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    Linux

    Minecraft Server Setup on Linux

    Complete guide to installing and running a Minecraft Java Edition dedicated server on Ubuntu/Debian Linux.

    1Install Java

    Install Java 21 (or newer) on your Linux server.

    # Update package list
sudo apt update

# Install Java 21 JDK
sudo apt install -y openjdk-21-jdk-headless

# Verify installation
java -version

    2Create Server User and Directory

    Create a dedicated user and directory for the Minecraft server.

    # Create minecraft user
sudo useradd -r -m -U -d /opt/minecraft -s /bin/bash minecraft

# Create server directory
sudo mkdir -p /opt/minecraft/server
sudo chown -R minecraft:minecraft /opt/minecraft

    3Download the Minecraft Server

    Download the latest Minecraft server JAR file.

    # Switch to minecraft user
sudo -u minecraft -s

# Navigate to server directory
cd /opt/minecraft/server

# Download the latest server.jar (replace URL with latest version)
wget https://piston-data.mojang.com/v1/objects/SERVER_JAR_URL/server.jar

    Get Download URL

    Visit minecraft.net/download/server to get the latest server.jar download URL.

    4Accept EULA and Configure

    Run the server once to generate files, then accept the EULA.

    # First run to generate files
java -Xmx1G -Xms1G -jar server.jar nogui

# Accept the EULA
echo "eula=true" > eula.txt

    Configure your server by editing server.properties:

    # Edit server properties
nano server.properties

    Use our Config Builder to generate a customized configuration.

    5Configure Firewall

    Open the required port in your firewall.

    # Using UFW (Ubuntu)
sudo ufw allow 25565/tcp
sudo ufw reload

# Or using iptables
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 25565 -j ACCEPT

    Cloud Providers

    If using a cloud provider (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.), also configure their security group/firewall to allow port 25565.

    6Create Systemd Service

    Create a systemd service to manage the server automatically.

    /etc/systemd/system/minecraft.service
    [Unit]
Description=Minecraft Server
After=network.target

[Service]
User=minecraft
WorkingDirectory=/opt/minecraft/server
ExecStart=/usr/bin/java -Xmx4G -Xms2G -jar server.jar nogui
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
    # Create the service file
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/minecraft.service

# Enable and start the service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable minecraft
sudo systemctl start minecraft

# Check status
sudo systemctl status minecraft

    7(Optional) Using Screen for Console Access

    If you need console access, you can use screen instead of systemd.

    # Install screen
sudo apt install -y screen

# Start server in screen session
sudo -u minecraft screen -S minecraft -d -m java -Xmx4G -Xms2G -jar /opt/minecraft/server/server.jar nogui

# Attach to console
sudo -u minecraft screen -r minecraft

# Detach from console (Ctrl+A, then D)

    Connecting to Your Server

    Once your server is running, players can connect using your server's IP address.

    • Check logs: sudo journalctl -u minecraft -f
    • Stop server: sudo systemctl stop minecraft
    • Restart server: sudo systemctl restart minecraft