Updated 1 November 2026
A Minecraft server that's online 24/7 means your friends can join whenever they want, even when you're asleep or your PC is off. Free hosts often can't promise that. This guide explains what keeps a server online, and how you keep yours running smoothly.
Why free servers go offline
Free hosts like Aternos start your server only when someone presses a button, put you in a queue first, and shut it down a few minutes after the last player leaves. Fine for a quick session, annoying when a friend wants to play while you're away. More on that in Aternos vs Minehut vs your own server.
How a ServerSpark server stays online
- It keeps running. No queue, no start button for your friends, no shutdown when the server is empty.
- It restarts itself after a crash. If the server stops unexpectedly, it's started again automatically.
- Nightly backups. Every night we make a backup at a separate location, so a broken world is never the end.
- We watch it. Our monitoring checks the servers every few minutes. You can see the current status on our status page.
Keep your server healthy
- Restart once a day. A daily restart clears memory and keeps the server fast. In SparkPanel, add a schedule under Schedules, for example every night at 06:00. See Files, backups and schedules.
- Keep an eye on memory. If memory is always at the top, the server can get slow or crash. Remove heavy mods or plugins, lower the view distance, or upgrade your plan.
- Lag? Follow Fix Minecraft server lag.
- Crashed and won't start? If it crashes again right after starting, it isn't restarted automatically. Read the error with Minecraft server crashed?
Check whether your server is online
Check any Minecraft server, yours or someone else's, with our free Minecraft server status checker: online or offline, players, version and ping. In our Discord, /mcstatus does the same.
What does it cost?
A 24/7 Minecraft server starts at €0.99 per month (paid quarterly) for 1 GB, enough for a few friends on vanilla. Playing with more friends or mods? See How much RAM does your Minecraft server need? and our Minecraft plans.