Shard Hosting
Minecraft server hosting in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Shard Hosting runs Minecraft servers in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. If most of the people on your server live in Europe, that puts the server close to them. Plans start at $3.50 a month, and your server is set up automatically once you've paid.
Why server location matters for ping
Every block you break and every hit you land has to travel from your computer to the server and back. The further away the server is, the longer that round trip takes. That delay is your ping.
You can't fix distance with more RAM or a faster CPU. A powerful server on another continent will still feel slow to players in Europe. Picking a location close to your players is one of the simplest things you can do for how the game feels.
Ping also depends on things on your side: Wi-Fi, VPNs, your internet provider and how busy your network is. So the best way to know is to test it.
Check your own ping to Amsterdam: our ping test runs in your browser and measures your connection straight to our Minecraft node, not to a CDN. Ask your friends to run it too, since the number that matters is the one for the people who'll actually play.
Who it suits
Hosting in Amsterdam makes the most sense when your players are spread around Europe. That covers a lot of servers:
- Friend groups who want a private world to play on together.
- Survival SMPs with a regular community, whether that's a small whitelist or a bigger public server.
- Modded servers running a Forge, Fabric or NeoForge pack.
- Plugin servers on Paper, Purpur or Spigot.
If most of your players are far from Europe, run the ping test first and see what they get before you order.
What's included
Every plan comes with the same core setup. The difference between plans is how much RAM, CPU and storage you get.
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X CPU. Minecraft does most of its work on one main thread, so a fast single core matters more than a high core count. The 9950X is a desktop-class chip with high clock speeds, which suits that well.
- DDR5 RAM and NVMe storage, so worlds load and save quickly.
- DDoS filtering. Incoming traffic is filtered to block attack traffic before it reaches your server. No filtering can stop every attack, but you don't have to set any of it up yourself.
- Pterodactyl panel. Start and stop your server, edit files, read the console and make backups in your browser. You don't need to know Linux.
- Automatic setup. Your server is created automatically after payment.
- Backup slots: 5 on the four smaller plans and 10 on the four larger ones.
- Full file access, so you can upload your own worlds, plugins and mods.
You can see the full hardware details on our hardware page and check whether everything is running right now on our status page.
Plans from $3.50 to $59.99 a month
We have 8 monthly plans, from Shard at $3.50 a month with 4 GB of RAM up to Shard Max at $59.99 a month with 64 GB. You pay monthly in US dollars, and payments are handled by Stripe.
| Plan | RAM | Price per month |
|---|---|---|
| Shard | 4 GB | $3.50 |
| Shard+ | 8 GB | $7.50 |
| Shard++ | 12 GB | $11.99 |
| Shard+++ | 16 GB | $14.99 |
| Shard Pro | 24 GB | $21.99 |
| Shard Pro+ | 32 GB | $29.99 |
| Shard Ultra | 48 GB | $44.99 |
| Shard Max | 64 GB | $59.99 (limited availability) |
Not sure how much RAM you need? The RAM calculator asks a few questions about your server and suggests a size and the plan that fits.
Free migration
Already running a server somewhere else? Every plan includes free file migration. After you order, open a ticket in our Discord or email [email protected] with your account email, tell us which server it's for, and send a backup or a download link. We'll move your files over and let you know when it's ready.
Only share passwords and download links in your ticket or by email, never in a public channel.
FAQ
Where are the servers?
Customer game servers run in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Where is the panel?
Our control panel runs separately in Germany. You log in there to manage your server, but your game server itself, and the connection your players use, is in Amsterdam.
Do you have DDoS protection?
Yes. We filter attack traffic before it reaches your server. No protection can stop every attack, so we can't promise your server will never be affected.
How do I get help?
Email [email protected] or open a ticket on our Discord. We reply as soon as we can.
Do you host websites or Discord bots?
Not yet. Website and Discord bot hosting are coming soon. For now, we host Minecraft servers.
Get started
If your players are in Europe and the ping test looks good, have a look at the plans and pick the one that fits your server. As your server grows, ask us in a Discord ticket to move to a bigger plan.