Running a server costs money; asking players to help is fine as long as you stay within Mojang's Commercial Usage Guidelines (the EULA you accepted). The short version:
Allowed
- Cosmetics: hats, particles, pets, chat colours, prefixes or anything else that does not affect gameplay.
- Access: entry to the whole server or to a mini-game; a monthly fee for everyone is allowed as long as it is the same for all.
- Capacity: reserved slots, queue priority.
- Support / donations with a thank-you that is cosmetic.
- Selling things that apply to all players (a server-wide XP weekend that anyone can trigger).
Not allowed
- Gameplay advantages for money: better gear, more claim blocks, fly in survival, exclusive kits with stronger items, faster cooldowns. "Pay to win" is exactly what the guidelines forbid, and it also empties servers.
- Selling in-game currency that buys advantages.
- Anything using Mojang's name/branding as if official.
How to set it up here
- Support links on PenguHost: a page per server where players chip in; 100 % of the money lands on your hosting balance (we keep nothing), optionally announced in Discord. Cosmetic thank-yous are your choice. Dashboard → Support links.
- Ranks and shop: Tebex or CraftingStore connect to the server via a plugin and run the checkout; keep the items cosmetic.
- Be transparent: a
#donatechannel that says what the money pays for (hosting, plugins, events) gets more support than a webstore with twenty ranks.
Other games have their own rules. Rust and ARK allow VIP slots and kits; Facepunch bans pay-to-win on servers listed as "Community".