A Minecraft server that doesn't sleep
Every Cobbly free server sleeps after a few idle minutes and wakes when someone connects. For a small server between friends that is invisible. For some servers it is not — and for those, Cobbly is built to hand off cleanly to a paid Spawnly plan that stays on.
When sleeping gets in the way
- A public or community server people expect to be online at any hour.
- Anything that needs to keep running while nobody is connected — a redstone clock, a long world pre-generation, a proxy or bot.
- A big modpack that takes a minute or more to boot every time it wakes.
- Ten or more regulars, where the server is rarely idle long enough to sleep but the first wake of the day is still a wait.
Why the free tier sleeps
Free servers share hardware. Sleeping is what lets one machine host many servers — an idle server hands its slot back so an active one can use it. Take sleeping away and the free tier could not be free. That is the trade, and it is the same one every free host makes.
Moving to an always-on server
The panel has a one-click clone that copies your world, mods and settings into a paid Spawnly server — more memory, more storage, no sleeping, no queue. Your free server keeps running until you delete it, so if the paid plan is not for you, nothing is lost. It is the same panel and the same account on both sides.
Free vs paid
| Feature | Cobbly free | Spawnly paid |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeps when idle | Yes | No — always on |
| Queue when busy | Yes | No |
| Memory | 3 GB | More, by plan |
| Storage | 10 GB | More, by plan |
| Price | Free | Paid monthly |
| Control panel | Full Spawnly panel | Same panel |
| Switching | One-click clone to paid | Reversible — free server stays |
Questions
Can a Cobbly free server stay on 24/7?
No. Free servers sleep after 5 minutes with nobody online, and that wait is fixed. An always-on server is a paid Spawnly plan.
Does my world move to the paid server?
Yes — the clone copies your world, installed mods or modpack, and your server.properties. You reconnect at the new address and carry on.
Is it reversible?
Yes. The clone is a copy, not a move. Your free server keeps running until you delete it, so you can compare the two and decide.
How fast does a sleeping server wake?
Usually under a minute. The first boot of a version or a big modpack on a fresh machine takes longer because it has to be downloaded first.
Start free, upgrade if you need to
Most servers never need to. Create a free Cobbly server and move up only if sleeping gets in your way.