Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteTo connect a custom domain, create a subdomain such as play.example.com, point an A record to your server’s public IPv4 address, allow and forward UDP port 19132, then enter the hostname and port in Minecraft Bedrock. Add an AAAA record only when your server has working public IPv6. A domain name replaces typing an IP address; it does not open ports, bypass a firewall, or make an unreachable server public.
Prefer not to run the server on your own PC? Godlike.Host offers hosted Minecraft Bedrock servers with free DDoS protection and up to three free backups a day.
What a custom domain does—and does not do
Players normally connect to a Bedrock server with a numeric address such as 203.0.113.25 and a UDP port. DNS lets them use a memorable hostname, for example play.example.com, that resolves to that address. The DNS lookup happens before Minecraft attempts the network connection.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Recommended Free Tools
The domain is therefore only the naming layer. A connection still requires all of the following:
- The Bedrock Dedicated Server (BDS) must be running and listening on the selected UDP port.
- The operating-system firewall must allow that UDP port.
- A home router must forward the public UDP port to the server’s private LAN address.
- The hostname must resolve publicly to the current public address.
- The client and server must use compatible Bedrock protocol versions.
Minecraft’s official Bedrock Dedicated Server software is the server application that hosts a multiplayer Bedrock world. Microsoft’s getting-started guidance identifies UDP 19132 as the default IPv4 port and 19133 as the default IPv6 port.
#1 Best Overall
- Invizimals: The Alliance
- Discover the community's creations in the new store
- Access new mini-games and game modes
- Play together on your sofa too thanks to the split screen
Decide which endpoint you are publishing
Before editing DNS, determine where players will connect. A self-hosted server normally has a public address supplied by your internet provider and a private address inside your home or office network. A managed host usually supplies the public endpoint and controls the underlying firewall and routing.
| Question | Self-hosted at home | Managed Bedrock hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Who controls port forwarding? | You configure the router and host firewall. | The host controls its network; you receive connection details. |
| Public IP requirement | Your internet connection must accept inbound traffic, or you need another publicly reachable arrangement. | The provider normally supplies a public endpoint; confirm this before subscribing. |
| Custom-domain support | You can point DNS at your own public address. | Confirm that the service permits a custom hostname and which port it uses. |
| IPv4 and IPv6 | Availability depends on your ISP, router, and firewall configuration. | Availability depends on the provider’s network. |
| Backups and uptime | You must design and maintain them. | Check the provider’s stated backup, recovery, and uptime features. |
| Capacity and cost | Limited by your hardware, connection, electricity, and maintenance. | Based on the selected plan and its recurring price. |
If you cannot receive inbound connections because your ISP places you behind carrier-grade NAT, ordinary router forwarding will not expose the server. Ask the ISP for a public address or use a hosting arrangement that supplies a reachable endpoint.
Prerequisites checklist
- A registered domain and access to its authoritative DNS management panel.
- A Bedrock Dedicated Server installation on Windows or Ubuntu, or connection details from a managed host.
- The server’s intended UDP port, normally
19132. - A stable private LAN address for a self-hosted machine.
- Administrative access to the host firewall and, when applicable, the router.
- A second internet connection, such as a phone hotspot, for testing from outside the server’s LAN.
Do not publish an AAAA record merely because the server has a local IPv6 address. IPv6 must be routed from the internet to the host, and the host and network firewalls must allow the configured Bedrock IPv6 port.
Configure the Bedrock Dedicated Server port
In the BDS folder, open server.properties and check the port settings. The default values documented by Microsoft are:
| Setting | Default | Use |
|---|---|---|
server-port |
19132 |
UDP port for IPv4 connections. |
server-portv6 |
19133 |
UDP port for IPv6 connections in the official setup. |
server-port=19132
server-portv6=19133Leaving IPv4 on 19132 is the simplest arrangement because Bedrock clients commonly expect that default when you provide a normal endpoint. If you deliberately select another port, every dependent setting must use the same value: the BDS property, host firewall rule, router forward, and the port entered by players.
Restart BDS after changing its properties. Verify that it starts without an error and is listening on the intended UDP port. Microsoft’s guidance states that an enabled firewall must allow the ports configured as server-port and server-portv6.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Give a self-hosted server a stable private address
Routers forward traffic to a private address such as 192.168.1.50. If that address changes after a reboot, the forwarding rule can silently point at the wrong computer. Create a DHCP reservation in the router for the server’s network adapter, or configure a static address using a method appropriate for your operating system and network.
Rank #2
- Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures
- Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs
- Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
- Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack; Compatible with Nintendo Switch only
Record the reserved address before creating the forwarding rule. Avoid assigning a static address that conflicts with the router’s DHCP pool unless you have deliberately planned the address ranges.
Allow the port through the host firewall
Create an inbound firewall rule for UDP 19132 on the server machine. If you enabled IPv6 with the documented default, allow UDP 19133 as well. The rule must apply to the network profile used by the server and should be limited to the required protocol and port rather than opening all inbound traffic.
When you change server-port, change the firewall rule to match. A TCP rule does not substitute for a UDP rule; Bedrock’s game traffic uses UDP.
Forward UDP traffic on a home router
- Sign in to the router’s administration interface.
- Open the section labelled Port Forwarding, NAT, Virtual Server, or a similar term.
- Create a rule for the public UDP port
19132. - Set the destination to the server’s reserved private IPv4 address.
- Set the internal destination port to
19132, unless BDS is configured differently. - Save or apply the rule, then confirm that it is enabled.
If your router separates external and internal ports, they can normally be the same. If you intentionally map a different external port, players must enter that external port and your DNS name does not conceal the difference.
Test from an external network. A test made from the same LAN can fail or appear to work because of the router’s hairpin-NAT behavior, so it is not a reliable substitute for an internet-side test.
Create the DNS record
Open the DNS editor at the registrar or authoritative DNS provider for your domain. Create a subdomain label such as play; the resulting fully qualified name is play.example.com.
| Record | Name or host | Value | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | play |
Your current public IPv4 address | Use for reachable IPv4 hosting. |
| AAAA | play |
Your public IPv6 address | Use only when IPv6 routing and firewall rules are working end to end. |
An A record maps a name to an IPv4 address; an AAAA record maps it to IPv6. Do not enter the private LAN address in either record. The value must be the public address visible from the internet.
Rank #3
- Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures.
- Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles.
- Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs.
- Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack;Compatible with Nintendo Switch only.
- Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes.
Some DNS panels automatically append your domain to the host field. If the panel expects only a label, enter play; if it expects a complete name, enter play.example.com. Follow the panel’s display convention so you do not accidentally create a duplicated name.
Choosing a DNS provider and understanding ongoing cost
You can usually manage the record at the company where the domain is registered, or delegate authoritative DNS to another service. For this use, compare authoritative DNS reliability, support for A and AAAA records, TTL controls, API access, and how easy it is to edit records. An API or dynamic-DNS feature can be useful if your residential IPv4 address changes, but it does not replace a reachable public endpoint.
The DNS record itself does not create a separate Bedrock charge. Your recurring costs are the domain registration, any paid DNS or dynamic-update service, and either the electricity, hardware, and internet service of self-hosting or the monthly price of a managed server. A managed plan may bundle backups and uptime features; a home server requires you to provide and maintain them. Compare total monthly cost, not only the advertised hosting price, and verify that the plan includes custom-domain support and UDP 19132.
Wait for DNS caches and verify the result
DNS changes are cached according to the record’s TTL. The old address can continue appearing until those caches expire, even after the authoritative record has been corrected. Keep the previous address noted while testing so you can distinguish stale DNS from a routing failure.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Use a DNS lookup utility from more than one network and confirm that:
- The A query returns the server’s current public IPv4 address.
- The AAAA query returns an address only if you intentionally configured IPv6.
- No obsolete address remains at the authoritative DNS provider.
DNS resolution proves only that the name maps to an address. It does not prove that UDP 19132 is reachable or that BDS is accepting connections.
Add the domain in Minecraft Bedrock
- Open Minecraft Bedrock and select Play.
- Open the Servers tab.
- Select Add Server.
- Enter a recognizable name in the server-name field.
- Enter
play.example.comin Server Address. - Enter
19132in Server Port, or the public port you deliberately configured. - Save the entry and select it to connect.
The hostname and port are separate fields. Entering the port in the hostname field, or leaving the port blank while using a non-default endpoint, can prevent a connection. Microsoft’s BDS instructions use this address-and-port workflow.
Rank #4
- Play and share with friends on console, mobile and Windows 10
- discover community creations in the new in-game store
- access new mini games and game modes through servers
Can an SRV record hide the Bedrock port?
DNS SRV records contain a service, protocol, priority, weight, port, and target. Microsoft documents how to create them as a general DNS feature. That documentation does not establish that ordinary Bedrock clients will use an SRV record for server discovery.
A Minecraft Feedback request discusses SRV support for Bedrock and identifies 19132 as the default port, but a feature request is not a compatibility guarantee. Current Bedrock hosting guidance generally treats SRV-based hiding of a non-default port as unsupported across ordinary clients.
For a connection method that works broadly, keep the server on UDP 19132 when possible and have players enter the port explicitly. Use an SRV-based setup only when the exact Bedrock client version and hosting service both document support and you have tested it from an external network. An SRV record cannot repair a blocked firewall or missing router forward.
Troubleshoot in the order the connection is built
The hostname does not resolve
- Check that the record was created in the domain’s authoritative DNS zone, not merely in a local hosts file.
- Confirm the label and domain spelling.
- Check the returned A or AAAA value against the current public address.
- Allow for the record’s TTL and cached old answers.
The hostname resolves, but the server is unreachable
- Confirm BDS is running and that
server.propertiescontains the intended port. - Confirm the host firewall allows UDP on that port.
- Confirm the router forwards the same public port to the server’s current private address.
- Test from outside the LAN.
- Check whether the ISP blocks inbound service or uses carrier-grade NAT.
The server worked before the router rebooted
The forwarding target probably changed. Restore the DHCP reservation or static LAN address, then update the router rule if necessary.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Players see “Outdated Client” or “Outdated Server”
DNS and port forwarding can be correct while the connection is rejected because the client and server protocol versions differ. Update the Bedrock client or server as appropriate and ensure every player is using a compatible release. Microsoft specifically warns that minor-version mismatches can produce these messages.
IPv6 users cannot connect
Remove the AAAA record temporarily unless IPv6 is fully configured. Verify that the IPv6 address belongs to the server, the router routes it to the host, the host firewall allows UDP 19133, and BDS is listening on server-portv6=19133. Publishing a broken AAAA record can send IPv6-capable clients to an unusable path even while IPv4 works.
Common setup pitfalls
- Pointing DNS at
192.168.x.x,10.x.x.x, or another private address instead of the public address. - Creating a TCP-only forward when the BDS port requires UDP.
- Forwarding to a machine whose private address changed after a reboot.
- Testing only from inside the home network and mistaking hairpin behavior for internet reachability.
- Adding an AAAA record before IPv6 routing and firewall rules are complete.
- Changing the BDS port but forgetting to change the router rule, firewall rule, or player instructions.
- Assuming DNS propagation can fix a stopped server, blocked port, or incompatible client version.
- Expecting an SRV record to hide a non-default port on clients that do not document SRV support.
Maintenance after the domain works
- Keep the private server address reserved so the NAT rule remains valid.
- Update the A record whenever your public IPv4 address changes. A dynamic-DNS updater can automate this if it is compatible with your DNS provider.
- Review firewall and router rules after changing the Bedrock port.
- Back up worlds and server configuration independently of the machine running BDS.
- Apply Bedrock server updates deliberately and test client compatibility before inviting players.
- Share the hostname and required port, not administrative credentials or router details.
The durable arrangement is straightforward: a DNS name points to a current public address, that address reaches the correct machine over UDP, and BDS is listening on the port players enter. Each layer can be checked independently, which makes future outages much easier to isolate.
Best Value
- The classic UNO card game builds fun on game night with a Minecraft theme.
- UNO Minecraft features a deck and storage tin decorated with graphics from the popular video game.
- Players match colors and numbers to the card on top of the discard pile as in the classic game.
- The Creeper card unique to this deck forces other players to draw 3 cards.
- Makes a great gift for kid, teen, adult and family game nights with 2 to 10 players ages 7 years and older, especially Minecraft and video game fans.
Frequently Asked Questions
What DNS record should I use for a Bedrock server?
Create an A record for a hostname such as play.example.com pointing to the server’s public IPv4 address. Add an AAAA record only when public IPv6 routing and firewall rules work end to end.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteCan I use a subdomain instead of an IP address?
Yes. Players can enter the subdomain in Bedrock’s Server Address field, but they normally still enter the server port separately.
What port does Bedrock Dedicated Server use?
The documented default is UDP 19132 for IPv4. The official IPv6 setting commonly uses UDP 19133.
Do I need to forward the port if I use a domain?
Yes for a self-hosted server. Forward the selected UDP port from the router to the server’s stable private address and allow it through the host firewall.
Why does my domain resolve but Minecraft still cannot connect?
DNS only maps the name to an address. Check that BDS is running, the firewall allows UDP, the router forwards to the correct machine, the ISP permits inbound traffic, and the client and server versions match.
Can an SRV record hide the Bedrock port?
Do not rely on SRV port hiding for ordinary Bedrock clients. Enter the port explicitly unless your exact client and hosting service document SRV support and you have tested it.
Should I publish an AAAA record?
Only if the server has a publicly routed IPv6 address, BDS is listening on the IPv6 port, and all relevant firewalls allow it. A broken AAAA record can direct IPv6-capable clients to an unusable path.
What should I compare when choosing managed hosting?
Check public-endpoint availability, custom-domain support, UDP 19132, IPv4 and IPv6 options, backups, uptime features, player capacity, and the complete recurring cost.
The Bottom Line
Create an A record for a memorable subdomain, keep BDS reachable on UDP 19132, allow and forward that port, and enter the hostname and port separately in Bedrock. Add IPv6 only when it is fully routed, and treat SRV port hiding as provider- and client-specific rather than guaranteed.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
