Software for hosting game servers on a server.
Software for hosting game servers on a server.
I don't fully grasp how this process works, so let me clarify. You don't require any special software beyond the server tools available from minecraft.net or spigots.org. Configure the server as usual beforehand. However, you won't need to enter an IP address in the server settings. The challenging step comes next. You must forward a port. Locate the default gateway IP by running "ipconfig" in the command prompt. Enter that value into your web browser. For port forwarding, navigate to the application and gaming sections. Input your IP and the port—typically 25565 for Minecraft. Launch the server and visit whatsmyip.org. The displayed IP is the one you can share with others. To verify the port forwarding, use a port scanner in the menu on the left, enter 25565 and check the results. If it shows "open," you've succeeded. Good luck!
In addition to this, unless you're paying for a fixed IP from your ISP, your public IP might shift occasionally. To prevent this, consider using a complimentary Dynamic DNS service. Some routers support this out of the box but offer limited choices, so I’d suggest you assume you’re not running custom router firmware that could expand your options. Visit https://duckdns.org/install.jsp, select "windows-gui," and follow the steps. Once set up, you can share a URL instead of an IP address with others. This way, you avoid having to ask them to adjust the server’s IP whenever it changes. I personally use DuckDNS on my Linux media server—it functions perfectly and is completely free.