How can you make things to protect you?

The best way to protect yourself is armor. Like tools, you can make different armor out of different materials. However, unlike tools, you can only make leather, iron, gold, and diamond armor. There is also chain armor, however this is only attainable through villager trading. There are other, less common ways of protecting yourself. You can make structures, walls, and barricades to prevent hostile mobs (monsters) from coming into your home. You can also get a friend in the game to help. A rare but efficient way to protect yourself is create a beacon -- it can give you a resistance boost.