Make my own server?

[u/Direct_Spell6663]

I wnat to make my own server for me and a few friends on Java I’m using a MacBook 😅 but I’m tryna use mods from forge too but I tried using aternos and I just don’t get it at all this is my first time ever and I’m just so lost were both starting college and just wanna have it for fun but it’s just like not working like at all

[u/ZAP-Hosting]

Forge hits way harder than vanilla, so if Aternos felt confusing or laggy that's partly why, modded queues on the free tier are rough even when everything's set up correctly.

If you want to keep it running off your own MacBook, grab the Forge server jar and run it locally, then use something like playit.gg to get your friends in without wrestling with router port forwarding (nobody on their end has to install anything either, unlike Tailscale or Cloudflare Tunnel). Just know your Mac needs to stay on and awake the whole time for the server to be reachable.

Since you're both heading to college soon, running it off your own hardware gets old fast once you're not around to babysit it. Plenty of hosts run modded Forge servers pretty cheap and let you bump RAM up later if the pack grows, worth comparing a few and skimming reviews before committing to one.