MineRanks

Minecraft servers,
by the numbers

Hosting, DDoS protection, software, versions and when people play, from real data of every public server we track (not surveys), by servers or by players.

Servers analysed
5,863
online in today’s snapshot
Top hosting
OVHcloud
17.7% of players (not counting those hidden behind protection)
Behind DDoS protection
55.2%
of players · most used: DonutShield
Top software
Velocity
36.3% of players
Count by
Each server weighs by its players (average over the last 24 h): a 20,000-player network counts more than a 20-player server.

Where they’re hosted

Network provider of the server’s IP. When the IP belongs to a DDoS protection service, the real host can’t be seen (“hidden”).

Hosting

49.4%Behind protection237,109 players
  • Behind protection49.4% · 237,109
  • OVHcloud17.7% · 84,945
  • Dataforest2.8% · 13,445
  • Ziax2.5% · 11,873
  • Pufferfish Host2.1% · 9,928
  • Gamers Club2.0% · 9,612
  • aurologic2.0% · 9,525
  • Hetzner1.5% · 7,370
  • Bloom.host1.4% · 6,789
  • Others (657)18.6% · 89,455

Network country

Country where the IP’s network is registered (approximate: not the exact location of the machine).
34.4%United States164,941 players
  • United States34.4% · 164,941
  • France17.3% · 83,266
  • Russia13.4% · 64,454
  • Germany9.1% · 43,521
  • Canada7.0% · 33,761
  • United Kingdom5.1% · 24,503
  • Brazil3.1% · 15,041
  • Türkiye2.1% · 9,901
  • China1.5% · 7,185
  • Others (64)7.0% · 33,478

DDoS protection

Whether the server’s IP or domain belongs to a protection service (TCPShield, Cloudflare, NeoProtect…).

Protection

44.8%No protection214,903 players
  • No protection44.8% · 214,903
  • DonutShield20.9% · 100,568
  • Castles11.0% · 52,597
  • TCPShield9.5% · 45,400
  • Cloudflare Spectrum6.9% · 33,030
  • Infinity Filter3.0% · 14,434
  • NeoProtect2.4% · 11,700
  • v4Guard0.7% · 3,509
  • ArkCore0.4% · 2,152
  • Others (6)0.4% · 1,758

Server software

What the server says it runs in the ping. Big networks usually show their proxy (Velocity, BungeeCord…), not what’s behind it. “Custom version”: instead of the software, the server shows its own text (its name, “Maintenance”…), so it can’t be told.

Software

37.2%Custom version159,756 players
  • Custom version37.2% · 159,756
  • Velocity36.3% · 156,056
  • BungeeCord8.3% · 35,544
  • Unnamed (version only)6.0% · 25,857
  • Velocity-CTD4.2% · 18,046
  • Spigot2.1% · 8,873
  • Paper1.5% · 6,357
  • XCord1.4% · 5,858
  • FlameCord0.7% · 3,057
  • Others (17)2.4% · 10,341

By family

Forks grouped together: Velocity-CTD and VeloFlame with Velocity; FlameCord, Waterfall and friends with BungeeCord.
41.1%Velocity176,782 players
  • Velocity41.1% · 176,782
  • Custom version37.2% · 159,756
  • BungeeCord11.1% · 47,630
  • Unnamed (version only)6.0% · 25,857
  • Spigot2.1% · 8,873
  • Paper1.5% · 6,357
  • Purpur0.3% · 1,251
  • UniverseSpigot0.3% · 1,100
  • Folia0.2% · 953
  • Others (9)0.3% · 1,186

Minecraft versions

77.4%of players are on servers you can join with 1.8

10.2%of players are on servers that already let you in with 26.4, the latest version

Which version can you join with?

Share of players (or servers) on Java servers that accept each game version, from the range each one shows in its ping (e.g. “1.8-26.3”). Servers that don’t show a version aren’t counted. Since 2026 versions are numbered by year: 26.1, 26.2…
77%
76%
81%
81%
83%
88%
69%
67%
62%
10%
1.81.121.161.181.201.2126.126.226.326.4

Editions

Java, Bedrock or both at once.

Editions

89.5%Java429,745 players
  • Java89.5% · 429,745
  • Bedrock8.5% · 41,036
  • Java + Bedrock1.9% · 9,270

Languages

Main language of each server (from its MOTD and name).
47.8%English229,597 players
  • English47.8% · 229,597
  • Russian25.5% · 122,387
  • Polish9.9% · 47,540
  • Portuguese3.2% · 15,347
  • Spanish2.7% · 12,945
  • Turkish2.4% · 11,643
  • Chinese1.8% · 8,721
  • German1.3% · 6,071
  • French1.1% · 5,433
  • Others (37)4.2% · 20,367

When people play

Frequently asked questions

How many Minecraft servers are there?

MineRanks tracks 5,863 public Minecraft servers online today, with 309,613 players on them right now. Private and friends-only servers are not counted.

What is the best Minecraft server hosting?

Judging by what real servers use, OVHcloud is the most popular Minecraft server hosting: 915 of the servers we track run on it. Next come Hetzner and Bloom.host. Many big networks hide their host behind DDoS protection.

Is there free Minecraft server hosting?

Yes, services like Aternos or Minehut host servers for free, but they shut them down when empty and cap players. Servers with a real community pay for hosting, above all OVHcloud.

What is the best DDoS protection for a Minecraft server?

55.2% of players are on servers behind DDoS protection. By number of servers, the most used is TCPShield; by players, DonutShield.

Velocity or BungeeCord: which proxy do Minecraft servers use?

Velocity wins: 41.1% of players are on servers running Velocity or its forks (like Velocity-CTD), against 11.1% on BungeeCord and its forks (Waterfall, FlameCord…).

Paper, Purpur or Spigot: which server software do Minecraft servers use?

Of the servers that show their software, 932 run Paper, 217 Purpur and 27 Spigot. Paper is the standard; Purpur is Paper with extra options.

What is the most popular Minecraft version for servers?

26.4 is the newest version that already lets you join servers with 10.2% of players. With 1.8, the classic PvP version, you can still join servers with 77.4% of players.

When do most people play Minecraft?

On public servers, player numbers peak around 17:00 UTC and are lowest around 04:00 UTC.

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