Quick answer
How do I start a game server hosting business on rented bare metal?
To start a game server hosting business on rented bare metal, rent a current-generation machine and run a panel such as Pterodactyl. Sell only games whose rules allow it. Add DDoS filtering before you take public customers. At Lumenfer, Lumen 16 costs $205.27 per 30 days or $1724.26 for 12 months, no KYC, paid in crypto.
Lumenfer as the hardware under a hosting business
| Hardware per 30 days | Lumen 6 $91.65, Lumen 8 $109.37, Lumen 16 $205.27, Lumen 24 $356.25, Lumen 32 $749.67 |
|---|---|
| Longer terms | Choose 30 days, 3 months (91 days, 10% off), 6 months (182 days, 20% off) or 12 months (365 days, 30% off): a longer term is the 30-day price multiplied by 3, 6 or 12, minus its discount, rounded down to the cent (Lumen 16: $554.22 for 3 months, $985.29 for 6, $1724.26 for 12). Renewals repeat your term at the price you ordered at, unless you set another term for the next renewal in the dashboard |
| Setup fee | No setup fee: an order costs exactly the price of its term, and so does every renewal |
| Delivery | Servers are prepared by a person once your payment is confirmed, within 72 hours rather than instantly; the dashboard shows progress and then the IP address when the machine is ready |
| Systems | Linux images only: Debian, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux, plus Proxmox VE for running virtual machines on the hardware. Windows is not offered |
| Addresses | One dedicated IPv4 address and an IPv6 /64 come with every server. Each plan lists its port speed and its monthly traffic, counted on outgoing data per 30 days; going over never triggers an automatic charge |
| DDoS | DDoS protection is limited to whatever the datacenter network applies by default; nothing further is promised |
| Outgoing mail | Outbound SMTP on port 25 is blocked on every server and is never unblocked; submission ports 465 and 587 to mail providers remain open |
| Backups | Backups are not included: keep copies of your data somewhere else |
| KYC | No KYC: we never ask for an ID, a selfie, documents, a card or a phone number |
Which games may I sell hosting for?
Most large Linux titles allow community servers, but each publisher writes its own terms. Read them before you list a game. The table summarises the official pages as read on 1 November 2026; it is not legal advice.
Publisher rules that shape a hosting offer
| Game | What the publisher allows | What it means for a host |
|---|---|---|
| Minecraft (Java and Bedrock) | The EULA lets buyers install the Java server and host online play. The Usage Guidelines allow charging for server access at one price for everyone. | Fetch server files from Mojang for each install: downloads must come from a source Mojang authorises. Never hide or alter the EULA prompt. |
| Rust | Facepunch's guidelines, updated 15 July 2025, allow paid community servers: fees, subscriptions, donations, cosmetics and ads. | Label servers unofficial, keep paid DLC open to its owners, and distribute your server but never the game. |
| Counter-Strike 2 | Public servers need a Game Server Login Token from a Steam account that owns the game. | Tokens must not go to third parties, so each customer creates their own and pastes it into your panel. |
| Games with a Windows-only server | Varies | Not possible here: Linux images only: Debian, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux, plus Proxmox VE for running virtual machines on the hardware. Windows is not offered |
How should a hosting brand use the Minecraft name?
As a description, never as your brand. Mojang's Usage Guidelines let you use the Minecraft name in a secondary title that honestly describes your service. It must not be the dominant or distinctive part of your name, nor part of a logo. A domain may contain it only if it does not look official.
The guidelines also ask you to say that you, not Mojang, run the service, and to name the seller and a contact method. They supply a disclaimer to show prominently: your product is not official and not approved by Mojang or Microsoft. Mojang's own Realms service cannot be resold; you sell servers you run.
Your customers who charge their players fall under the server rules too. Content must suit all ages, payers get a purchase history, and prices show before anyone joins.
What does the hardware cost, and how do I find my break-even?
Divide the machine's price by what one customer server pays you: that is your break-even count before any other cost. Lumenfer makes no forecast of your sales, and nothing on this page predicts them.
Lumenfer hardware cost per machine
| Plan | CPU | Cores | RAM | 30 days | 3 months | 6 months | 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumen 6 | AMD EPYC 4244P | 6 cores / 12 threads | 32 GB DDR5 ECC | $91.65 | $247.45 | $439.92 | $769.86 |
| Lumen 8 | AMD Ryzen 7 9700X | 8 cores / 16 threads | 64 GB DDR5 | $109.37 | $295.29 | $524.97 | $918.70 |
| Lumen 16 | AMD Ryzen 9 9950X | 16 cores / 32 threads | 128 GB DDR5 | $205.27 | $554.22 | $985.29 | $1724.26 |
| Lumen 24 | AMD EPYC 9254 | 24 cores / 48 threads | 256 GB DDR5 ECC | $356.25 | $961.87 | $1710.00 | $2992.50 |
| Lumen 32 | AMD EPYC 9354 | 32 cores / 64 threads | 384 GB DDR5 ECC | $749.67 | $2024.10 | $3598.41 | $6297.22 |
Hardware is one line of the budget. Add the panel, a DDoS filtering service, billing software, payment fees, a domain and your support hours. Count a second machine for backups too.
In Lumenfer's check of 30 October 2026, no-KYC crypto hosts asked a median $356.07 monthly for a 2022+ server with 8+ cores, 64 GB and 1 TB. Lumen 8 costs $109.37. Lumen 16 sits 25% under its named reference, AbeloHost's “AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (PL)” at €244.99 ($273.70).
Other hosts win elsewhere: mainstream providers sell cheaper machines on older CPUs, and some include DDoS filtering or cities outside Europe. Every plan is on what a Lumenfer server costs, and the flagship on renting a Ryzen 9 9950X server.
Which software runs the hosting side?
A panel for customers and a daemon on each game node: Pterodactyl's Panel and Wings are one widely used pair. Pterodactyl's documentation expects root access and real Linux administration skills. Wings needs a Linux system that can run Docker containers; Windows is not supported. Its list includes Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 and Debian 11 to 13. On bare metal, systemd-detect-virt prints none, the result the docs give for dedicated hardware.
Wings hands out allocations, an IP address and a port per customer server. One dedicated IPv4 address and an IPv6 /64 come with every server. Each plan lists its port speed and its monthly traffic, counted on outgoing data per 30 days; going over never triggers an automatic charge. Every customer server on a node shares that IPv4 and gets its own port. Extra IPv4 addresses are not sold.
Panel e-mail needs a relay: Outbound SMTP on port 25 is blocked on every server and is never unblocked; submission ports 465 and 587 to mail providers remain open.
How do I handle DDoS attacks as a hosting business?
Arrange filtering before launch, because Lumenfer does not provide it. DDoS protection is limited to whatever the datacenter network applies by default; nothing further is promised. One attacked customer can fill the port that every other customer on the node shares.
- Minecraft Java. Cloudflare Spectrum supports Minecraft on its Pro and Business plans, one application each, and not Bedrock. Run a Velocity proxy behind it. Velocity's guide insists on a firewall so only the proxy reaches the backends.
- UDP games such as CS2 and Rust. Spectrum carries arbitrary UDP only as an Enterprise add-on. Use a filtering service that tunnels clean traffic to your node, or host those games where the network filters for you.
Lumenfer sells the compute layer; the shield is yours to choose. Game sizing is in the best CPU for a Minecraft server host and what server CS2 and Rust need.
How do I lay out the first machines, step by step?
A layout for a small host, built from the Pterodactyl, Velocity and Cloudflare documentation read on 1 November 2026.
Pick the city closest to your players
Amsterdam (Netherlands), Reykjavik (Iceland), Zurich (Switzerland) and Bucharest (Romania): all five plans in all four cities, one price everywhere. Start with one Lumen 16 on Debian 13 or Ubuntu 24.04.
Keep the panel apart from the games
Run the panel on its own small machine or VM, so a crashed game node cannot take billing down. Proxmox VE can split one server at the start.
Install Wings on each game node
Install Docker, then Wings, as Pterodactyl's guide describes. Confirm
systemd-detect-virtreturnsnoneon bare metal.Plan ports, not addresses
With one IPv4 per node, give each customer server its own port. Write down a port range per game.
Put filtering in front
Set up Spectrum and Velocity for Minecraft Java, or a UDP filtering service, before the first public customer.
Back up to a second machine
Copy worlds and the panel database off the node every day, ideally to another city.
Order capacity ahead of demand
A new node is not instant: Up to 72 hours from the moment your payment is confirmed. Order one when the busiest node nears your CPU or RAM limit.
Starting a game server hosting business: FAQ
Is game server hosting profitable?
Lumenfer cannot tell you, and nothing here predicts sales. Your margin is what customers pay, minus hardware, filtering, panel, payment fees and support time. Work out your break-even count before you buy.
Do I need Mojang's permission to sell Minecraft server hosting?
Mojang's Usage Guidelines allow hosting servers and charging for access within their rules. For anything beyond them, Mojang points to its partnership proposal form, and suggests a lawyer when you are unsure.
Who is responsible for what my customers run?
Your customers' servers run on your account, so our rules cover everything on it. Not allowed: spam or bulk email, phishing, malware or botnet control, DDoS or any other attack, scanning or brute-forcing systems you do not own, booter or stresser services, carding or fraud, child sexual abuse material, cryptocurrency mining, and serving sanctioned people or companies. Pass these rules on in your own terms.
Can I start with a single server?
Yes. Run the panel in a VM and the games beside it on one machine. Move the panel to its own machine once paying customers depend on it.
Why does Lumenfer not offer X3D or Windows for game hosting?
Our plans use the CPUs in the cost table, none of them X3D, and our images are Linux only. Our page on whether a Ryzen X3D server is better for game hosting covers what the extra cache changes.
Rent the first node of your hosting business
Current-generation AMD, DDR5 and NVMe under your own root login. Pay in crypto, no KYC.
- Operator: DomaineGoat LLC, Panama
- Prices checked against 13 hosts, 30 October 2026
- No KYC: no ID, no card, no phone
- Built by hand within 72 h of payment
Sources (11)
- Minecraft End User License Agreement — Mojang / Microsoft (read 2026-11-01)
- Minecraft Usage Guidelines (naming, commercial use, servers and hosting) — Mojang / Microsoft (read 2026-11-01)
- Download the Minecraft: Java Edition server — Mojang / minecraft.net (read 2026-11-01)
- Community Server and Hosting Guidelines (updated 15 July 2025) — Facepunch Studios (read 2026-11-01)
- Steam Game Server Account Management (GSLT rules) — Valve / Steam Community (read 2026-11-01)
- Installing Wings (supported systems, Docker, virtualization) — Pterodactyl documentation (read 2026-11-01)
- Panel: Getting Started — Pterodactyl documentation (read 2026-11-01)
- Spectrum overview — Cloudflare Docs (read 2026-11-01)
- Spectrum: protocols per plan — Cloudflare Docs (read 2026-11-01)
- Spectrum: limitations (Minecraft Bedrock) — Cloudflare Docs (read 2026-11-01)
- Velocity: securing your servers — PaperMC docs (read 2026-11-01)