How to Create a Server for Minecraft Multiplayer? 9 Best Minecraft Servers

Technical writer

Infrastructure

10.08.2021

12 min read

What's the best way to set up a reliable Minecraft Multiplayer server? In this article we'll be sharing with you 9 of the very best servers for your Minecraft Multiplayer experience. You'll learn about how to set up and host your Minecraft Multiplayer server, together with price comparisons, the pros and cons of each service, and lots of other great advice to help you get started.

Minecraft has been around since 2021 and remains hugely popular due to its extremely entertaining and diverse gameplay. But the real fun starts when you create your own server to play with friends (and even make new ones).

If you're thinking of creating your own Minecraft world, keep reading to find out everything you need to know to do it the right way.

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What is a Minecraft server?

A server is a combination of hardware and software platforms that allows developers and administrators to run their websites, complex applications, and virtual online worlds.

It's basically a powerful computer launched remotely on one of the hundreds of data centers around the globe. It is online 24/7, and runs a special software that makes it possible for multiple users to access the web services or gaming realms residing on its hard drive.

Minecraft servers are more targeted. At a technical level, they are not too different from any VDS or dedicated servers. The real difference is in the software that they run.

These specialised servers are made to create unique Minecraft worlds online, allowing people to play together, change the rules of the game and communicate with each other.

Why do you need your own Minecraft server?

When creating your own Minecraft world, it's natural to want your own set of rules. The best way to do this is to have Minecraft on your own personal Minecraft Multiplayer server. You can set it up exactly the way you want it, invite the players you want to play with, and change anything at any moment.

Having your personal Minecraft Multiplayer server gives you control over many elements of the game such as:

Changing characteristics of the vanilla Minecraft world — the creatures inhabiting it, the materials it contains, etc.
Providing individual collections of accessible materials that players can use for crafting.
Choosing the most convenient way to create and maintain a virtual Minecraft realm as an administrator or game master.
Having the opportunity to make money from your Minecraft server.
Playing exclusively with your closest friends without being disturbed by strangers.
Building your very own private and cozy Minecraft world.

If the above sounds like a lot of fun, then you definitely should consider creating your private server.

How to play Minecraft online

Minecraft is a great game to play alone, but the fun multiplies when you join someone or invite friends to play together. That’s why so many Minecraft fans are eager to find the best way to play the game online. And that’s why you need a server.

We will guide you through different ways to create Minecraft servers, showing you the best way to set up your own, explaining how to play with your friends for free and what great Minecraft servers (with engaging and entertaining mods) already exist.

How to make a server in Minecraft using Realms

The developers of Minecraft — Mojang in conjunction with Microsoft — created Project Realms. A Realm is an individual Minecraft server. It can be as unique or normal as you want it, and it’s a great way to play Minecraft officially.

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All you have to do to get started, is to subscribe to Realms Plus. This is Microsoft’s service that allows you to create your personal realm on its servers, where you can play with up to ten friends.

The Realms service guarantees safe and reliable resources to play Minecraft online, without worrying about software settings, updating game clients, creating data backups, etc.

However, it comes with two major drawbacks:

You have to use a licensed version of Minecraft and pay to play.
You have to deal with Microsoft’s restrictions. No cheats, no mods, no custom rules or plugins.

If you really want to have your own unique experience, free from all restrictions, then Realms is not for you. But don’t worry. There are many other solutions for you to check out below.

How to create your own Minecraft server

The first thing you have to do is download the Minecraft server that suits your needs. There are two server types:

Vanilla. That is the classic implementation of the Minecraft server as offered by the developers of the game. Just like Realms, it has restrictions on modes and plugins, but it still allows you to create a more personal and unique experience, and save all the data on your PC or dedicated server.
Bukkit. This is a project created by enthusiasts who wanted to break free of Microsoft’s restrictions, and explore Minecraft’s unlimited possibilities with modifications created by third-party developers and fans of the game.

Both of these servers are available online and can be downloaded for free.

Vanilla is available on the official Minecraft website. To work with it, you must download Minecraft Server and launch it via the Java command-line interface.

Download and install Java
Open the command prompt of your operating system
- For Windows: select the Start button and type cmd, you’ll see Command Prompt in the list
- For MacOS: press Command - spacebar to launch Spotlight and type Terminal, then double-click the search result
- Linux: press Ctrl+Alt+t keys at the same time
java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar minecraftserver.1.17.1.jar nogui

Your server is now up.

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Next, you’ll need to configure your server and find a way to connect to it. The method for doing this depends on what kind of hosting you’ve chosen.

To create a Bukkit server, you’ll need to download Forge and install it. Once it has downloaded, you’ll need to launch it and set up the parameters of the server.

Where to host your server

For your server to be accessible, it needs a place to live.

If you’ve downloaded a server and launched it on your computer, your server will only be online for as long as your computer is running it. Turn the computer off (or even close the command line while running Minecraft server), and bye-bye custom Minecraft world.

So you need a computer that will remain online and accessible for the players 24/7.

For this, you can use a generic hosting provider and rent a dedicated server to host your game world.

Once you have remote access to your rented server:

Download your chosen Minecraft server onto it
Start the server via the Java command java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar minecraftserver.1.17.1.jar nogui
Set up your connection parameters, find the IP address and ports to connect, etc.

While this is a very popular method for setting up your own Minecraft Multiplayer server, we agree that it involves a bit of work.

So let’s look at some other solutions.

How to host a Minecraft server for free

The process of creating and setting up a free Minecraft server is almost the same as for the paid version.

First, you have to find a free hosting provider that will allow you to host your data on its hardware. This isn’t exactly easy, as not many people like sharing their property with others for free.

Moreover, you’ll be forced to use a non-official Minecraft server application created by a third party. The same goes for the game client, since the original game isn’t free and there’s no way to override this.

If you’re ok with all of the above, you just need to download the Bukkit server and launch it via the Forge Minecraft server app on your free hosting. The method is identical to the one we explained above for the non-free options.

Why you shouldn't host your server for free

Yes, you can host your Minecraft server for free. But we would strongly advise against doing so.

Free hosting providers are typically slow and unreliable. Don’t you want your virtual world to be alive and well at all times? Free hosting would definitely spoil the whole experience with its poor performance.
If you’re not paying money, the provider has no obligation towards you. So, if at any point they decide to shut down your virtual world, they can do so without asking and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Free hosting providers still need to pay the bills. This means they might display advertisements on your site or even in your gaming chat. This can be very annoying to say the least. And if you have minors playing on your server, some of the ads being displayed might not be appropriate for their age, which could get you in trouble.
One other way that free hosting providers will make money is by selling your personal data. Not all of them do it, but do you really want to take that risk?
The hardware restrictions of free hosting will limit you dramatically. You won’t be able to invite as many friends to play as you wish, and you’ll have severe limitations on how many materials, constructions, and NPCs you can add.

If you wanted to start your own Minecraft server to have unlimited creative freedom and a reliable platform, a free server will only lead to disappointment.

Luckily, there’s another option you can use.

The best way to host your Minecraft server

Instead of dealing with troublesome and confusing dedicated servers, you can use a hosting platform like Hostman.

Hostman features a marketplace with loads of software products that you can deploy with just one click. This includes Minecraft servers. With just a few clicks, you can create your very own private server, avoiding part of the limitations imposed by Microsoft.

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Visit the Hostman Marketplace
Choose Minecraft server
Click on the Deploy button

Done!

You’re now ready to enjoy your own unique instance of Minecraft virtual world, supported by a reliable and swift hardware platform.

If you’re looking for a high-performance Minecraft server installation that offers a certain degree of freedom and that won’t break the bank, you have it all here.

How to connect to your Minecraft server

Connection to your virtual Minecraft worlds is usually established via the game client:

Open the game.
Go to the Multiplayer menu.
Choose the Direct Connect option.
Type the IP address of the server.

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Within a few seconds, you should be connected to the server hosted on the address you specified.

But what’s the Minecraft server’s address?

If the server is up and running on your local machine, then the IP address of the server is the same as the IP address of the PC itself. To discover your IP address, you can use a site like Speedtest. If you’re using remote hosting, you can find the IP address in the control panel of the service provider.

Best Minecraft survival servers

At its core, Minecraft is a survival game. But if you’re a hardcore survivalist, you’ll love the added challenge and realism provided by these servers.

Grand Theft Minecart

An interesting alternative to classic GTA games. It won’t be as pretty as the original game, but the atmosphere and features are there. You can buy your own house, acquire weapons and get into firefights with the police. A true GTA experience.

Minewind

This one is perfect for people looking for an extra dose of adrenaline. Tons of griefers and different monsters on this map. Your only task is to survive as long as possible.

Best Minecraft parkour servers

With the rise in popularity of parkour, it’s only natural that this sport has found its way into Minecraft. Here, you’ll find a collection of challenging Minecraft worlds where you need to hop over cubes to get from point A to point B. These servers are called parkour servers and they are incredibly fun to play on.

ZERO.MINR

This is a Minecraft world based on the children’s game “the floor is lava”. Concrete platforms floating over a tremendous amount of lava. Your task is to get through this hell as fast as possible (without being burned up by a volcano of course).

MANACUBE

Great server and map with different modes. One of the best features of MANACUBE is SkyBlocks. An impressive amount of blocks hovers in midair, and you need to use them to get from point A to point B. If you’re wondering “What’s the best Minecraft server with skyblocks?” this is the one.

Best Minecraft prison servers

Jail in real life isn’t fun. But in Minecraft it can be a real blast! Here are some prison-themed servers to appease your inner escape artist.

The Archon

One of the most popular servers on the internet, and one of the largest offering prison mode. It is set in the past, with a bit of a pirate theme. So, get ready to board your enemy’s ship and plunder to your pirate heart’s content.

Purple Prison

One of the oldest prison servers. This one is all about life in prison. You’ll need to learn all of the little details about surviving in a prison, participating in massive gang fights, etc.

Summary

Minecraft servers are very popular gaming platforms, bringing together thousands of players for a ton of fun. You can create a private server to play exclusively with your friends, or create a public one to invite players from around the world and make money offering unique features not available anywhere else.

Whatever your path, the best way to host your server is at Hostman.

Just click on the Deploy button and you’re almost set up and ready to go. You can try out Hostman for free for the first 7 days. And if you like it (we hope you will), it only costs 19 dollars a month.

Shared between friends, $19/month is a small price to pay for complete freedom and unlimited fun :-)

Set up your Minecraft server with Hostman today.

Infrastructure

10.08.2021

12 min read

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Infrastructure

Virtualization vs Containerization: What They Are and When to Use Each

This article explores two popular technologies for abstracting physical hardware: virtualization and containerization. We will provide a general overview of each and also discuss the differences between virtualization and containerization. What Is Virtualization The core component of this technology is the virtual machine (VM). A VM is an isolated software environment that emulates the hardware of a specific platform. In other words, a VM is an abstraction that allows a single physical server to be transformed into multiple virtual ones. Creating a VM makes sense when you need to manage all operating system kernel settings. This avoids kernel conflicts with hardware, supports more features than a specific OS build might provide, and allows you to optimize and install systems with a modified kernel. What Is Containerization Containers work differently: to install and run a container platform, a pre-installed operating system kernel is required (this can also be on a virtual OS). The OS allocates system resources for the containers that provide a fully configured environment for deploying applications. Like virtual machines, containers can be easily moved between servers and provide a certain level of isolation. However, to deploy them successfully, it’s sufficient for the base kernel (e.g., Linux, Windows, or macOS) to match — the specific OS version doesn’t matter. Thus, containers serve as a bridge between the system kernel layer and the application layer. What Is the Difference Between Containerization and Virtualization Some, especially IT beginners, often frame it as "virtualization vs containerization." But these technologies shouldn't be pitted against each other — they actually complement one another. Let’s examine how they differ and where they overlap by looking at how both technologies perform specific functions. Isolation and Security Virtualization makes it possible to fully isolate a VM from the rest of the server, including other VMs. Therefore, VMs are useful when you need to separate your applications from others located on the same servers or within the same cluster. VMs also increase the level of network security. Containerization provides a certain level of isolation, too, but containers are not as robust when it comes to boundary security compared to VMs. However, solutions exist that allow individual containers to be isolated within VMs — one such solution is Hyper-V. Working with the Operating System A VM is essentially a full-fledged OS with its own kernel, which is convenient but imposes high demands on hardware resources (RAM, storage, CPU). Containerization uses only a small fraction of system resources, especially with adapted containers. When forming images in a hypervisor, the minimal necessary software environment is created to ensure the container runs on an OS with a particular kernel. Thus, containerization is much more resource-efficient. OS Updates With virtualization, you have to download and install OS updates on each VM. To install a new OS version, you need to update the VM — in some cases, even create a new one. This consumes a significant amount of time, especially when many virtual machines are deployed. With containers, the situation is similar. First, you modify a file (called a Dockerfile) that contains information about the image. You change the lines that specify the OS version. Then the image is rebuilt and pushed to a registry. But that’s not all: the image must then be redeployed. To do this, you use orchestrators — platforms for managing and scaling containers. Orchestration tools (the most well-known are Kubernetes and Docker Swarm) allow automation of these procedures, but developers must install and learn them first. Deployment Mechanisms To deploy a single VM, Windows (or Linux) tools will suffice, as will the previously mentioned Hyper-V. But if you have two or more VMs, it’s more convenient to use solutions like PowerShell. Single containers are deployed from images via a hypervisor (such as Docker), but for mass deployment, orchestration platforms are essential. So in terms of deployment mechanisms, virtualization and containerization are similar: different tools are used depending on how many entities are being deployed. Data Storage Features With virtualization, VHDs are used when organizing local storage for a single VM. If there are multiple VMs or servers, the SMB protocol is used for shared file access. Hypervisors for containers have their own storage tools. For example, Docker has a local Registry repository that lets you create private storage and track image versions. There is also the public Docker Hub repository, which is used for integration with GitHub. Orchestration platforms offer similar tools: for instance, Kubernetes can set up file storage using Azure’s infrastructure. Load Balancing To balance the load between VMs, they are moved between servers or even clusters, selecting the one with the best fault tolerance. Containers are balanced differently. They can’t be moved per se, but orchestrators provide automatic starting or stopping of individual containers or whole groups. This enables flexible load distribution between cluster nodes. Fault Tolerance Faults are also handled in similar ways. If an individual VM fails, it’s not difficult to transfer that VM to another server and restart the OS there. If there’s an issue with the server hosting the containerization platform, containers can be quickly recreated on another server using the orchestrator. Pros and Cons of Virtualization Advantages: Reliable isolation. Logical VM isolation means failures in one VM don’t affect the others on the same server. VMs also offer a good level of network security: if one VM is compromised, its isolation prevents infection of others. Resource optimization. Several VMs can be deployed on one server, saving on purchasing additional hardware. This also facilitates the creation of clusters in data centers. Flexibility and load balancing. VMs are easily transferred, making it simpler to boost cluster performance and maintain systems. VMs can also be copied and restored from backups. Furthermore, different VMs can run different OSs, and the kernel can be any type — Linux, Windows, or macOS — all on the same server. Disadvantages: Resource consumption. VMs can be several gigabytes in size and consume significant CPU power. There are also limits on how many VMs can run on a single server. Sluggishness. Deployment time depends on how "heavy" the VM is. More importantly, VMs are not well-suited to scaling. Using VMs for short-term computing tasks is usually not worthwhile. Licensing issues. Although licensing is less relevant for Russian developers, you still need to consider OS and software licensing costs when deploying VMs — and these can add up significantly in a large infrastructure. Pros and Cons of Containerization Advantages: Minimal resource use. Since all containers share the same OS kernel, much less hardware is needed than with virtual machines. This means you can create far more containers on the same system. Performance. Small image sizes mean containers are deployed and destroyed much faster than virtual machines. This makes containers ideal for developers handling short-term tasks and dynamic scaling. Immutable images. Unlike virtual machines, container images are immutable. This allows the launch of any number of identical containers, simplifying testing. Updating containers is also easy — a new image with updated contents is created on the container platform. Disadvantages: Compatibility issues. Containers created in one hypervisor (like Docker) may not work elsewhere. Problems also arise with orchestrators: for example, Docker Swarm may not work properly with OpenShift, unlike Kubernetes. Developers need to carefully choose their tools. Limited lifecycle. While persistent container storage is possible, special tools (like Docker Data Volumes) are required. Otherwise, once a container is deleted, all its data disappears. You must plan ahead for data backup. Application size. Containers are designed for microservices and app components. Heavy containers, such as full-featured enterprise software, can cause deployment and performance issues. Conclusion Having explored the features of virtualization and containerization, we can draw a logical conclusion: each technology is suited to different tasks. Containers are fast and efficient, use minimal hardware resources, and are ideal for developers working with microservices architecture and application components. Virtual machines are full-fledged OS environments, suitable for secure corporate software deployment. Therefore, these technologies do not compete — they complement each other.

10 June 2025 · 7 min to read

Infrastructure

Top RDP Clients for Linux in 2025: Remote Access Tools for Every Use Case

RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) is a proprietary protocol for accessing a remote desktop. All modern Windows operating systems have it by default. However, a Linux system with a graphical interface and the xrdp package installed can also act as a server. This article focuses on Linux RDP clients and the basic principles of how the protocol works. Remote Desktop Protocol RDP operates at the application layer of the OSI model and is based on the Transport Layer Protocol (TCP). Its operation follows this process: A connection is established using TCP at the transport layer. An RDP session is initialized. The RDP client authenticates, and data transmission parameters are negotiated. A remote session is launched: the RDP client takes control of the server. The server is the computer being remotely accessed. The RDP client is the application on the computer used to initiate the connection. During the session, all computational tasks are handled by the server. The RDP client receives the graphical interface of the server's OS, which is controlled using input devices. The graphical interface may be transmitted as a full graphical copy or as graphical primitives (rectangles, circles, text, etc.) to save bandwidth. By default, RDP uses port 3389, but this can be changed if necessary. A typical use case is managing a Windows remote desktop from a Linux system. From anywhere in the world, you can connect to it via the internet and work without worrying about the performance of the RDP client. Originally, RDP was introduced in Windows NT 4.0. It comes preinstalled in all modern versions of Windows. However, implementing a Linux remote desktop solution requires special software. RDP Security Two methods are used to ensure the security of an RDP session: internal and external. Standard RDP Security: This is an internal security subsystem. The server generates RSA keys and a public key certificate. When connecting, the RDP client receives these. If confirmed, authentication takes place. Enhanced RDP Security: This uses external tools to secure the session, such as TLS encryption. Advantages of RDP RDP is network-friendly: it can work over NAT, TCP, or UDP, supports port forwarding, and is resilient to connection drops. Requires only 300–500 Kbps bandwidth. A powerful server can run demanding apps even on weak RDP clients. Supports Linux RDP connections to Windows. Disadvantages of RDP Applications sensitive to latency, like games or video streaming, may not perform well. Requires a stable server. File and document transfer between the client and server may be complicated due to internet speed limitations. Configuring an RDP Server on Windows The most common RDP use case is connecting to a Windows server from another system, such as a Linux client. To enable remote access, the target system must be configured correctly. The setup is fairly simple and works "out of the box" on most modern Windows editions. Enable remote desktop access via the Remote Access tab in System Properties. Select the users who can connect (by default, only administrators). Check firewall settings. Some profiles like “Public” or “Private” may block RDP by default. If the server is not in a domain, RDP might not work until you allow it manually via Windows Firewall → Allowed Apps. If behind a router, you might need to configure port forwarding via the router’s web interface (typically under Port Forwarding). Recall that RDP uses TCP port 3389 by default. Best RDP Clients for Linux Remmina Website: remmina.org Remmina is a remote desktop client with a graphical interface, written in GTK+ and licensed under GPL. In addition to RDP, it supports VNC, NX, XDMCP, SPICE, X2Go, and SSH. One of its key features is extensibility via plugins. By default, RDP is not available until you install the freerdp plugin. After installing the plugin, restart Remmina, and RDP will appear in the menu. To connect: Add a new connection. Fill in connection settings (you only need the remote machine's username and IP). Customize further if needed (bandwidth, background, hotkeys, themes, etc.). Save the connection — now you can connect with two clicks from the main menu. If you need to run Remmina on Windows, a guide is available on the official website. FreeRDP Website: freerdp.com FreeRDP is a fork of the now-unsupported rdesktop project and is actively maintained under the Apache license. FreeRDP is a terminal-based client. It is configured and launched entirely via the command line. Its command structure is similar to rdesktop, for example: xfreerdp -u USERNAME -p PASSWORD -g WIDTHxHEIGHT IP This command connects to the server at the given IP using the specified credentials and screen resolution. KRDC Website: krdc KRDC (KDE Remote Desktop Client) is the official remote desktop client for KDE that supports RDP and VNC protocols. It offers a clean and straightforward interface consistent with KDE's Plasma desktop environment. KRDC is ideal for users of KDE-based distributions like Kubuntu, openSUSE KDE, and Fedora KDE Spin. It integrates well with KDE's network tools and provides essential features such as full-screen mode, session bookmarking, and network browsing via Zeroconf/Bonjour. KRDC is actively maintained by the KDE community and is available through most Linux package managers. GNOME Connections Website: gnome-connections Vinagre was the former GNOME desktop's default remote desktop client. GNOME Connections, a modernized remote desktop tool for GNOME environments, has since replaced it. GNOME Connections supports RDP and VNC, providing a simple and user-friendly interface that matches the GNOME design language. It focuses on ease of use rather than configurability, making it ideal for non-technical users or quick access needs. Features: Bookmarking for quick reconnections Simple RDP session management Seamless integration into GNOME Shell Connections is maintained as part of the official GNOME project and is available in most distribution repositories. Apache Guacamole Website: guacamole.apache.org This is the simplest yet most complex remote desktop software for Linux. Simple because it works directly in a browser — no additional programs or services are needed. Complex because it requires one-time server installation and configuration. Apache Guacamole is a client gateway for remote connections that works over HTML5. It supports Telnet, SSH, VNC, and RDP — all accessible via a web interface. Although the documentation is extensive, many ready-made scripts exist online to simplify basic setup. To install: wget https://git.io/fxZq5 -O guac-install.sh chmod +x guac-install.sh ./guac-install.sh After installation, the script will provide a connection address and password. To connect to a Windows server via RDP: Open the Admin Panel, go to Settings → Connections, and create a new connection. Enter the username and IP address of the target machine — that's all you need. The connection will now appear on the main page, ready for use. Conclusion RDP is a convenient tool for connecting to a remote machine running Windows or a Linux system with a GUI. The server requires minimal setup — just a few settings and firewall adjustments — and the variety of client programs offers something for everyone.

09 June 2025 · 6 min to read

Infrastructure

Docker Container Storage and Registries: How to Store, Manage, and Secure Your Images

Docker containerization offers many benefits, one of which is image layering, enabling fast container generation. However, containers have limitations — for instance, persistent data needs careful planning, as all data within a container is lost when it's destroyed. In this article, we’ll look at how to solve this issue using Docker’s native solution called Docker Volumes, which allows the creation of persistent Docker container storage. What Happens to Data Written Inside a Container To begin, let’s open a shell inside a container using the following command: docker run -it --rm busybox Now let’s try writing some data to the container: echo "Hostman" > /tmp/data cat /tmp/data Hostman We can see that the data is written, but where exactly? If you're familiar with Docker, you might know that images are structured like onions — layers stacked on top of each other, with the final layer finalizing the image. Each layer can only be written once and becomes read-only afterward. When a container is created, Docker adds another layer for handling write operations. Since container lifespans are limited, all data disappears once the container is gone. This can be a serious problem if the container holds valuable information. To solve this, Docker provides a solution called Docker Volumes. Let’s look at what it is and how it works. Docker Volumes Docker Volumes provide developers with persistent storage for containers. This tool decouples data from the container’s lifecycle, allowing access to container data at any time. As a result, data written inside containers remains available even after the container is destroyed, and it can be reused by other containers. This is a useful solution for sharing data between Docker containers and also enables new containers to connect to the existing storage. How Docker Volumes Work A directory is created on the server and then mounted into one or more containers. This directory is independent because it is not included in the Docker image layer structure, which allows it to bypass the read-only restriction of the image layers for containers that include such a directory. To create a volume, use the following command: docker volume create Now, let’s check its location using: docker volume inspect volume_name The volume name usually consists of a long alphanumeric string. In response, Docker will display information such as the time the volume was created and other metadata, including the Mountpoint. This line shows the path to the volume. To view the data stored in the volume, simply open the specified directory. There are also other ways to create a Docker Volume. For example, the -v option can be added directly during container startup, allowing you to create a volume on the fly: docker run -it --rm -v newdata:/data busybox Let’s break down what’s happening here: The -v argument follows a specific syntax, indicated by the colon right after the volume name (in this case, we chose a very creative name, newdata). After the colon, the mount path inside the container is specified. Now, you can write data to this path, for example: echo "Cloud" > /data/cloud Data written this way can easily be found at the mount path. As seen in the example above, the volume name is not arbitrary — it matches the name we provided using -v. However, Docker Volumes also allow for randomly generated names, which are always unique to each host. If you’re assigning names manually, make sure they are also unique. Now, run the command: docker volume ls If the volume appears in the list, it means any number of other containers can use it. To test this, you can run: docker run -it --rm -v newdata:/data busybox Then write something to the volume. Next, start another container using the exact same command and you’ll see that the data is still there and accessible — meaning it can be reused. Docker Volumes in Practice Now let’s take a look at how Docker Volumes can be used in practice. Suppose we're developing an application to collect specific types of data — let’s say football statistics. We gather this data and plan to use it later for analysis — for example, to assess players’ transfer market values or for betting predictions. Let’s call our application FootballStats. Preserving Data After Container Removal Obviously, if we don’t use Docker Volumes, all the collected statistics will simply be lost as soon as the container that stored them is destroyed. Therefore, we need to store the data in volumes so it can be reused later. To do this, we use the familiar -v option: -v footballstats:/dir/footballstats This will allow us to store match statistics in the /dir/footballstats directory, on top of all container layers. Sharing Data Suppose the FootballStats container has already gathered a certain amount of data, and now it's time to analyze it. For instance, we might want to find out how a particular team performed in the latest national championship or how a specific player did — goals, assists, cards, etc. To do this, we can mount our volume into a new container, which we’ll call FootballStats-Analytics. The key advantage of this setup is that the new container can read the data without interfering with the original FootballStats container’s ongoing data collection. At the same time, analysis of the incoming data can be performed using defined parameters and algorithms. This information can be stored anywhere, either in the existing volume or a new one, if needed. Other Types of Mounts In addition to standard volumes, Docker Volumes also supports other types of mounts designed to solve specialized tasks: Bind Mount Bind mounts are used to attach an existing path on the host to a container. This is useful for including configuration files, datasets, or static assets from websites. To specify directories for mounting into the container, use the --mount option with the syntax <host path>:<container path>. Tmpfs Mount Tmpfs mounts serve the opposite purpose of regular Docker Volumes — they do not persist data after the container is destroyed. This can be useful for developers who perform extensive logging. In such cases, continuously writing temporary data to disk can significantly degrade system performance. The --tmpfs option creates temporary in-memory directories, avoiding constant access to the file system. Drivers Docker Volume Drivers are a powerful tool that enable flexible volume management. They allow you to specify various storage options, the most important being the storage location — which can be local or remote, even outside the physical or virtual infrastructure of the provider. This ensures that data can survive not only the destruction of the container but even the shutdown of the host itself. Conclusion So, we’ve learned how to create and manage storage using Docker Volumes. For more information on how to modify container storage in Docker, refer to the platform’s official documentation.

09 June 2025 · 6 min to read

How to Create a Server for Minecraft Multiplayer? 9 Best Minecraft Servers

What is a Minecraft server?

Why do you need your own Minecraft server?

How to play Minecraft online