Starting a Minecraft server is easier than you think. You need three things: a hosting provider, a plan that fits your player count, and about 60 seconds.
For a small group of friends (2–5 players), the Dirt plan ($1.99/mo, 1 GB RAM) is perfect. For 10–20 players, go with Iron ($5.99/mo, 3 GB). For a public server, Diamond or higher.
With Lyrebird Hosting, deployment is automatic. After purchase you get an IP address and port within 60 seconds. No configuration needed.
Open Minecraft → Multiplayer → Add Server → paste your IP:port → Done.
Go to your control panel → Plugins tab → search for EssentialsX → Install. Restart your server and you're done.
Your server is live. Share the IP with your friends and start playing.