A server address in Minecraft is the text you type to tell the game which server to join. It's either a domain name like play.shulker.com or an IP address like 192.168.4.100, and sometimes it ends in a port, like mc.server.com:25566. That's the whole thing.
So is it the same as an IP? Not always. The address can be a domain that points at an IP, and the port is a separate piece that's often left off. If the server uses the default Java port, 25565, you don't type it. Any other port has to be on the end after a colon. For the actual joining steps, see how to join a Minecraft server.
What to put in the Server Address box
On Java Edition, the Add Server and Direct Connect screens both have a Server Address box. Type the domain or IP and nothing else: no http://, no spaces. Add :port only if the server isn't on 25565.
Bedrock splits it into three fields: Server Name, Server Address and Port. The name is just a label for your list. The address and port go in their own boxes, and the port is the part people forget.
Domain vs IP vs port
- Domain: easy to remember, and it keeps working if the host moves the server to a new IP.
- IP address: works right away with no setup, but it's hard to remember and it can change.
- Port: the numbered door on that IP the game knocks on. Think of the IP as the building and the port as the apartment.
Java vs Bedrock ports (and SRV records)
| Java Edition | Bedrock Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Default port | 25565 (TCP) | 19132 (UDP; 19133 for IPv6) |
| Type the port? | Only if it isn't 25565 | Yes, enter it in the Port box |
| SRV records | Supported | Not supported by Bedrock Dedicated Server |
SRV records are a bit of DNS setup that lets a Java server sit on a weird port while players just type the domain. The game looks up the port for them. Java has supported this since 1.3.1. Bedrock doesn't get that trick, so Bedrock players type the port by hand. If a server owner tells you to "just use the domain" and it doesn't work on Bedrock, that's usually why.
As of Bedrock 26.63, the default is still 19132, but I wouldn't promise every Bedrock server uses it. If the server's page lists a port, use that one.
How to find your Minecraft server address
It depends on where the server runs. Here's the quick version:
| Server is on | Where the address lives |
|---|---|
| Your own PC | localhost, your internal IP, or your public IP (see below) |
| Aternos | The server page, after you start it |
| Minehut | <servername>.minehut.gg |
| A paid host | The panel's home page |
| A public server | Its website, Discord or a server list |
| Realms | No address. You join by invite |
How to find your server IP when you host at home
A home server has three different addresses, and which one your friend needs depends on where they are.
- Same computer as the server: in Multiplayer, pick Direct Connect and type
localhost. - Same home network: the host computer's internal IP, plus the port if it isn't 25565, like
192.168.0.168:25565. No port forwarding needed. - Over the internet: your public IP. This one needs port forwarding on your router.
To get the internal IP on Windows, open Command Prompt, run ipconfig, and read the IPv4 address under your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter. On Linux, run ip address and look at the inet line. For the public IP, search "what is my IP" in Google. If friends outside your house can't join, check you didn't hand out the internal IP by mistake. That one only works inside the house.
Home IPs usually aren't permanent. Your provider can change yours every few days or weeks. Dynamic DNS gives you a name that follows the IP around, and some providers sell a static IP for a fee. If you're setting the server up from scratch, my guide to making a Minecraft server covers it.
Don't share your home IP
Posting your public IP in a Discord or a forum isn't a great idea. Griefers run automated scanners that sweep public IPs looking for Minecraft's default port, 25565. If you do host at home, the Minecraft Wiki's advice is to turn on online mode, use a whitelist, and consider a non-default port (with an SRV record so players don't have to type it).
The easier route is a tunnel. playit.gg says players connect to it and never to your home network, with no router changes, no exposed home IP and nothing for friends to install. Only the host runs its program, and friends paste the address into the game. I'd start there before opening ports. My guide to running a Minecraft server without port forwarding goes through the options.
Finding the address on Aternos and Minehut
Aternos
Start your server, then copy the address from its page. It looks like example.aternos.me. Paste it into Minecraft as a new server or into Direct Connect. The name can take a while to catch up after a restart, because Aternos runs your server on a different machine each time. If it's stuck, Aternos shows an alternative IP (DynIP) under the Connect button while the server is online. That one changes every start and only works on Java.
On Bedrock, use the same .aternos.me name and enter 19132 as the port. Aternos recommends that port for Bedrock as of November 2026, and if you saved the server earlier, edit the saved entry to change it. The Aternos help page also says to remove any underscores from the address if Bedrock won't connect. If Bedrock sits on "locating server", check the port before anything else.
Minehut
On Java, each server's address is <servername>.minehut.gg. You can also join the lobby at mc.minehut.com and run /join <name>.
Paid hosts
Paid hosts put the address on the panel's home page. The label varies: "Server Address", "Connection Details" or "Server IP". Many panels show both an IP and a domain. Use the domain if you've got the choice, since it survives a server move. Comparing hosts? Start with what a Minecraft server costs.
Finding a public server's address
Most servers print their address on their website or Discord. Otherwise, check the Official Minecraft Server List at findmcserver.com. It's run by Mojang Studios and GamerSafer, covers Java and Bedrock, and listed servers have to follow the Minecraft Usage Guidelines and EULA. For ideas on where to play, see Minecraft servers to join.
On Java, once you've added a server, the list shows whether it's online, its ping and its player count. On Bedrock, the Servers tab has Mojang's featured servers, and you add anything else by hand.
Consoles and Realms
Consoles don't have an Add Server box for outside servers. The Xbox guide to adding servers covers what you can do there. Realms don't use addresses at all. They aren't in the server list, and you join only through an invite from the owner.
Quick fixes when the address won't work
- Check for typos, extra spaces and
http://at the front. - On Bedrock, make sure the port box isn't empty or wrong.
- Hosting at home? Make sure you handed out the right one of the three addresses.
- On Aternos, make sure the server is actually started first.