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To create a custom Minecraft Java server address with GoDaddy, add an A record for a subdomain such as play that points to your server’s numeric IPv4 address. If the server listens on the default Java port 25565, that record is enough. For any other port, add an SRV record that points the same hostname to the actual port, allowing players to connect without typing a port number.
This guide uses a hostname such as play.yourdomain.com. GoDaddy’s DNS screen can change names over time, so use the DNS-management area and the equivalent fields described below rather than relying on an exact button label.
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What you need before editing DNS
Have these details ready:
- Your registered domain in GoDaddy.
- The server’s public numeric IPv4 address, for example
203.0.113.42. Do not append a port to this value. - The Minecraft Java server port. The default is
25565; a custom installation might use another number such as2026. - A short hostname you want players to type, usually
play,mc, orserver. - Access to the server so you can confirm which port it actually listens on.
DNS only directs a name to an address and port. It does not open a firewall, configure router port forwarding, start the Minecraft process, or make a private server reachable from the internet. Those parts must already work when players connect by IP address and port.
Choose the address and understand the port rule
Recommended format: a subdomain
If your domain is yourdomain.com and you choose play, the player-facing address becomes play.yourdomain.com. In GoDaddy, the A-record Name field is only play, not the complete domain.
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A subdomain keeps the root domain available for a website, email, or other services. You can point the root domain instead by using @ in the A-record Name field, but then players use yourdomain.com rather than a separate game hostname.
Default Java port versus a custom port
| Server setup | DNS records | What players enter |
|---|---|---|
| Java server on port 25565 | A record only | play.yourdomain.com |
| Java server on any other port | A record plus SRV record | play.yourdomain.com, with no port suffix |
| Custom port without an SRV record | A record only | play.yourdomain.com:2026 (the port must be typed manually) |
The SRV record is what lets a Java client discover a non-default port automatically. It does not change the port on the server; its Port value must exactly match the port on which the server is listening.
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- Sign in to GoDaddy and open the DNS-management page for the domain you want to use.
- Choose the option to add a DNS record. Select record type A.
- In Name, enter only your subdomain, such as
play. For the root domain, use@instead. - In Value, enter the server’s numeric public IPv4 address, such as
203.0.113.42. Do not enterhttp://, a hostname, a colon, or a port number. - Leave the record’s other settings at their normal values unless you have a specific DNS-management reason to change them, then save it.
After saving, the resulting record conceptually looks like this:
| Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| A | play |
203.0.113.42 |
Replace both example values with your own hostname and address. An A record maps the name to an IPv4 address; it cannot contain the Minecraft port.
Step 2: Add an SRV record when the port is not 25565
Skip this section if the Java server uses port 25565 and you are satisfied with the A record alone. Add the SRV record for every other port.
- In the same DNS-management screen, choose to add another record and select SRV.
- Set Service to
_minecraft. - Set Protocol to
_tcp. Minecraft Java discovery uses TCP here; do not substitute_udp. - Set Name to the same subdomain used by the A record, such as
play. Do not enter the full domain in this field when the A record usesplay. - Set Priority to
0. - Set Weight to
5. Some instructions use0; either value works when you have one server target. - Set Port to the actual Minecraft server port, such as
2026. Enter the number alone, without a colon. - Set Target to the complete hostname, such as
play.yourdomain.com. The target must be a hostname, not an IP address. - Save the record.
For a server at 203.0.113.42 listening on port 2026, the records would be represented as follows:
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| Record | Field | Value |
|---|---|---|
| A | Name | play |
| A | Value | 203.0.113.42 |
| SRV | Service | _minecraft |
| SRV | Protocol | _tcp |
| SRV | Name | play |
| SRV | Priority | 0 |
| SRV | Weight | 5 |
| SRV | Port | 2026 |
| SRV | Target | play.yourdomain.com |
2026 is only an example. The port in your SRV record must be the port configured in your server software and network rules; an unused or mismatched port will not work. The SRV record hides that port from the player, rather than forwarding traffic from one port to another.
Step 3: Verify that DNS returns the records
Check the SRV response
From Windows Command Prompt, macOS Terminal, or a Linux shell, run:
nslookup -type=srv _minecraft._tcp.play.yourdomain.comReplace play.yourdomain.com with your real hostname. A working response should show the SRV priority, weight, port, and target. Confirm that the returned port is the server’s real port and that the target is the full hostname, not an IP address.
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Check the A response
You can also ask DNS for the address:
nslookup play.yourdomain.comThe answer should include the server’s public IPv4 address. If it returns an old address, the A record was edited incorrectly, another A record is taking precedence, or your resolver still has cached data.
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Allow for DNS propagation without assuming a fixed deadline
DNS updates reach different recursive resolvers at different times. There is no universal GoDaddy propagation duration that guarantees when every player will see the change. One forum report described waiting 48 hours before discovering a separate problem; that anecdote is not an official 48-hour requirement or a prediction for your domain. Verify the records from more than one network and troubleshoot the values before simply waiting longer.
Connect from Minecraft Java Edition
- Open the Java Edition launcher and start the version used by the server.
- Select Multiplayer.
- Choose Add Server or Direct Connection.
- Enter a descriptive server name.
- For a server on port 25565, enter only
play.yourdomain.com. - For a server on a custom port, enter the same hostname. If the SRV record is correct, Java discovers the port automatically. Without SRV, use the explicit form
play.yourdomain.com:2026. - Connect and compare the result with a direct numeric-IP connection. If the IP works but the hostname does not, the issue is in DNS or the client’s DNS cache rather than the Minecraft server itself.
Troubleshoot the common failure modes
The DNS Name field contains the full domain
GoDaddy commonly appends your domain to a relative Name value. If you enter play.yourdomain.com where the zone expects only play, you can create an unintended name such as play.yourdomain.com.yourdomain.com. Make the A-record Name and SRV Name match the short subdomain value used by the zone. The SRV Target is different: it should be the full hostname.
The SRV target is an IP address
An SRV Target must be a hostname. Keep the numeric IPv4 address in the A record and put play.yourdomain.com in the SRV Target field. Do not place the IP in both records.
The protocol, port, or punctuation is wrong
- Use
_tcp, not_udp. - Enter a bare number in Port, such as
2026; do not type:2026. - Remove spaces accidentally pasted into Service, Protocol, Name, Target, or numeric fields.
- Check for transposed digits between the SRV Port and the port configured on the server.
The A record is behind a Cloudflare proxy
If Cloudflare is in front of the domain, the Minecraft A record must be DNS-only rather than proxied. A web proxy is not a general Minecraft TCP proxy, and the orange-cloud proxy setting can prevent the hostname from reaching the game server. Change only the Minecraft record to DNS-only; leave unrelated web records according to their own requirements.
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An A record contains a specific IPv4 address. If your hosting connection assigns a new public address, update the A record to the new value. The SRV record can remain unchanged when the hostname and Minecraft port stay the same.
A legacy guide says GoDaddy permits only port 25565
An approximately 15-year-old forum claim says GoDaddy restricts Minecraft records to 25565. That claim conflicts with newer instructions and with the normal SRV-record model. Treat it as outdated rather than as a current GoDaddy limitation. The decisive check is whether your SRV record returns the intended custom port and whether the server is listening on it.
Bare domain or subdomain?
| Choice | A-record Name | Player address | Practical consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subdomain | play |
play.yourdomain.com |
Keeps the root domain available for a website or other services. |
| Root domain | @ |
yourdomain.com |
Shorter address, but it shares the apex with other DNS records. |
If you use the root domain with a custom port, the SRV Name must follow the DNS provider’s apex convention. GoDaddy’s exact field behavior can vary by interface, so verify the resulting _minecraft._tcp lookup before distributing the address. A subdomain is usually easier to keep separate from existing domain services.
Java and Bedrock are not interchangeable here
The procedure above is for Minecraft Java Edition. Search summaries have reported SRV handling for Bedrock, but that behavior was not verified against a primary source for this setup. Do not assume that a Java-style SRV record will make a Bedrock client discover a custom port. Confirm the Bedrock client and server requirements for your specific edition before publishing the address to Bedrock players.
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Quick Recap
Final pre-sharing checklist
- The A record Name is the short subdomain, such as
play. - The A record Value is the current public IPv4 address with no port.
- The Java server uses port 25565, or an SRV record has been added for its actual custom port.
- The SRV Service is
_minecraftand Protocol is_tcp. - The SRV Name matches the A-record subdomain.
- The SRV Target is the full hostname and not an IP address.
- The SRV Port contains only the server’s port number.
nslookup -type=srv _minecraft._tcp.play.yourdomain.comreturns the expected priority, weight, port, and target.- Any Cloudflare A record for the game hostname is DNS-only.
- A Java client can connect using the hostname without a port suffix when SRV is required.
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