This tutorial will show you the steps to setting up a Minecraft server on your mac at home. Running your own server is great because it’s free (besides internet costs) and you’re in charge! I’ll demonstrate the correct way to run your server, set up your router and firewall, and troubleshoot common problems.
Check it out: Minecraft is an awesome game by Mojang AB. This site (serversetup.tv) is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Minecraft or Mojang AB.
This guide is for a hosting regular (vanilla) Minecraft server. If you want to create a server using a server mod the steps are identical, just use your mod jar file instead. Not sure? Don’t worry just keep reading everything is explained below.
If you already have placed the shader pack inside 'shaderpacks' folder in the.minecraft folder then you'll have to start up Minecraft 1.8.9 and then join a singleplayer or multiplayer world. Press 'ESC' on your keyboard after you joined the single- or multiplayer world. A menu will pop up with an option called: 'Options'.
View, comment, download and edit tiger Minecraft skins. Minecraft is a type of sandbox video game that has been created by Markus 'Notch' Persson. The game is developed by Mojang Studios and was officially released in the year 2011. After the release, the game became a super hit and sold around 200 million copies across all platforms.
Watch the video below to see exactly how this is done. Lots of extra details can be found in the text.
Requirements and suggestions for starting a Minecraft server on your Mac
- A newer version of Mac OS (minecraft.net notes that the server crashes in version 10.4 — Lion is 10.7)
- An up to date version of Java (just run software update)
- 1GB of RAM or more recommended (minimum)
- Higher speed internet connection (this is usually the limiting factor in determining the maximum number of players you can have)
How many players will I be able to host?
Under normal circumstances determining the maximum numbers of players that could be handled by one server would involve several factors. However, when hosting a game server at home it’s usually your internet speed that will restrict the maximum number of players you can have. Most internet providers will advertise fast downloads but have a much — much — lower upload speed. Too bad, upload speed is essential for running a good server.
Upload speed is usually measured in megabits per second (Mbits/sec, Mbps, Mb/s). Don’t confuse this with megabytes per second, a bit is eight times smaller than a byte.
Use an online tool like speedtest.net to find your connection speed. Connection speed can vary depending on the time and day according to the internet usage patterns of others so run the test at a few different times.
Once you know your connection speed use the table below to determine how many players you can have, a good rule of thumb is three players per megabit/second of upload bandwidth. These are uploads speeds not downloads speeds! (Usually an ISP will only advertise download speeds prominently because they are much higher.)
Upload Speed (Mbps) | Suggested Number of Players | Typical ISP Package |
---|---|---|
0.5 | 2 | Light or Regular |
1 | 3 | Regular or Ultimate Internet |
2 | 6 | Extreme or Performance Internet |
4 | 12 | Extreme Internet II |
6 | 18 | Extreme Internet III |
10 | 30 | Extreme Internet IV |
If you’re lucky enough to be on the upper end of internet speeds then other factors like available RAM and CPU may be limiting the maximum number of players that can enjoy your Minecraft server.
Consider the amount of RAM you can assign to the server. If you have a small number of players assigning 80 to 120 megabytes per players should keep your server running quickly. Larger servers can get away with less memory per player because two or more players standing in the same spot will require fewer map chunks to be loaded into memory. For larger server 50 megabytes per player may be sufficient.
Minecraft server hosting companies will typically provide 50 megabytes per player slot.
Getting the Minecraft server
- The Minecraft server is written in Java. Java applications are typically bundled and distributed in Java Archive (JAR) files.
- Go to minecraft.net/download and download the latest minecraft_server.jar file
- Open the folder where you downloaded the minecraft_server.jar
- If your web browser renamed the file for any reason restore the name to minecraft_server.jar
- Make a folder to start your server in and place the jar file in the folder. When the server starts it will create several new files and a world directory so it’s best to keep it all together in a new folder.
Starting the Minecraft server
- Before starting your server make sure your Java is up to date. Just run the software update located under the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen.
- With Java up to date you only need to issue a command to Java telling it to run the Minecraft Server jar file. The command must be entered directly into the terminal (command line) or by setting up a script to execute in the command line. In the guide I’ll use the terminal, it’s simple, relax.
- Open the terminal program located under:
- Applications/Utilites
- A new terminal window will open in your home directory
- Now change to the directory where you placed your minecraft_server.jar file. I moved mine to downloads/minecraft, so I’ll go there now by typing this command:
- cd downloads/minecraft
- Start the server using this command:
- java -Xms1G -Xmx1G -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui
- The parameters -Xms and -Xmx describe the minimum and maximum amount of memory, respectively, that the jar file can use. It was set in gigabytes (G) but could also be set in megabytes (M) and you should set it according to the number of players you expect to have.
Test your Minecraft server
- If the terminal window filled with INFO and WARNING messages then your server started and should be running correctly. Don’t worry about the WARNING messages, these are normal the first time you start a new Minecraft server
- Open the Minecraft game and click Multiplayer, then Add server
- Enter 127.0.0.1 as the server address. This is the address of your loopback adapter, your computer will now try to connect to itself. You should find your new server in working order, if it’s not don’t give up yet something could be blocking your loopback connection. This is not the address you’ll connect with later, this is just a test.
You’ll have to continue reading below and do some simple network setup before your friends can connect.
Set your router and firewall to allow your friends to connect
Two things may be standing in the way of your friends connecting to your server: your router, and your firewall. I say may because newer macs don’t have the firewall on by default. We’ll deal with the router first. Although there are many different makes of router you’ll do the same configuration in almost all cases. If you use a different router than I did please share the specific instructions in the comments along with your router make and model.
You’ll need to gather some specific information about your network (steps below): the IP of your computer, the IP of your router, and eventually your public IP.
If your setup asks later, here’s what you know for sure: the server port is 25565, and TCP is the protocol to use (UDP is typically used for gaming, but not Minecraft. If you still have problems you can always try both). If you don’t understand yet, you soon will.
- Find the IP address of your computer. This is your local IP address on your network, not your public IP address on the internet (how your router sees your computer). Locate this address by clicking on the Apple icon in the upper left, then About This Mac -> More Info… -> System Report -> Network -> IPv4: Addresses
- For most router models you’ll also need to find your router IP address, it’s located on the same screen mentioned above. About This Mac -> More Info… -> System Report -> Network -> Router
- Log in to your router by typing the router’s IP in the address bar of your web browser. You’ll be prompted for a username and password, if you’ve never logged in before consult an online manual for your router’s make and model for the default username and password. Most router have a default address, username, and password, I’ve compiled a short list of the most common router default logins. (If you’re using a utility to manage your router, like I am, open that now instead of your web browser.)
- In your router’s control panel search for a tab relating to port forwarding. The tab may be called Network, Advanced, Application, Applications & Gaming, etc. Port forwarding may also be called port mapping or application mapping.
- Once you find the port forwarding control (or whatever it’s called on your router) they all serve a similar function, to map requests to specific ports made via the internet to a specific port on a local computer
- Locate a field asking for the port number and enter 25565, this is the default Minecraft server port. If there are separate fields for public/external and private/internal ports enter 25565 in both
- Specify TCP as the desired protocol to forward. All information on the internet travels either by TCP (e.g. web browsing) or UDP (e.g. gaming) and some applications use both. UDP is a typical choice for most game and VoIP server designers because it allows data to be transfered with less overhead, i.e. faster. Why doesn’t everything use UDP then? Security and data integrity are more difficult to ensure than with TCP. Although Minecraft is a game it uses TCP and some older verions/mods may also use UDP so if in doubt forward both protocols.
- Enter the IP address of your computer that you recorded above as the target of the port forwarding
- Save the changes. Your router could reboot or refresh and you may lose your connection for several seconds
- If you’re not running Mac firewall then your friends should now be able to connect to your server, if you are running a firewall here’s how to connect to a Minecraft server on a Mac running firewall:
- Shut down your Minecraft server
- Close your Minecraft game
- From System Preferences -> Security & Privacy -> Firewallstop your firewall
- Now start your Minecraft server
- Start your firewall, it should detect that the Minecraft server has bound a port and ask if you want to allow the exception
- Allow the exception
- Note: It’s true that you can allow manual exceptions through the firewall by clicking Advanced and browsing for the application (Java) but it’s burried in the JRE and you’ll not be able to get to it.
How your friends connect to your new Minecraft server host
- Find your public IP address. This can be done easily by typing what is my IP in your favorite search engine. If the answer isn’t displayed immediately use one of the tools in the search results. This is the address you’ll to your friends so they can connect.
- Important: You should not use your public IP to connect to your own server. Some routers will flat out block it and cause you loads of grief. Instead use your built in loopback adapter (127.0.0.1) or use your private IP address (you know, the same one you entered when you setup port forwarding on your router. If other computers in your house want to join they should use this address as well).
How to start your Minecraft server so it doesn’t stop when you close the terminal
Here is a really important tip you can use to make sure your Minecraft server keeps running even if the terminal is closed.
If you followed the instructions above you may have notice this: whenever you close the terminal window the server will stop and everyone is disconnected. This may leave you wondering “How can I run a Minecraft server so it doesn’t stop when I close the terminal?”
The solution is to start your Minecraft server in a screen next time. This is really simple and involves only one slight modification to one command you’ll be running anyways to start the server.
Minecraft Mac Lan
Instead of running Minecraft from the terminal like this:
java -Xmx1G -Xms1G -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui
Run it like this:
screen -S minecraft java -Xmx1G -Xms1G -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui
Using the screen command is like running the program in a background tab. You can close the terminal and your server will still be running.
Here are the two essential commands you’ll need to know in order to use screen:
- To reconnect to a closed screen type screen -r minecraft in the terminal. I’m just using minecraft as the screen name, but you can use anything you want when you set the screen
- To get out of a screen without closing the terminal press Ctrl-A, then D. (Hold Control while pressing A, then press D.) You can also force the screen to quit by pressing K(ill) instead of D(isconnect). Only do this if your server is unresponsive otherwise useSTOP in the server console, the screen will close automatically when the server has finished shutting down
Essential Commands for Running Minecraft in a Screen
Enjoying your Minecraft server
Congratulations! If you’ve been following along you’re now hosting your own Minecraft server on your mac!
Reward yourself with some hard earned game play. Setting up your server was no small feet, you had to update Java, download the jar file, forward your router ports, open your firewall, and use terminal.
To become a top tier server owner here are additional topics that you may be interested in looking into:
- How to host your own Minecraft server using a custom domain name instead of an IP
- How to configure your new Minecraft server
- How to run a server mod like Bukkit
- Host a Minecraft server in the cloud on EC2 (so you can have a fast connection!)
Happy crafting! Remember to run your Minecraft server in a screen and prevent your computer from going to sleep if you plan to run your new server 24/7. Below I’m including some of the most common questions that new server owner have.
How do I install plugins?
If you’ve installed a Minecraft using the guide above then you’re running a standard Minecraft server and it doesn’t support plugins (currently). A very popular alternative to the standard Minecraft server is the Bukkit server mod. The bukkit server jar can be found at bukkit.org. Follow the guide above but instead of using the standard Minecraft server jar use the Bukkit jar. Then you can browse plugins from bukkit.org and install them by downloading the plugin jar files to your plugins folder located in the folder where you started the bukkit server.
Two plugins I could not run my server without are Essentials and Factions. Essentials provides a lot of very useful configurations for server owners and useful commands for players. The permissions manager in Essentials alone make it, well, essential. Players will also demand commands like /sethome that come with essentials. Essentials is distributed is several jars, only download the ones you need. On my player versus player (PVP) server I run all the core plugins except for EssentialsProtect (what’s PVP without all the grief?). Factions is another really great plugin for PVP servers. Players use the Factions plugins to organize themselves into tribes known as faction, claim land, and stage wars. Admins also get lots of options for setting server safe zones, war zones, and controlling the parameters of PVP, monters, explosions, and way too many other things to mention.
Hundreds of plugins are available, be aware that installing too many plugins can make your server laggy or buggy. Only install the plugins you really need.
Common Problems with Server Hosting:
I can’t connect to my self hosted Minecraft server using my public IP.
Solution: Some routers don’t allow loopback (especially inexpensive routers given to you by your internet service provider). If your router doesn’t allow loopback anyone on the local area network created by the router won’t be able to connect to your server using the public IP. Instead use the local IP of the server computer, this is the IP given to your computer by the router. A local IP probably starts with 192.168.?.? or 172.16.?.? or 10.0.?.?. Your local IP can be found under About This Mac -> More Info… -> System Report -> Network -> IPv4: Addresses. If you’re hosting a Minecraft server and playing on the same machine you can use your built in loopback adapter (127.0.0.1). It’s also possible to edit a special file on your computer that will automatically translate the request for one IP into another. This file is known as the hosts file and editing it can be a bit of a trick so how to edit your host file will be a separate post.
Please feel free to ask any questions or share your experiences below and I’ll try to answer them.
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Tips on 10.4 Tiger, 10.5 Leopard(last compatible operating system for G4 867 and above, and G5s), 10.6 Snow Leopard (end of the line for PowerPC applications), 10.7 Lion, 10.8 Mountain Lion, 10.9 Mavericks,
10.10 Yosemite, and 10.11 El Capitan to 10.14 Mojave.
Mac OS X Sierra was released on September 20, 2016. A few Macs which came with 10.6 can install Sierra.
Site fetcher mac. Note this tip, and the series of tips from 10.2 (10.2, and 10.3 not mentioned in above links as people must have 10.4.4 or later on an Intel Mac to get to 10.6) to 10.11 I've written here all refer to Mac OS X Client. Server versions of Mac OS X may have different limitations, and the people visiting the appropriate Server forum may be able to answer your questions better about Mac OS X Server.
When determining your Mac model, see this tip to find its age:
I would not downgrade to Leopard without erasing your data first.
Be sure to backup your data first at least twice before installing any operating system. Shut down, and disconnect any peripherals before continuing with the installation. Read the info below to ensure you are compatible. Finally, you may need to use the Startup Manager to boot the operating system when the 'C' key doesn't work in order to get the installer to work or repair the disk before installation if the initial attempt to install fails. To determine if that repair is necessary, post to the forum, and someone will be able to help you to find out which repairs might be necessary.
Java is outdated in terms of security in Mac OS X 10.6. Backup your data and at least update to 10.6.8 if your Mac says it is Intel in Apple menu -> About this Mac. Read about updating to 10.7, and this tip about how to optimize your Java in 10.6 if you are stuck with 10.6.
10.6 retail is available from the Apple Store on http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard (the /us/ in the link may be changed for the standard two letter country code matching the store link). Note: Macs newer than April 1, 2010 but older than July 20, 2011 must use the original 10.6 installer disc that shipped with them to boot 10.6 from CD. AppleCare may have those discs if you lost or misplaced it. To determine the age of a Mac, plug it in the support status search engine, and use the serial number lookup. Using the model name, find the release date of that model on Wikipedia or Everymac.com, and the followup date.
Leopard (10.5) is not to be confused with Snow Leopard (10.6) which are different paid operating systems.
If you are interested in upgrading to Lion you can read this tip, and Mountain Lion or Mavericks, this tip. Note: Mavericks you can update to
for free, whereas both Lion and Mountain Lionyou can not. Lion requires a minimum of 10.6.6 already be installed, unless you have the USB Flash drive for it, and Mountain Lion and Mavericks requires a minimum of 10.6.8. Lion and Mountain Lion have different hardware requirements, but the Apple hardware requirements for Mavericks are the same Mountain Lion.
If you got a machine that came with Lion or Mountain Lion and wonder if you can install Snow Leopard on it, read the bottom of this tip first.
Snow leopard is available free for a limited time from this link if you have Mobileme and need an upgrade path to Lion that doesn't require erasing your hard drive.
Flashback malware has a patch on 10.6.8. Users of 10.6.7 and earlier are recommended to disable Java. For more info read this tip.
Macs that were released new as of July 20, 2011 (the MacBook Pro for instance had no new release until October 24, 2011, and that model's earlier sold models all work with Snow Leopard) or later, will generally not run Snow Leopard unless you follow this tip for Snow Leopard Server virtualization. Other than that, the following statements are true:
All Mac Pros will work with Snow Leopard (10.6.x), and they look like:
Minecraft Mac Lion Wallpaper
The PowerMac G5 towers which look like:
will not work with Snow Leopard. Neither will the ones that are beige, blue, or graphite colored with plastic cases.
All Apple notebooks labelled MacBook with at least 1 GB of RAM, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air below the screen or will work with Snow Leopard.
Apple notebooks labeled iBook, and Powerbook beneath the screen will not work with Snow Leopard. Note, many of the newer MacBook Airs and MacBook Pro no longer have the label on the bottom of the screen frame, and you have to shut down the Mac, and look under the Mac for its label. Those may only be able to use the aforementioned virtualized Snow Leopard Server.
Mac minis with at least 1 GB of RAM and 4 and 5 USB ports on the rear as shown in the image below:
will work with Snow Leopard.
Those with less than four USB ports will not work with Snow Leopard.
Those with less than four USB ports will not work with Snow Leopard.
All iMacs that look like:
Will work with Snow Leopard.
From the iMacs which look like:
If they are iMac Intelthey can upgraded to Snow Leopard. To tell if they are Intel, they will have an EMC# on the base which is enumerated 2104, 2105, 2110, 2114, 2118, 2111, 2133, or 2134. All others were iMac G5 and can only be upgraded to 10.5.8. Another distinction is that iMac G5's had mini-VGA ports that looked like:
Whereas White iMac Intels had mini-DVI which looked like:
You can also tell if it is an iMac Intel by selecting Apple menu -> About This Mac. Core Duo and Core2Duo are Intel, whereas the G5 are not.
Notes: G5 refers to the CPU made by IBM for Apple before the migration to Intel CPU in 2006. It was found on iMacs, and PowerMacs. Powerbooks and iBooks maxed out using the Motorola G4 CPU, only to be replaced by MacBook Pros and MacBooks in 2006. Intel made the CPU found in 2006 and newer Macs, and these are referred to as CoreSolo, CoreDuo, Core2Duo, i3, i5, i7, and Xeon. Don't confuse a G5 for an Intel CPU Mac. They are not the same except in exterior design when it comes to the iMac, and the means to tell them apart is stated above. In 2006, the Mac Mini changed from G4 to Intel CoreSolo CPU. In 2006 the iMac changed from G5 to Intel CoreDuo CPU.
All Intel Macs with sufficient RAM older than March 29, 2010 can take the retail 10.6.3 installer disc. All Intel Macs with sufficient RAM older than August 28, 2009 can take the 10.6.0 retail installer disc. This disc must look like and can't say Upgrade, Dropin, or OEM on it.
It is recommended those upgrading from PowerPC follow this tip:
It is recommended you backup your data at least twice before upgrading any software.
It is recommended you check these listings for compatible 10.6 software from:
C!Net, Snow Leopard Wiki,Macintouch, and Apple's listing of compatible printers and scanners
C!Net, Snow Leopard Wiki,Macintouch, and Apple's listing of compatible printers and scanners
and Apple supplied updates for printers and scanners:
HP, Ricoh,Canon, Epson, Brother,Lexmark, Samsung, and Fuji/Xerox
Additionally, some Ricoh printers that do not have official drivers have been found to have the resolution documented by this thread:
And Apple's phone support with iSync:
For digital cameras, these RAW formats are supported on 10.6. Note the most recent Mac Mini, iMac, and MacBook Pros
have SD card slots for reading camera media. For all other camera media, Express/34 on 17' MacBook Pro and pre-June 8 2009 MacBook Pros, PCI for Mac Pro, USB, and Firewire card readers exist for all Intel Mac models. Additionally, many multifunction printers have card readers that will work on the Mac. JPEG, TIFF, PNG
are all common formats supported by cameras outside of RAW, though RAW enables you to post process many more features of digital images than the other formats.
To be compatible with the Mac App Store, the Lion updater from the USB Flash drive or App Store, and the Facetime video software in Standard Definition minimum, you'll need the 10.6.6 combo, 10.6.7 combo, 10.6.7 combo with the font update, or the 10.6.8 combo followed by the Thunderbolt update if applicable.
10.6.8 has the following security updates: 10.6.8 2013 Security Update 004, 2013-005 Java update (note Java is not current until Mac OS X 10.7.3 from Java.com)
Sometimes when 10.6 is installed, Rosetta, the application that allows PowerPC programs to run will not automatically install. In those situations, you can manually install Rosetta from the 10.6 installer disc. The following quote explains how to install it manually:
Insert the Mac OS 10.6 installation DVD When the DVD is mounted, select “Optional Installs” then “Optional Installs.mpkg”
Follow the onscreen instructions for agreeing to the software license and selecting the hard drive for installation.
In the “Installation Type” step, select the box next to Rosetta from the list of applications presented. Continue the installation process.
After successful installation, a confirmation message will appear.
These instructions appeared on http://forums.printable.com/showthread.php?t=1110 .
As 10.6 is the last operating system that shipped on prebundled discs that come with Macs, it also is the last one that shipped with a prebundled set of iLife applications. To learn which version of iLife may have come on your computer, see this tip. 10.7 and later prebundled Macs did not ship with iDVD, but will have shipped with iPhoto, iTunes, Garageband, and iMovie. If you still desire iDVD, consult with AppleCare.
10.6 has these updates available depending on what you have on your Mac (Combo updates can be applied to any of the preceding versions, where Delta can only be applied to the immediately preceding version):
![Wallpaper Wallpaper](https://www.wallpapersin4k.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Lord-Ganesha-Full-HD-Wallpapers.jpg)
10.6.1 | 10.6.3 v1.1 Delta and 10.6.3 v1.1 Combo | 10.6.4 Combo, 10.6.4 Delta, 10.6.4 Mac Mini Mid 2010 | 10.6.6 Delta, 10.6.6 Combo | 10.6.7 for early 2011 MacBook Pro, 10.6.7 Combo, 10.6.7 Delta, 10.6.7 font update to all previous updates | 10.6.8 delta v1.1 (7/25/2011) and Combo v1.1 (7/25/2011), and the followup Thunderbolt update for 2011 iMacs and MacBook Pros for installation after 10.6.8 |
Which Macs can have Snow Leopard installed, and which can only have Lion installed based on Machine ID (also known as Model Identifier)?
You can find out which gray installer disc came with Macs that can install Snow Leopard newer than March 15, 2010 by reading: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1159. Machine ID is in Apple menu -> About This Mac -> More info (on 10.7 and later the About Window has System Information instead of More info to access the System Profiler) under the hardware section. The 'x' value below can be any number. Older Macs indicated below can use the 10.6.3 retail installer, if not the 10.6 retail installer, if they are older than August 28, 2009. Together with partitioning, the Core2Duo (not CoreDuo, not CoreSolo), Xeon, Core i3, i5, i7 Macs which are Snow Leopard compatible can run both Snow Leopard and Lion, provided they have at least 2 GB of RAM. Partitioning requires an erase of the hard drive. A second internal or external hard drive can boot into a separate operating system on the same Macs. The Macs below which can only run Lion and later, are also known as Lion prebundled Macs. Lion prebundled Macs thankfully can run Windows in virtualization, which would allow them to use the Windows version of software that may only run in Snow Leopard and earlier on Mac OS X. The Macs listed here that won't run Snow Leopard also are not able to use the retail Lion installer USB Flash drive, and must use the instructions onMacworld to create a specialty Flash drive or be cloned onto another hard drive before their prebundled hard drive dies, to be able to restore Lion. Macs below that can't install Snow Leopard directly may be able to do so via virtualization, as described by this tip.
Mac Mini 5,x and later only run Lion and later. Mac Mini 4,x and earlier can run Snow Leopard with at least 1 GB of RAM (that's greater than 768MB of RAM).
MacBook Pro 8,x with EMC#s 2355, 2563, 2564 can only run 10.7 or later, all other 8,x EMC#s can run 10.6.3 or later, and all 7,x can.
MacBook Pro 9,x and higher can only run 10.7 and later.
Mac Pro 5,1 that are not EMC 2629 and earlier can run Snow Leopard. EMC 2629, and Mac Pro 6,x and later can only 10.7 and later.
The 10.6.3 retail installer will only work on Mac Pro 4,x and earlier.
MacBook with no Air and no Pro on the screen as of 11/30/2011 can all run Snow Leopard with at least 1 GB of RAM.
MacBook Air 4,x and later can't run Snow Leopard, while 3,x and earlier with at least 1 GB of RAM can run Snow Leopard.
iMac 12,1 i3 (EMC 2496 on foot, MC978LL/A) can't run Snow Leopard, while the 12,x i5 and i7 can run Snow Leopard, and the iMac 1,1 through 11,x can run Snow Leopard with at least 1 GB of RAM. iMac 13,1 and later can't run Snow Leopard natively.
Lastly, here the Macs that are compatible with 10.6.3 retail avialable from the Apple Store based on Model Identifier:
iMac 11,1 and older
Mac Mini 3,x and older
MacBook 6,1 and older
MacBook Pro 5,x and older
MacPro 4,x and older
MacBook Air 2,x and older
Macs that fall between those criteria must use the 10.6 installer that shipped with them to install 10.6.
* The release names Early and Late can be gotten by plugging the serial number of the machine in