Is It Safe To Host A Minecraft Server
Is it safe to host a minecraft server?
I am a bit anxious about the "Network Sharing" option, which you must enable to set up minecraft servers. Is it secure? Will my computer get viruses? Thanks!
You shouldn't enable "Network Sharing" except if it's another name of "Port Forwarding" on a poor router.
Servers of all kinds are subject to risk. It's relatively small and generally safe. There haven’t been exploits that would allow the official Minecraft server running random code to infect a local computer. This is not to say that there aren't any, but it's possible to find one if nobody knows about it.
Basically you just need to follow a few rules:
Do not run the server either as administrator or as a user with admin access.
Don't run it as a user that has access to any documents or files you care about
Make sure you have backups of everything that you care about, even if you don't run a server!
Keep your OS, Java, and server up-to-date with the latest security patches
Don't give admin access (OP, web admin access etc.) to anyone that you don't trust.
Do not install random plugins from unknown source.
If you follow those basic rules, you'll be fine.
According to what I understand, you intend to host your server on your home network. However, this can create problems if your Minecraft server is public. This because unless you mask your IP with a proxy there is a possibility that you will be targeted for DoS or DDoS attacks.
There is a slim chance that this will happen.. but be careful about what ports you open and who you grant admin access to.. as well as the advice from /u/PhonicUK. If you are in any way vulnerable to DoS attacks, I believe you don't need a static IP. Resetting your router should provide you with a new IP.
Although the server itself is safe (I haven't heard of any security flaws in it), how you set up your network so that people can access it could mean that they have access to things you didn’t intend.
Say you run your server on your main PC, which also shares your printer to your home network. If you open up your router so that people can dial in to your main PC on any port, they'll be able to connect to your server, but they may also be able to connect to your printer, and print stuff. no pesos
So make sure you only forward the ports you need to, or that you have passwords or other security measures protecting the services you allow access to from the Internet.
As PhonicUK mentioned, I'm not sure there ought to be any "Network Sharing" option involved here. What tutorial are you following?
Just a thought. There are some very cheap minecraft hosting services. I started out with a $3/mo host that had a Spigot server and 1GB of RAM. Pessoa I felt it was well worth the money when compared to leaving a computer up and running at home 24/7 and paying the electric bill on that. My home connection only allows for 12mbps upload speeds. Most hosts offer 100mbps upload speed (well, at least the two that I have used). Since then I've switched to an 8GB VPS set up because I get too addicted and have to feed it -- still only $15/mo. I'm sharing the cost with 2 other players. Although I prefer to deal with a server on the cloud, I do know how to set it up at home.
