# Welcome to Beacon Hosting

> What Beacon Hosting gives you, where everything lives, and how to get help. Start here if you're new.

Source: https://www.beaconhosting.org/knowledgebase/welcome-to-beacon-hosting
Category: Getting Started
Last updated: 2026-10-18

Welcome to Beacon Hosting. This page walks you through what you get with every server, where to find things, and how to reach us.

## What's included on every paid plan

- **Your own resources.** The RAM and CPU you choose at checkout are reserved for your server. Player slots aren't capped.
- **NVMe storage.** Your server's disk is sized to your plan.
- **Backups.** Every paid plan has backup slots. Create and restore backups from the control panel at no extra cost.
- **DDoS protection.** Filtering sits in front of your Minecraft ports on every plan. See [DDoS Protection](/knowledgebase/ddos-protection).
- **One price.** The price you see at checkout is your renewal price. It doesn't jump after the first cycle.

## Where everything lives

There are two places you'll use most.

**The control panel** ([Panel](/servers)) is where you run your servers:

| Page | What it's for |
| --- | --- |
| Console | Start, stop and restart, and send commands |
| Files | Edit configs, upload worlds and plugins |
| Package Manager | Install mods, plugins and CurseForge or Modrinth modpacks |
| Backups | Create and restore backups |
| Network | Your server's address and ports |
| Users | Give friends or staff access to your server |
| Schedules | Automatic restarts, backups and commands |
| Startup | Server version and startup settings |
| Settings | Server name and SFTP details |

**Billing** ([Billing](/billing)) is where you manage what you pay for: your services, invoices, payment method and renewal, and support tickets.

## Your first steps

1. Pick a plan and a location in the [store](/store). See [Deploy Your First Server](/knowledgebase/deploy-your-first-server) for a walkthrough.
2. Once it's live, open the server from the [panel](/servers) and press **Start**.
3. Copy the address from the **Network** page and join.

> [!TIP]
> Press **⌘K** (or **Ctrl+K** on Windows) anywhere on the site to search guides, pages and your servers.

## Getting help

- **Guides:** this knowledge base covers setup, mods, backups and billing.
- **Support tickets:** open one from [Support tickets](/billing/tickets). We aim to reply within 4 hours on business days (Monday to Friday, UK time).
- **Community:** ask other players and our team on [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/eueNrZMpvD).

When you open a ticket, include your server's name and what you were trying to do. It helps us fix things faster.