--- title: "What does SMP mean in Minecraft? Explained in 1 minute" description: "SMP stands for Survival Multiplayer: a survival server where you play with other people. See how it works, famous examples and how to join or create your own." url: "https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft" type: "page" language: "en-US" --- Minecraft · 5 min · Beginner Published on Aug 20, 2026 · Updated on Aug 20, 2026 # What is an SMP in Minecraft? Everyone talks about SMPs, but few people explain them. Here you learn what the acronym means, how an SMP works in practice and what you need to join one or build your own. By [Equipe StreetHosting](https://streethosting.com.br/en/autores#equipe-streethosting) · StreetHosting infrastructure and support team [Community and game modes](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/topics/community) Summarize with: [](https://chat.openai.com/?q=Summarize%20the%20key%20points%20of%20this%20StreetHosting%20guide%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Fminecraft%2Fwhat-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft.%20Highlight%20the%20step-by-step%20instructions%2C%20the%20prerequisites%20and%20the%20most%20common%20mistakes. "ChatGPT") [](https://claude.ai/new?q=Summarize%20the%20key%20points%20of%20this%20StreetHosting%20guide%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Fminecraft%2Fwhat-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft.%20Highlight%20the%20step-by-step%20instructions%2C%20the%20prerequisites%20and%20the%20most%20common%20mistakes. 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"Perplexity") Share: [](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=What%20is%20an%20SMP%20in%20Minecraft%3F%20Meaning%20and%20how%20it%20works&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Fminecraft%2Fwhat-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft "Share on X") [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Fminecraft%2Fwhat-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft "Share on Facebook") [](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Fminecraft%2Fwhat-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft "Share on LinkedIn") [](https://wa.me/?text=What%20is%20an%20SMP%20in%20Minecraft%3F%20Meaning%20and%20how%20it%20works%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Fminecraft%2Fwhat-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft "Share on WhatsApp") For agents: Copy as Markdown [.md](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft.md) In this guide 6 sections * [What SMP means](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#significado) * [How an SMP works in practice](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#como-funciona) * [SMP vs other types of servers](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#smp-vs-outros-modos) * [Why SMPs became famous](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#smps-famosos) * [How to join an SMP](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#como-participar) * [How to create your own SMP](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#criar-seu-smp) Quick answer **SMP stands for Survival Multiplayer**. It is a Minecraft server in survival mode where several people play in the same world, each with their own base, and the appeal is the community: trading, alliances, events and stories that grow between players. It is not a mod or a special version of the game, just a shared survival server. ## What SMP means[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#significado) The acronym comes from **Survival Multiplayer**. In Minecraft's early years, the game split its modes into SSP (Survival Single Player, survival on your own) and SMP (survival on a server, with other people). The term SSP fell out of use, but SMP stuck and became the standard name for group survival servers. Over time, the meaning got more specific. Today, when someone says SMP, they are almost always talking about a **closed or semi-open survival community**: a group of friends, members of a Discord or followers of a content creator playing together in the same world for weeks or months. ## How an SMP works in practice[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#como-funciona) An SMP is a normal survival world, just persistent and shared. The server stays online even when you log off, so the world keeps evolving with the other players. On a day-to-day basis, an SMP usually has: * **Individual or group bases:** each player or team builds in a region of the map. * **A player economy:** shops, item trades and currencies created by the community itself or by plugins. * **House rules:**no stealing, no destroying other people's builds and no killing without a prior agreement. Many SMPs use protection plugins to enforce this. * **Events:** group dragon hunts, building contests, agreed-upon wars and community parties. * **Whitelist:** most SMPs are closed. Only approved people get in, which keeps the community healthy. An SMP doesn't require plugins or mods. A pure vanilla world with a whitelist is already a complete SMP. Protection and economy plugins are optional and come in as the community grows. ## SMP vs other types of servers[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#smp-vs-outros-modos) | Type | Focus | Example use | | ------------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | | SMP | Community survival | A group of friends playing in the same world for months | | Minigames | Quick matches | BedWars, SkyWars, races and PvP arenas | | Anarchy | Survival with no rules | Anything goes, including griefing and stealing | | Roleplay (RP) | Playing characters | Cities, professions and scripted stories | | Creative | Free building | Individual plots with unlimited resources | The core difference is the pace: minigames are matches that start and end, while an SMP is a continuous world where your progress is saved and the community's story builds up. ## Why SMPs became famous[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#smps-famosos) The format exploded with content creator SMPs. Series like Hermitcraft and the Dream SMP showed that a group of YouTubers playing in the same world produces stories, rivalries and moments that feed months of videos. In Brazil, the same format showed up in streamer projects and in thousands of smaller SMPs run by Discord communities. That explains why so many people search for the term: watching an SMP makes you want one of your own. And the good news is that setting up an SMP for your group is much simpler than it looks. ## How to join an SMP[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#como-participar) * **An invite from friends:** the most common route. Someone in the group creates the server and shares the IP. * **Discord communities:** many Brazilian servers advertise open slots with a whitelist application form. * **Creator SMPs:** some open applications to subscribers and channel members. To join, all you need is Minecraft on the same version as the server and the IP. If you have never done this, see [how to connect to a server by IP](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/connect-to-minecraft-server-by-ip). ## How to create your own SMP[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#criar-seu-smp) You need three things: a server that stays online 24/7, a whitelist with the friends you approved and rules agreed on with the group. Running it on your own PC doesn't work well, because the world goes down whenever you shut the machine off, and on an SMP people play at different times. * Start with the step-by-step on [how to create a Minecraft server](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/how-to-create-a-minecraft-server). * Turn on the whitelist by following the guide on [whitelist and operators](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-whitelist-setup). * When the community grows, read the complete guide to [SMPs for communities in Brazil](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-smp-server-community-brazil). [Minecraft Fácil](https://streethosting.com.br/en/minecraft-facil) even has a plan called SMP, designed for exactly this format: up to 16 players, unlimited mods and plugins and a server in São Paulo. The plan comparison is in [Party, Plus, SMP and Pro: what's the difference](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-hosting-plans-compared). In this guide * [What SMP means](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#significado) * [How an SMP works in practice](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#como-funciona) * [SMP vs other types of servers](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#smp-vs-outros-modos) * [Why SMPs became famous](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#smps-famosos) * [How to join an SMP](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#como-participar) * [How to create your own SMP](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/what-does-smp-mean-in-minecraft#criar-seu-smp) ## Frequently asked questions What does the acronym SMP stand for? SMP stands for Survival Multiplayer. It is a Minecraft server in survival mode where several people play together in the same world. Is an SMP a mod, or do I need to download something? No. An SMP is not a mod or a special version of the game. It is just a shared survival server. You join with regular Minecraft using the server IP. What is the difference between an SMP and a regular survival server? Technically none: every SMP is a survival server. In practice, SMP has become the name for closed or semi-open communities focused on community life, builds and stories between players, rather than minigames. Do I have to pay to play on an SMP? To play, no. The server owner pays for the hosting. If you want to create your own SMP, then you do need hosting that stays online 24/7. How many people play on an SMP? It varies a lot. SMPs among friends usually have 5 to 20 players. Content creator SMPs can go past 30. What matters is sizing your hosting for the peak of players online. Next step Create a Minecraft server Simple plans for beginners, with activation within 60 seconds, Anti-DDoS and support in Portuguese. [Create a Minecraft server](https://streethosting.com.br/en/minecraft-facil) [Minecraft plans Compare Minecraft hosting options in Brazil.](https://streethosting.com.br/en/minecraft) ## Related guides [Minecraft Beginner Minecraft SMP server in Brazil: how to build and keep a real community A successful SMP in Brazil does not come from hardware alone: it comes from a steady communication rhythm, clear rules and a sense of belonging. This guide ties community culture to the technical choices that keep the project from dying early. 5 min Read guide](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-smp-server-community-brazil) [Minecraft Beginner Minecraft Party, Plus, SMP and Pro: what is the difference? Four simple options in Minecraft Fácil. This guide mirrors what is on the site: Party for vanilla with friends, Plus for light mods, SMP for communities and Pro for big projects. 4 min Read guide](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/minecraft-hosting-plans-compared) [Minecraft Beginner How to create a Minecraft server from scratch (step by step) This guide lays out server creation in a logical order: picking the right resources, launching the jar, accepting the EULA, pointing a domain, setting up the world and inviting players safely. 6 min Read guide](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/minecraft/how-to-create-a-minecraft-server) [← Back to the Guide Center](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides)