A Minecraft SMP (Survival Multiplayer) server is the most popular type of Minecraft server in India. Whether you're running a private server for friends or a public community, this guide walks you through the entire setup — from buying hosting to configuring your essential plugins for a stable, fun experience.
The number of simultaneous players is the biggest factor when choosing RAM:
| Players Online | Recommended RAM | BoltByte Plan | Node | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–5 players | 2GB | Sprout / Starter | Mumbai / Delhi | ₹99 / ₹199 |
| 5–10 players | 4GB | Fern / Basic | Mumbai / Delhi | ₹189 / ₹309 |
| 10–20 players | 6–8GB | Forest / Pro / Premium | Mumbai / Delhi | ₹249–₹479 |
| 20–40 players | 8–10GB | Mountain / Ocean / Legendary | Mumbai / Delhi | ₹349–₹559 |
North India (Punjab, Delhi, UP): Choose the Delhi AMD EPYC performance node — better single-core performance means higher TPS for your SMP. South India: Mumbai Intel Xeon budget node is excellent value.
Log into your Pterodactyl panel after purchasing. In the Startup tab, select Paper as your server type. Paper is recommended over vanilla Spigot because:
Select the latest stable Paper version (1.21.x recommended as of May 2026) and start your server. It will auto-generate server.properties, paper.yml, and other config files.
Key settings to change for your Indian SMP:
view-distance=6 (reduce from 10 to save RAM/CPU)simulation-distance=4max-players=20 (set your expected max)online-mode=true (keeps your server secure)motd=Your SMP NameDownload these plugins from SpigotMC or Modrinth and upload via the Pterodactyl file manager:
The backbone of any SMP. Provides /home, /warp, /tpa, /kit, /spawn, economy commands, and over 100 essential features. Install EssentialsX + EssentialsXChat + EssentialsXSpawn.
Permission management for ranks (Member, VIP, Admin etc). Use the LuckPerms web editor to create rank groups and assign permissions visually — no command-line experience needed.
Protect spawn, warp zones, and player claims from grief. WorldEdit lets you build spawn quickly with selection and copy-paste. Essential for any public or semi-public SMP.
Block-level logging so you can roll back grief instantly. Run /co inspect and click any block to see who placed/broke it and when. Invaluable for managing communities.
Economy API that connects EssentialsX economy to shop plugins. Install this before any shop or economy plugin.
DiscordSRV links your Minecraft chat with a Discord server channel. Players in India heavily use Discord — this is almost mandatory for any community SMP. It also logs join/leave events and deaths to Discord, keeping your community engaged even when offline.
Your server IP is shown in the Pterodactyl panel — it looks like node.boltbyte.store:XXXXX. Share this with your friends via Discord or WhatsApp. For a custom domain like play.yourserver.in, add an SRV DNS record pointing to your server IP/port.
BoltByte — stable 20 TPS, no oversell, UPI payment. Plans from ₹99/month.
Launch Your SMP →For 5–10 players, 4GB RAM (Fern or Basic plan) is recommended. For 10–20 players, choose 6–8GB. For casual play with 3–5 friends, 2GB (Sprout/Starter) is sufficient with Paper and minimal plugins.
Paper is significantly better for SMP servers. It has async chunk loading, better entity/mob handling, higher TPS stability, and built-in anti-xray. All Spigot plugins work on Paper.
Yes, on BoltByte's Sprout (₹99) plan with 2GB RAM you can run Paper + EssentialsX + LuckPerms + WorldGuard for up to 5 players. For more players or plugins, upgrade to 4GB+.
Install WorldGuard to protect key areas and CoreProtect for block logging and rollback. CoreProtect lets you undo any grief within seconds using /co rollback.
Install the DiscordSRV plugin on your Minecraft server and follow its setup guide to link a Discord bot to your guild. It bridges in-game chat to a Discord channel in real time.