Minecraft wiki entry for Setting_up_a_server, associated text: An alternate way to set up a server between you and your friends is to set up a VPN (virtual private network). This method may be deemed unrecommended, and an inconvenience for many users due to the fact that all users who wish to connect to the server must download external software in order to join or create server. An alternative to this method is to port forward. A free software utility that can be used to set up a VPN is Hamachi by LogMeIn. OpenVPN is another (free, open source) alternative that supports most OSes, but is a bit more difficult to configure. Free Radmin VPN is another software with no need to register on the website and no limits per the number of users. The free version of Hamachi allows up to 5 connections (i.e. players).