Install and Run Minecraft Server on Ubuntu 16.04
Learn how to set up a Minecraft server on a Cloud Server running Linux. Minecraft is one of the world's most popular video games, with over 100 million registered users. Setting up your own Minecraft server lets you share the same map with other players, and doing it on a Cloud Server means that your game can continue to run after you log out.
Requirements
- Minecraft for PC or Mac installed on your desktop.
- A Cloud Server with at least 1GB RAM, running Ubuntu 16.04
- Root access to the server.
Note: 512MB RAM is the minimum required to run the Minecraft server. 1GB RAM is recommended for "Acceptable" performance for up to 5 players at once. The full list of recommendations for a Linux server can be found on the official Minecraft wiki.
Because of the high performance demands, we strongly recommend that you only use this server for Minecraft. Trying to run other applications (like a website) on the same server will significantly degrade the server's performance.
Configure the Firewall
Minecraft connections are made on port so the first step is to configure your IONOS firewall to allow this traffic. Go to your Cloud Panel and click on Network -> Firewall Policies on the menu on the left.
If you have previously created a firewall policy, click to select that policy and scroll down to edit it. Otherwise, click Create to create your new firewall policy.
Give your policy a name, then fill in your firewall rules.
After adding each rule, click the green + button to add it and get a new line.
Add a rule for TCP/UDP, from port to port , ALL.
If there are any other ports which you need to have open on this server, add them now.
When you have finished adding your new firewall rules, click the Create button.
Next, you need to assign your servers to this firewall rule. Scroll down and click the Assign button.
Click to select the server(s) you want to assign to this firewall rule, then click Save changes.
Install the Minecraft Server Software
Before installing Minecraft, you will need to update the server's packages, and install Java and screen. These steps can be performed with sudo, however you will need to switch to the root user to actually run Minecraft.
First, update the packages:
Next, install Java:
Then install screen:
Create a /minecraft directory, and move into it:
For the next step, you will need to download the latest version of the Minecraft server software. You can find the latest version on the official Minecraft server download page. right-click the download link on that page and choose Copy Link Location, then use the URL of the download in the next command.
As of this writing, the latest version is 1.10.2, so the command to download the software is:
We will be using screen to run the Minecraft server command. screen allows you to keep a process running in a detached window. This means that the Minecraft server can continue to run even after you have closed your SSH session.
Begin by using the screen command to create a new screen:
Next, we need to do the first-time start-up of the game. This command will unpack the game's files and then stop so that you can agree to the EULA:
After this command unpacks the game, it will fail with the message:
To agree to the EULA, you have to edit the eula.txt file:
Change eula=false to eula=true, then save and exit the file.
The Minecraft server is now ready to run. Once again, use the command:
The start-up process will take a few moments to complete.
At this point, your server is running. Use ctrl+a+d to detach this window, so that it continues to run after you exit.
If you need to reattach to this screen session, use the command:
Connect to the Minecraft Server
From your desktop PC or Mac, launch Minecraft. At the main screen, click Multiplayer.
On the Multiplayer screen, click Add Server.
Fill out a server name, then enter your server's IP address or URL in the Server Address field.
After filling in the IP address or URL, click Done.
Back at the Multiplayer screen, click to select the server, then click Join Server.
You will be connected to the server and load in at the spawn point.
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