How Friends Join Your Game Server (IP:Port on GlassHosting)

What “IP:port” actually means

When a friend asks “what’s the server address?”, they usually need two pieces from your GlassHosting game panel: the public IP and the game port. Written together they look like 203.0.113.10:25565 — that is IP:port. The IP is the datacenter address of your service. The port is the door your game listens on. Share both, exactly as the panel shows them.

Home Wi‑Fi addresses like 192.168.x.x or 10.0.x.x only work on the same house network. Friends on cellular or another city cannot reach those. Glass Gaming — powered by GlassHosting — publishes a public IP so you do not invent home router port forwards. Background: CGNAT explained and when to leave home PC hosting.

Where to copy IP and port in the panel

Sign in at panel.glasshosting.com and open the service your friends will join.
Confirm the process is running (Start first if it is stopped). A stopped server has no door to knock on.
Copy the allocated public IP and the primary game port shown for that service. Some games also list a query or RCON port — friends almost never need those for a normal join.
Paste into chat as IP:port (example shape only: 203.0.113.10:25565). Prefer a DM or private friends channel for a private world.

New to the panel console, files, and safe restarts? Skim the game panel beginner guide.

Minecraft Java: Direct Connect

Friend opens Minecraft Java → Multiplayer → Direct Connection (or Add Server).
Server Address field: paste the full IP:port from the panel. If the panel uses the default Java port and the UI accepts a bare IP, bare IP can work — but sharing IP:port removes guesswork.
Version must match what the server runs (vanilla, Paper, Folia, modded loaders). A 1.21 client cannot quietly join a mismatched pack.
Bedrock / Geyser paths are separate; share the Bedrock port the panel lists if that is how friends connect, not the Java port by habit.

First-week checklist for a fresh world: first Minecraft server checklist. Uploading an existing world: upload your Minecraft world.

Other Glass Gaming titles (same idea)

Most dedicated games follow the same pattern: panel IP + the game’s join port.

Valheim — friends join with the public IP and Valheim UDP port from the panel; password if you set one. Hub: Valheim dedicated server.
Enshrouded — share IP and game/query ports the panel lists; role passwords stay private. Hub: Enshrouded dedicated server.
BeamMP / BeamNG.drive — BeamMP client + Direct Connect or server list using panel IP and port; AuthKey stays on the host side. Hub: BeamMP dedicated server.
Palworld, Rust, Hytale, and others — always copy what your service allocation shows. Do not reuse a Minecraft port from a different service, and do not guess Steam query ports from a forum screenshot.

Common mistakes that look like “it doesn’t work”

Sharing a home LAN or VPN overlay address instead of the panel public IP.
Server still installing or stopped when friends try to join.
Wrong port (query/RCON/SFTP instead of the game port).
Version / mod pack mismatch (especially Minecraft and BeamMP client/server pairs).
Friend on the wrong product (Java vs Bedrock) or missing the game’s multiplayer client (BeamMP).
Private / password / allowlist settings that block strangers — expected for a friends-only world; tell them the password or whitelist their gamertag.

Smoke-test before you announce

You (or one trusted friend) join successfully with the same IP:port string you will paste to the group.
Confirm spawn / character create works and the session feels normal for a minute.
Only then post join details to the full friends channel.

If the smoke-test fails: stop → check console for errors → confirm IP and game port → Start again → retry with one person. Avoid rapid restart loops.

Privacy and hygiene

Prefer a private Discord/group chat over a public server list when the world is friends-only.
Rotate passwords or AuthKeys if they were pasted in a public channel.
Do not post panel passwords, SFTP credentials, or API tokens in chat.
After big content drops, take a named panel backup before the next party night — habit guide: backups before mods.

Related guides

MSP note

GlassHosting runs always-on Glass Gaming capacity with a clear public IP and published ports so friends join from anywhere—without turning your living-room PC into the network path. Order or manage plans at billing.glasshosting.com; day-to-day ops at panel.glasshosting.com.