I found a free Minecraft hosting service that is meant for small servers and friend groups.
The server specs are 3GB RAM with 1GB swap and 6GB storage and 1 vCore CPU. They say it runs 24 7 so you can keep it up all the time.
It is not top tier but it sounds good enough for playing with friends and testing plugins and just messing around without paying upfront. Right now they are only focused on free Minecraft hosting.
MineRealm is a public SMP that has been running since 2010 and a ton of players have joined over the years. It feels like a long term survival place where people actually stick around and build stuff together.
The server stays close to vanilla but it adds a few custom features to help the community and keep survival interesting. The map is smaller and it expands over time with new land generating on the latest Minecraft version.
It is 100 percent legit survival with no pay to win and no item spawning. Builds are protected with a classic plot system and grief protection using CoreProtect. There are no world resets so your builds can stay forever and the world is shaped by players not prefab hubs.
I found a semi anarchy survival server that tries to keep things feeling like real Vanilla Minecraft. It has very few changes and it is meant to be a long term world.
The server runs all the time and it supports Java versions from 1.7.2 up to 1.21.11. They recommend 1.21.10 so you do not run into weird issues.
The world border is huge at 2 million blocks so there is a lot of room to travel and build. There are no map resets and there is no pay to win. PvP and griefing are allowed and there is no teleporting. The only command they allow is spawn so people far out are not stuck alone.
You can use the nether roof here. Phantoms are removed and only half the players need to sleep to skip the night. They do not allow exploits or duping or lag machines or spam. Chat harassment and racial slurs are also not allowed.
Anarchy Network is a semi anarchy survival server that tries to stay close to Vanilla Minecraft. It started on October 11th 2024 and it is hosted in New York City in the USA. The world is meant to be long term with no map resets.
You can join on Java from 1.7.2 up to 1.21.11 and they recommend 1.21.10. The world border is massive at 2 million blocks which makes it feel endless.
PvP and griefing are allowed and there is no pay to win. There is no teleporting but there is a /spawn command so players far out can get back toward civilization. Nether roof access is allowed and phantoms are removed. Only half the players are needed to skip the night.
They do not allow exploits lag machines duping spamming or harassment and racial slurs in chat.
Ashenreach is a survival server where people are not supposed to feel unkillable. There is room for conflict and conquest so you can fight over land and power.
The big thing here is custom relics. Strong items are hidden around the map and you can use a tracking system to hunt them down even if they are in a chest in lava or being carried by someone else.
Enchantments are made super rare on purpose so you cannot just rely on max gear. It feels more like you need planning and positioning and skill. If you want to really win you will probably need allies and numbers and good infrastructure.
Healing is changed to UHC style so you do not regen from food. You need a campfire or golden apples to heal which makes the server slower and more intense.
The world has custom terrain and regions with handmade structures. SimpleVoiceChat is on so you can talk to people in game. There is also a lands plugin for ranks and permissions in your land but it does not fully stop theft so you still have to think ahead.
It is meant to be long term with no resets and no ranks or shop. It supports Java latest version 1.21.11.
This is a relatively new and small vanilla SMP that runs on hardcore difficulty. You get a limited number of lives and dying too much will get you banned for the season. Each ban gets longer until you hit the perma ban for that season.
When you spawn in you get some starter tools plus invis and regen so you can get away from spawn. They say spawn killers are not common but it can still happen.
It stays true vanilla with no ranks and no tpa and no sethome. It runs 24/7 and it is a free community server with no pay to win. It supports Minecraft 1.21.11 and Bedrock 1.21.131.
Anarchy Network is a semi anarchy survival server that tries to feel like real Vanilla Minecraft. It launched on October 11th 2024 and it is hosted in New York City.
It stays online 24 7 and lets you join on Java versions from 1.7.2 to 1.21.11. They recommend 1.21.10 so stuff works better. The world border is massive at 2 million blocks.
There are no map resets and no pay to win. PvP and griefing are allowed and there is no teleporting. The only command that breaks vanilla is /spawn so players far out can still get back to civilization.
Nether roof access is allowed and phantoms are removed. Only half the players are needed to skip the night. Exploits lag machines duping spamming and harassment or racial slurs in chat are not allowed.
LilacMC is a Towny SMP server that is trying to build a fun and friendly community for everyone.
It runs Towny and mcMMO plus other core features and some custom stuff made for the server.
The economy is player driven so players set the flow and there are no admin shops.
It supports versions 1.21.4 through 1.21.10 and there is a server trailer you can watch for a quick tour.
Foggy Willows is a server for people who want real vanilla survival. It runs on the normal minecraft server jar with no plugins and no datapacks. It is always on the latest stable vanilla jar.
The vibe is simple and not flashy. There is no big complicated spawn and no huge wall of stuff to read first. You just join and play.
It is hard mode and there is no tp or sethome. There is no world border so you can roam as far as you want. Players are expected to handle their own social issues so it feels more hands off.
It is self hosted on a purpose built machine and there are no donations. Technical players are welcome and you can build whatever you want.
FoxCraft SMP is a semi anarchy survival server that tries to keep things wild but still playable. It feels like the kind of place where you can actually get jumped and have to stay sharp.
Raiding and griefing are allowed so people can play how they want. You can build up a base or go looking for other players and see what happens. Betrayals can happen and your name on the server is basically your choice.
The rules are simple. No hacking and no lag machines. It also supports cross play for Java and Bedrock and it runs on the latest version 1.21.11 with the newest 1.21 stuff.