written in Rust, which starts in seconds instead of the long warm-up of a normal Java server.
Who can wake it
Anyone who has the address can wake the server. If you do not want that, turn on the whitelist in the dashboard and only the names you add can get in. You can also set who is allowed to wake it, under the wake options.
What to know before you start
- Java Edition only. Bedrock players, consoles and phones cannot join.
- No mods and no Paper or Spigot plugins. JetRift has its own small set of plugins. If your world needs a modpack, use a different host.
- Mostly vanilla, not exactly. Survival, villagers, redstone and the Nether work. A few mechanics are still being fixed, and we say which ones on the known issues page.
- It can be full. We run on a few small computers. If every slot is taken you are told immediately, and you can try again in a minute.
- Three free servers per account, built for a few friends at a time.
Your world and your data
The world is saved whenever the server goes idle. You can download it from the Worlds tab at any time, upload one you already have, and keep backups in your own Google Drive if you connect it. We do not show ads and we do not sell anything in game.
Questions people ask
Is it really free?
Yes. There are no ads and no card. If paid options ever appear they will be optional, and the paid plans page says how that would work.
Do my friends need an account?
No. They need Minecraft Java Edition and your address.
Can I turn it off?
Yes, from the dashboard. A stopped server cannot be woken until you turn it back on.
Is this the same as Aternos?
No. It is a smaller, newer project that fixes the start button and the queue, with fewer features. We wrote a plain comparison, including the cases where you should stay on Aternos.
JetRift is early. If anything breaks, type /bug in game, or email [email protected].