Connecting to your server and sharing it with friends

Every ServerPrism server has a connection address made up of an IP and a port. This is what you and your friends type into the game to join. This guide shows you where to find it, how to share it, and how to swap the raw IP for a memorable subdomain.

Find your connection address

1. Log in to the ServerPrism panel and open your server.
2. On the Overview tab, look for the Connection Address (sometimes shown as Address or IP). It looks like 123.45.67.89:25565.
3. The part before the colon is the IP; the part after is the port.

That full IP:port string is everything someone needs to connect — no firewall changes or port-forwarding on your end. We handle the networking.

Default ports: some games (like Minecraft Java on port 25565) let players drop the port entirely if it's the default. If your server uses a non-default port, always share the full IP:port.

Share it with friends

Just send them the connection address. In most games they'll paste it into an Add Server / Direct Connect box:

• Minecraft (Java): Multiplayer → Add Server → paste IP:port.
• Minecraft (Bedrock): Servers → Add Server → enter the IP and port in separate fields.
• Most other games: use the in-game server browser's Direct Connect / Connect by IP option.

Your server must be running (green in the panel) for anyone to join.

Use a custom subdomain

A raw IP is hard to remember and changes if your server ever moves nodes. A subdomain like play.yourname.serverprism.com is easier to share and keeps working even if the underlying IP changes.

1. Open the Network tab (or Subdomain, depending on your game).
2. Choose a subdomain name and one of the available domains.
3. Save. Your friends can now connect using the subdomain instead of the IP.

For Minecraft Java, a subdomain can also hide the port entirely using an SRV record, so players connect with just play.yourname.serverprism.com.

"My friends can't connect" — quick fixes

• Server is offline. Check the Console tab — it must be fully started, not just booting.
• Wrong port. Make sure they included the correct port, or are using your subdomain.
• You're on a whitelist / it's on them. In Minecraft, whitelist add <name> each player, or turn the whitelist off with whitelist off.
• Version mismatch. Their game client must be compatible with your server version. For Minecraft, ViaVersion lets older clients join a newer server.
• "Can't connect to your own server" but friends can. This is usually a local network/DNS quirk on your side — try the subdomain, or connect from a different network to confirm the server itself is fine.

If it's still not working, open a support ticket with your server's connection address and we'll take a look.