Hosting Basics
Game server hosting explained: how much RAM and CPU you need, ports and port forwarding, ping, storage, backups, logs, mods and growing a player base.
How to Get Players for Your Game Server
Honest ways to grow a game server community: server lists, Discord, a clear pitch, a good first five minutes, and habits that keep players coming back.
4 min read · community, players, advertising · Updated Sep 23, 2026
Mods vs Plugins vs Modpacks vs Datapacks
What mods, plugins, modpacks, datapacks and addons are, who has to install each one, and which kinds your game and server software can run.
5 min read · mods, plugins, modpacks · Updated Sep 23, 2026
How to Read Server Logs and Crash Reports
Find the line that matters in a game server log: log levels, stack traces, the first-error rule, and where logs and crash reports live in your panel.
5 min read · logs, crash report, stack trace · Updated Sep 23, 2026
How Often Should You Back Up a Game Server?
A simple backup plan for game servers: how often to back up for your activity level, how many copies to keep, the 3-2-1 rule and testing restores.
4 min read · backups, backup schedule, 3-2-1 rule · Updated Sep 23, 2026
How to Test Your Ping Before Picking a Location
Measure latency with ping and traceroute on Windows or macOS, understand what the numbers mean, and choose the right GuavaHost location.
5 min read · ping, latency, traceroute · Updated Sep 23, 2026
Signs Your Game Server Is Running Out of RAM
How to spot a game server that is short on memory: out-of-memory crashes, garbage collection freezes, swap and the log lines to look for, then what to do.
4 min read · ram, out of memory, oom · Updated Sep 23, 2026
NVMe vs SSD vs HDD: Does Storage Matter for Servers?
How NVMe, SATA SSDs and hard drives differ, which game server tasks storage speed actually affects, and when it makes no difference at all.
4 min read · nvme, ssd, hdd · Updated Sep 23, 2026
How Many Players Can My Game Server Handle?
Player capacity comes down to the game's own cap, how much work the CPU finishes each tick, memory and bandwidth. How to estimate each one.
4 min read · players, capacity, max players · Updated Sep 23, 2026
How to Choose a Game Server Host: A Checklist
A neutral checklist for comparing game server hosts: hardware, locations, panel access, backups, DDoS protection, support, billing and refunds.
4 min read · choosing a host, checklist, game server hosting · Updated Sep 23, 2026
What Is a Dedicated Game Server?
A dedicated server runs the game world on its own, with no player hosting it. How it compares to peer-to-peer, listen servers, LAN and subscription worlds.
4 min read · dedicated server, listen server, peer-to-peer · Updated Sep 23, 2026
TCP vs UDP: Game Server Ports Explained
What TCP and UDP are, why most games use UDP, and the default ports for Minecraft, Rust, ARK, Palworld, Valheim, CS2 and more.
5 min read · tcp, udp, ports · Updated Sep 23, 2026
Port Forwarding Explained (and Why Hosts Skip It)
What port forwarding is, how to set it up for a home game server, why it fails behind CGNAT, and why a rented server never needs it.
4 min read · port forwarding, router, nat · Updated Sep 23, 2026
Hosting a Game Server at Home vs Renting One
The real trade-offs of running a game server on your own PC versus renting one: upload speed, uptime, power cost, your home IP and hardware.
5 min read · self-hosting, home server, dedicated server · Updated Sep 23, 2026
CPU vs RAM: What Makes a Game Server Fast?
RAM decides how much a server can hold, the CPU decides how fast it can think. Why single-core speed matters most and when extra cores help.
5 min read · cpu, ram, performance · Updated Sep 23, 2026
How Much RAM Do You Need for a Game Server?
What RAM actually does on a game server, a per-game table to size from, what pushes the number up, and how to tell if you picked too little or too much.
6 min read · ram, memory, server hosting · Updated Sep 23, 2026