You want a lifesteal SMP for you and your friends: kill someone, steal a heart, and lose one when you die. Here's how to make a lifesteal server without wasting an evening on the wrong setup. Before any steps, pick how hearts get added to the game. There are three ways: a plugin, a mod, or a datapack.
Short answer: on a Java server, run Paper and install the LifeStealZ plugin. Your friends join with plain Minecraft and install nothing. If you're on free Aternos hosting, I'd start with the datapack route. Bedrock is different, and it gets its own section below.
Plugin, mod or datapack?
| Route | What to use | Do friends install anything? | At zero hearts | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plugin | LifeStealZ on Paper, Purpur or Spigot | No | Eliminated and banned by default; configurable | Needs plugin-capable server software |
| Mod | The Lifesteal mod by MianReplicate (Fabric, Forge, NeoForge) | Yes, on every client | Your config picks ban or spectator | Bedrock players can't join |
| Datapack | The Lifesteal datapack by faker | No | Spectator mode | Fewer settings |
The plugin route
LifeStealZ is the one I'd pick. You steal a heart on a kill, hearts are craftable, you can withdraw them as items, and there's a Revive Beacon for bringing people back. You can also turn off totems and crystal PvP, and cap max hearts. It's on Modrinth and Hangar, runs on Paper, Purpur and Spigot, and lists support from 1.19.x up to 26.2 as of November 2026. Use the Paper build from Modrinth or Hangar. The old Spigot build is stuck on 1.20.1. The plugin has its own wiki at wiki.lifestealz.com if you want to go deeper.
The mod route
The Lifesteal mod by MianReplicate adds a lot more: heart ore, crystals, a revive crystal, structures and advancements. It lists Fabric, Forge and NeoForge, and versions from 1.16.5 through 26.3 as of November 2026. The big catch is that it has to be installed on the server and on every player's client, because it adds custom content and textures. If your group is okay with that, it's the most fun of the three. Not sure which loader to use? My Paper vs Fabric comparison helps, and the modded server guide covers the install.
The datapack route
The Lifesteal datapack by faker works on a plain server with nothing for your friends to install. A kill steals a heart, 20 hearts is the cap, and deaths from the environment don't cost a heart. At zero you're put in spectator mode and the death is announced. Hearts can be bottled and traded: one potion, two redstone dust and one glowstone dust make a heart bottle. It's MIT licensed and lists 1.19.x to 26.1.x as of November 2026. It has fewer settings than the plugin, but it works anywhere datapacks do.
How to make a lifesteal server on Paper
- Set up Paper. Follow my guide to making a Minecraft server and choose Paper as the software. Per the Paper docs (updated September 2026), 26.1 and newer need Java 25, while 1.20 to 1.21.11 need Java 21.
- Drop in the plugin. Download LifeStealZ from Modrinth or Hangar and put the jar in the
pluginsfolder. - Start the server. Type
plin the console. LifeStealZ should show up in the list. If it's missing, check the console for errors. - Edit the config. The files are in
plugins/LifeStealZ/:config.yml,items.ymlandstorage.yml. Stop the server first, then change what you want (next section). - Test it with a friend. Have one of you kill the other and make sure a heart moves across. Then craft a heart and use it.
How much memory? The Paper docs' example start command hands the server 4 GB. For sizing and what it'll cost you, see my server cost guide.
The settings that matter
These are the LifeStealZ defaults as of November 2026. The datapack has fewer settings, and the mod keeps its own in lifesteal-common.toml.
| What you're deciding | LifeStealZ setting | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Hearts everyone starts with | startHearts | 10 |
| Most hearts anyone can hold | maxHearts | 20 |
| Hearts lost or gained per kill | heartsPerKill | 1 |
| Hearts lost on non-player deaths | heartsPerNaturalDeath | 1 |
| Hearts at which you're out | minHearts | 0 |
| Ban when eliminated | disablePlayerBanOnElimination | false (so you get banned) |
| Hearts a revived player gets | reviveHearts | 1 |
| How many times someone can be revived | maxRevives | -1 (unlimited) |
| Block totems or end crystal PvP | preventTotems, preventCrystalPVP | Both off |
The heart item and withdrawing
The default Heart is a nether star item you right-click to use. Its recipe is three gold blocks across the top, obsidian, a nether star and obsidian in the middle, and three diamond blocks on the bottom. That's expensive on purpose. You can change the recipe in items.yml. Players can also withdraw hearts into an item, which is controlled by the lifestealz.withdraw permission (on by default). Check the plugin's wiki for the exact command.
What happens at zero
This is the big design call, so make it before the first kill. The plugin bans by default, the datapack goes to spectator, and the mod lets you choose. Banning is dramatic. Spectator keeps everyone in the call and in the fun. For friends, I'd go spectator or allow revives, since a banned friend is just a friend who stops logging in. If you want the revive route, LifeStealZ has a Revive Beacon with a 30-second ritual, and admins can revive people directly.
| Setup | At zero | Revive |
|---|---|---|
| LifeStealZ | Eliminated and banned by default | Revive Beacon, or an admin |
| MianReplicate mod | Ban or spectator, your pick | Revive crystal, optional auto-revive after a time |
| faker datapack | Spectator, announced | An admin reset puts everyone back to 10 hearts and respawns eliminated players |
How to make a lifesteal server on Aternos
Aternos is where I'd start if you want it free, but it has a rule that trips people up: you can only install plugins from Aternos's own plugin library, and you can't upload plugins you downloaded elsewhere. So don't start by hunting for a jar.
Start with the datapack
- Download the Lifesteal datapack by faker from Modrinth.
- In Aternos, upload it to the
datapacksfolder of your world. The Upload button or drag and drop both work. - Start the server and check the log. Run
/datapack listto see that the server picked it up.
That's Java Edition only. If you ever remove the pack, run the datapack's uninstall function first.
Or try a plugin
Switch the server software to PaperMC (Purpur and Spigot also work), open the Plugins tab and search for a lifesteal plugin. If you find one you like, install it and edit its config in the Files section. Most changes need a restart. If it isn't listed, you can't add it. Fall back to the datapack. Other free hosts and what they cost you are in my free Minecraft server hosting guide.
Whitelist and rules for a friends server
Lifesteal is PvP with permanent stakes, so lock the door. On Java, /whitelist add <player> adds a friend (they don't need to be online), /whitelist list shows who's in, and /whitelist on turns it on. Java 26.3 snapshot 2 made the whitelist on by default, so a brand-new 26.3 server may already be locked. Check before you wonder why nobody can join. On a Bedrock server the command is /allowlist add <name>, and even operators have to be on the list.
Then agree on rules before the first fight:
- Zero hearts. Ban, spectator or revive? Pick one and tell everyone.
- Revives. Allowed or not, and how many times.
- No farming one friend. LifeStealZ has a heart gain cooldown (off by default) so one person can't be killed over and over. It also has an anti-alt check, on by default, that logs attempts to feed hearts to an alt account.
- A grace period. LifeStealZ has one (60 seconds when it's on, off by default). Decide whether you want it.
- Totems and crystals. Decide if they're fair game.
Looking for a public server instead of running your own? Try my list of lifesteal SMP servers.
How to make a lifesteal server on Bedrock
Bedrock doesn't run Java plugins, so you get two routes.
Route 1: a Bedrock server with an add-on
Run a Bedrock Dedicated Server and load a lifesteal add-on, like the Lifesteal add-on by GamerDos on CurseForge. You lose a heart when you die and gain one when you kill a player, with a craftable heart item, a Beacon of Life to revive people, and a chat-prefix command to withdraw hearts. At zero hearts you're put in spectator mode. It also has an admin panel for console and mobile players. Its latest file is from October 2025, so open its file list and check it lists your Bedrock version before you build a server around it. The base setup is in my Bedrock server guide. If you download add-ons from MCPEDL, check whether MCPEDL is safe first.
Route 2: a Java server with Geyser
Run the Java plugin or datapack version, then add Geyser so Bedrock friends can join the same server. Put Geyser-Spigot.jar in plugins and restart. A few gotchas:
- The Bedrock port is 19132 by default. It has to be open over both TCP and UDP, and it can't be the same port as your Java server.
- On the same machine, join with
localhost. For friends elsewhere, use port forwarding or playit.gg. - Floodgate lets Bedrock players in without a paid Java account.
- If the server isn't on the Minecraft version Geyser targets, add ViaVersion.
- On Aternos, search the Plugins tab for Geyser. Bedrock friends use the same address with port 19132. Aternos doesn't update plugins for you, so Geyser can break after a Minecraft update until you reinstall it.
The mod doesn't mix with Bedrock. Geyser's own wiki says mods players have to install on their client don't work with it, so the MianReplicate mod and Bedrock friends can't share a server. A plugin or datapack can. Heart items and menus built for Java can look different on Bedrock, so try it with one friend first. Xbox and PlayStation players need extra steps, covered in how to add servers on Minecraft Xbox, and crossplay servers has the wider picture.
FAQ
How do I make my own lifesteal server?
Run Paper, add the LifeStealZ plugin, start the server, check it with pl, then set your hearts and what happens at zero. On Aternos, start with the datapack.
Is making a lifesteal SMP free?
It can be. Aternos is free, and the datapack route works there. The plugin, mod and datapack I mention are all free downloads.
Do my friends need to install anything?
Not for the plugin or the datapack. For the mod, yes: everyone does.
Running your own server, someday
Folly is a free multiplayer voxel game for PC, coming soon in early access. Player-hosted servers are planned for early access, but nothing has shipped yet. The plan is on the hosting and creators page.