Every server gets an address made of an IP and a port, something like 203.0.113.25:25590. It works, but nobody remembers it, and it changes if the server ever moves to other hardware. A name such as play.yourclan.com is easier to share and easier to type. There are three ways to get one, and which one fits depends on your game and on whether you already own a domain.
Which option fits you
| Option | Works for | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| A subdomain on one of our domains | Minecraft Java | Nothing, if your server offers it |
| Your own domain, bought through us | Every game | A domain in Domain Names in the panel |
| Your own domain, registered elsewhere | Every game | Access to the DNS settings at your registrar |
One rule holds for all three: a name replaces the IP, not the port. The exception is Minecraft Java, which can carry the port inside DNS through an SRV record, so players type only the name. Every other game still needs name:port.
Option 1: a subdomain on our domain (Minecraft Java)
- Open the game panel and select your Minecraft Java server
- Stay on the Overview tab and look at the Connection address section
- Under the address, click Add subdomain
- In the Add a subdomain dialog, type the name you want. It must be 3 to 63 characters: lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens, not starting or ending with a hyphen and with no double hyphens
- If more than one base domain is offered, pick it from the list next to the name
- Wait for the check under the field to say Available, then click Add subdomain
The new address appears under the heading Subdomain with a copy button next to it. Players enter it exactly as shown.
A few things worth knowing:
- One per server. To change the name, delete the current one with the bin icon and create a new one.
- The button is not always there. The section only appears when the subdomain feature is available for your server. If you do not see it, use option 2 or 3.
- Give it a few minutes. A brand-new name has to spread through DNS before every player's computer can find it.
Option 2: a domain bought through SpillHosting
If you own a domain with us, the panel writes the DNS records for you.
- Buy a domain on the domains page, or open one you already own under Domain Names
- On the domain's page, find the section Connect to a game server
- In Subdomain, type the part in front of your domain. It starts as
play. Clear the field to use the bare domain itself - Pick your server in Game server. The line Resolves to shows the exact address players will use
- Click Connect
The panel creates an A record that points the name at your server. For Minecraft Java it also adds the SRV record, and the panel tells you players can join without a port. For every other game it tells you which port to add after the name.
From then on, the Overview of your server shows the line Players join at with the full address and a copy button. That line is what to share with your players.
Want the domain to point at another server later, or did your server move? Run Connect again. It replaces the previous records for that subdomain, and nothing else in your DNS is touched. The records use a short lifetime, so the change reaches players within minutes rather than hours.
You can still add your own entries in the DNS records section on the same page with Add record and Save changes, for example for a website or email.
If the domain uses its own nameservers somewhere else, the panel says so and the connect section is not available. Either switch back with Use SpillHosting DNS in the Nameservers section on that page, or follow option 3 at the provider that runs your DNS.
Option 3: a domain registered elsewhere
At any registrar you can create the records by hand. You need two values from the Overview of your server: the address and the port.
For every game, an A record:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | A |
| Name | play (or @ for the bare domain) |
| Value | Your server's IP, without the port |
If the address on your Overview is a hostname rather than a row of numbers, create a CNAME record pointing at that hostname instead. An A record only accepts an IP.
For Minecraft Java, add an SRV record as well:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Service and protocol | _minecraft._tcp |
| Name | play (the same name as the A record) |
| Priority | 0 |
| Weight | 5 |
| Port | Your server's port |
| Target | play.yourdomain.com |
Registrars lay out the SRV form differently. Some want the whole name _minecraft._tcp.play in one field, others split it. Two rules apply everywhere: the target must be a hostname with its own A record, never an IP, and the port must be your server's port, not 25565 unless that really is your port.
If your server ever gets a new IP, update the A record yourself. Nothing updates it for you when the domain lives elsewhere.
Minecraft Bedrock and other games
SRV records only help Minecraft Java. Minecraft Bedrock does not look them up, so Bedrock players type the name in the address field and the port in the port field. Players of other games enter name:port, the same way they used the IP before.
Troubleshooting
The name does not work at all. Wait a few minutes and try again. New records can take some time to reach every DNS resolver. Check the spelling in the record too, because a single wrong character in the name is the most common cause.
Minecraft Java works on the IP but not on the name. The SRV record is missing or wrong. Check that the port in it matches your server's port and that the target is the name that has the A record.
Players of other games cannot connect on the name. They left out the port. Only Minecraft Java can join on the bare name.
It worked, then stopped after a while. Your server probably got a new IP. With a domain from us, run Connect again. With a domain elsewhere, update the A record.
Stuck on the DNS side? Open a ticket from the support page with the domain and your server name, and we will check the records with you.