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Minecraft Server Behind DS-Lite or CGNAT: How to Host It Anyway

Port forwarding does not work on DS-Lite or CGNAT connections, which many cable, fibre and mobile providers in Europe use. How to check yours and host a Minecraft server for free anyway.

You open port 25565 on your router, and your friends still cannot join. In many cases the port forwarding is fine. The problem is that your internet provider never gives your router a public IPv4 address of its own. This is the case on DS-Lite and CGNAT connections, which are used by several cable, fibre and mobile providers in Europe.

How to check which one you have

  1. Open your router's status page and look at the WAN IPv4 address.
  2. Open a "what is my IP" site on a device in your network and compare. If the two IPv4 addresses differ, or the router's address starts with 100.64 to 100.127, 10. or 192.168., you are behind CGNAT.
  3. If your router shows no IPv4 address at all but an IPv6 one, or its status page says DS-Lite, you are on DS-Lite.

What still works

MethodWorks on DS-Lite / CGNAT?Notes
Port forwarding (IPv4)NoIncoming IPv4 never reaches your router
Direct IPv6SometimesNeeds IPv6 on you and on every player
Virtual LAN (Hamachi, ZeroTier, Tailscale)YesEvery player must install it and sign up
A relay (VoxelPort)YesPlayers need nothing installed; your PC connects out
Paid hostingYesCosts money every month

The free fix with VoxelPort

A relay does not need an incoming connection. Your PC connects out to the relay, which every connection type allows, and the relay hands players a public address. VoxelPort has a relay in Europe, so ping stays low for friends nearby.

Get VoxelPort from the Microsoft Store (Windows 10 and 11), download the Windows installer directly (if Windows warns, click More info → Run anyway), or get the Linux build from GitHub. It's free, open source, and needs no account.

  1. Create or import a server in the app and start it.
  2. Click Make public and copy the address.
  3. Friends paste it into Multiplayer → Add Server.
There is no need to change anything in your router, and you do not need to call your provider to ask for a public IP address. The Europe guide explains the region setting.

Questions

What is DS-Lite?

Dual-Stack Lite gives your connection an IPv6 address and a shared IPv4 address that is used by many customers at once. Incoming IPv4 connections cannot reach your router, so port forwarding for IPv4 does not work.

What is CGNAT?

Carrier-grade NAT means your provider shares one public IPv4 address between many customers. Like DS-Lite, it blocks incoming IPv4 connections. It is also very common on mobile internet.

Can I just use IPv6 instead?

Only if every player also has IPv6, and many do not. A relay works for players on both IPv4 and IPv6, because they connect to the relay, not to your home connection.

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