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Minecraft Domain Redirection: A Guide to Hiding Ports and Setting Up Subdomains with SRV Records

Minecraft Domain Redirection: Guide to Hiding Port and Setting Up Subdomain with SRV Record

If you have set up a Minecraft server and want players to join your server by simply typing mc.yourdomain.com instead of mc.yourdomain.com:25565, then the SRV record is for you. With this method, you can hide the port number and make your subdomain more professional and user-friendly.

In this guide, we explain step by step what an SRV record is, how it is configured for Minecraft, and how it is implemented in common DNS providers.

What is an SRV Record?

SRV (Service Record) is a type of DNS record that specifies which server and port a service will be directed to. Since Minecraft Java Edition supports this type of record, connections can be made via a special subdomain such as mc.yourdomain.com, hiding the IP:Port information.

⚙️ Advantages of Minecraft SRV Record

• Allows access to your server via subdomain instead of IP:port (e.g., play.yourdomain.com)

• Eliminates the need to type the port number

• Makes your brand and server name look professional

️ Required Preliminary Information

You will need the following information to create an SRV record:

• Server's IP address (e.g., 123.123.123.123)

• Server's port (e.g., 25565)

• DNS management of your domain (Cloudflare, cPanel Zone Editor, Namecheap, etc.)

Step-by-Step Minecraft SRV Record Creation

1. Create an A Record

First, you need to create an A record for the subdomain. This record redirects to the server's IP address.

Record Type: A

• Name: mc (or play)

• Value: 123.123.123.123 (server IP)

2. Create an SRV Record

The SRV record defines the port and service type.

Record Type: SRV

• Service: _minecraft

• Protocol: _tcp

• Name: play (subdomain that users will connect to)

• Target: mc.yourdomain.com. (must match the A record)

• Port: 25565

• Priority: 0

• Weight: 5

• TTL: 3600

Example Cloudflare DNS Image:

Check and Test

1. Open Minecraft

2. Enter play.yourdomain.com in the server address field

3. Test the connection

If the connection fails:

• Is the name part of the A record and SRV record correct?

• The dot at the end of the SRV record may have been forgotten (mc.yourdomain.com. is the correct format)

• Is the DNS propagation time complete? (It may take a few minutes to 24 hours)

Common Errors and Solutions

• Unable to connect to the server: If there is no A record or the target IP is incorrect, a connection cannot be established.

• Subdomain is not working: It will not work if the name of the SRV record is not written correctly. E.g.: _minecraft._tcp.play

• Port continues to appear: If players connected with IP + port, it may remain this way due to DNS caching.

Conclusion

Connecting to your Minecraft server with an SRV record is advantageous both technically and in terms of branding. Providing an address like play.yourdomain.com instead of an IP makes your server more accessible and professional. All you have to do is enter the correct A and SRV records.

This process is especially recommended for multiplayer servers, modded systems, and servers using custom launchers.