Create servers perfect for exploration, cartography, and adventure gameplay where players can map unknown territories together.
Creating maps in Minecraft requires specific materials and a straightforward crafting process:
Materials Needed:
• 8 Paper (crafted from 3 sugarcane each, so 24 sugarcane total)
• 1 Compass (crafted with 4 iron ingots and 1 redstone dust)
• Crafting table for the 3x3 recipe
Crafting Process:
1. Gather sugarcane - Find it near water sources in most biomes
2. Craft paper - Make 8 paper from sugarcane (3 sugarcane = 3 paper)
3. Create a compass - Combine 4 iron ingots with 1 redstone dust
4. Arrange in crafting table - Place compass in center, surround with 8 paper
5. Result - One empty map ready for exploration
Pro Tip: Empty maps can be crafted without the compass for cheaper map-making, but they won't show your location marker when used.
Configure world generation, biome distribution, and exploration settings to create perfect conditions for mapping adventures and cartography projects.
Take a look at our live demo control panel
PebbleHost now supports any modpack with our modpack installer.
Our system automatically handles client-side mod filtering and builds directly from source, giving you unlimited compatibility with modpacks from CurseForge, FTB, Modrinth and more.
Select any modpack from any platform or build your own custom configuration
Our system automatically filters client-side mods and builds a server pack for you.
Your server is ready to play within minutes with optimal settings and the modpack of your choce!
Once crafted, maps become powerful tools for navigation and world documentation:
First Use: Right-click with an empty map to initialize it, creating a Level 0 map covering a 128x128 block area around your current position.
Map Expansion: Combine your map with 8 paper in a crafting table to create a larger Level 1 map covering 256x256 blocks. This can be repeated up to Level 4.
Map Copying: Place an empty map next to a completed map in a crafting table to create identical copies for sharing with other players.
Cartography Table: Use this specialized block for advanced map operations like locking maps to prevent changes and creating banner markers.
Map Walls: Place maps in item frames to create large-scale map displays showing vast areas of your world.
Many servers feature community map rooms where players contribute to massive collaborative mapping projects, documenting entire continents and sharing discoveries. Our hosting supports large map data files and smooth rendering for extensive cartography projects.
Strategic Exploration
Plan mapping expeditions to cover maximum territory efficiently, using boats for ocean mapping and elytra for aerial surveys.
Banner Markers
Use banners as map markers by right-clicking maps on placed banners, creating custom waypoints for important locations.
Map Libraries
Organize maps by region and zoom level, creating comprehensive atlases of your server's world for navigation and planning.
Collaborative Mapping
Coordinate with other players to map different regions simultaneously, sharing copied maps to build complete territorial knowledge.
Map-making thrives on servers that encourage exploration, discovery, and community collaboration. Whether you're running a survival server where players chart unknown territories, an adventure server with hidden treasures to map, or a creative server focused on large-scale cartography projects, our hosting provides the performance needed for extensive map generation and storage.
Our hosting ensures smooth chunk generation during exploration, reliable map data persistence, and stable performance even when players are creating massive map walls or sharing dozens of map copies. Create servers where cartography becomes a central community activity that drives exploration and brings players together around shared geographical knowledge.
If you own your own domain from a Domain Registrar such as Namecheap or Google Domains, you can set it up by following our guide on setting up DNS records.
All servers have the ability to make a free subdomain ending in .my.pebble.host through their gamepanel.
Our Premium hosting uses the faster Ryzen 7900 CPU, which means it's able to handle higher playercounts and more intensive servers than on Budget. The 5x faster NVMe SSDs improve chunk loading speeds, and the extra features such as free automatic backups and automatic one-click modpack installations allow peace of mind and save time setting up your server.
No, none of our services require port forwarding. The Minecraft server is hosted on our own computers in a datacenter so we handle all of the networking aspects for you. If you require an extra port to use for plugins such as Votifier or Dynmap this can be added in one click inside of our gamepanel
Our billing system instantly provisions orders as soon as the payment receives. This means that, as long as you use a payment method which works instantly such as PayPal Balance or Credit/Debit Card, you should receive the service within a few minutes.
It's possible the order details might go to your Spam folder so make sure to check that!
This means that you can use as much space as you need for your server as long as you follow our Fair Usage Policy which essentially states that any files on the server must be essential to the server's operation.
All PebbleHost services come with full access to all server files. This means you can upload any custom modpacks or JAR files you wish to use, through our gamepanel.
To use a custom JAR file, just select any version at purchase then inside of your gamepanel you will be able to choose the "Custom JAR" option.
Yes, all plans include a free MySQL Database which can be used with plugins such as LuckPerms, Dynmap, CoreProtect, Litebans etc. Additional databases are charged at $1/database/month and can be enabled in your gamepanel under the "MySQL Database" page.
We operate in a number of datacenters around the world for the best possible ping. Note that locations marked Premium are only available on Premium plans.
Empty maps are crafted with just 8 paper and show terrain but no player position marker. Locator maps include a compass in the recipe and display a white dot showing your current location on the map.
Both types function identically for mapping terrain, but locator maps provide the crucial navigation feature of showing where you are relative to mapped areas.
Maps can be expanded 4 times total, from Level 0 (128x128 blocks) up to Level 4 (2048x2048 blocks). Each expansion requires 8 paper and doubles the map coverage area.
Higher level maps show larger areas but with less detail, so choose expansion levels based on whether you need detailed local information or broad regional coverage.
Yes, you can copy maps by placing an empty map next to a completed map in a crafting table. This creates an identical copy that updates simultaneously with the original when new areas are explored.
Map sharing is essential for collaborative exploration projects and allows teams to coordinate mapping efforts across large server worlds.
Map walls are created by placing maps in item frames arranged in grids. Adjacent maps automatically align to show continuous terrain coverage when properly positioned.
Large map walls can display entire continents and serve as impressive community navigation centers on multiplayer servers.
For servers emphasizing mapping and exploration, ensure adequate world generation for diverse terrain to map, provide community areas for map sharing and collaboration, create exploration challenges and mapping competitions, maintain stable performance for chunk generation during expeditions, and establish guidelines for collaborative mapping projects and territorial documentation.