Minecraft 26.2 is the latest release, and it raised the bar under the hood: the server now requires Java 25 or newer. On most hosts that means a crashing server and a support ticket — the classic “Unsupported class file major version” or a server that simply won’t boot on the old Java 21 runtime.
We fixed that for you. ShadowNode now ships the Java 25 runtime, and the correct Java version is selected automatically based on the Minecraft version you run. No config files, no Docker images to pick — you choose the version, we match the runtime.
How to switch: open your console, go to the Server Versions tab, and pick the ★ Latest (26.2) card. Your server reinstalls in about a minute; your world and plugins are kept. Prefer to start fresh? You can also select 26.2 right in the setup wizard when you order a new Minecraft server.
Already uploaded a newer server.jar by hand because your old panel maxed out at 1.21.4? You no longer need to — selecting 26.2 pulls the official build on the right runtime. If you want to keep a custom jar instead, contact support and we’ll switch only the Java runtime for you without touching your files.
As always: no KYC, unlimited player slots on every plan, and your clean yourname.shadownodehosting address stays exactly the same.