How to Create a Minecraft Server on a VPS or Dedicated Server

This guide explains how to install and configure a Minecraft Java Edition server on your VPS or dedicated Linux server.

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Prerequisites

SSH access as root or user with sudo privileges
Up-to-date Debian/Ubuntu system
Minimum 2 GB of RAM (4 GB recommended for 10+ players)
Port 25565 accessible (TCP)
Stable internet connection

Required Configuration

Number of players	Minimum RAM	Recommended RAM
1-5	1 GB	2 GB
5-10	2 GB	4 GB
10-20	4 GB	6 GB
20+	6 GB	8 GB+

System Update

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Java Installation

Minecraft 1.17+ requires Java 17 minimum. For recent versions (1.20+), Java 21 is recommended.

Install Java 21 (recommended)

sudo apt install -y openjdk-21-jdk

Verify installation

java --version

You should see output similar to:

openjdk 21.0.x 2024-xx-xx
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 21.0.x+xx-xx)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 21.0.x+xx-xx, mixed mode, sharing)

Creating a Dedicated User

For security reasons, never run the server as root. Create a dedicated user:

sudo adduser --system --home /opt/minecraft --shell /bin/bash minecraft

Installing Required Tools

sudo apt install -y screen wget curl unzip

screen: keeps the server running after SSH disconnection
wget/curl: for downloading files
unzip: for extracting archives

Downloading Minecraft Server

Connect as minecraft user

sudo -u minecraft bash
cd /opt/minecraft
mkdir server
cd server

Download the official server

Get the link for the latest version from minecraft.net/download/server then:

wget -O server.jar https://piston-data.mojang.com/v1/objects/XXXXXXX/server.jar

Note

Replace the URL with the official link for your desired version.

EULA Acceptance

You must accept the Minecraft license agreement:

echo "eula=true" > eula.txt

First Launch

Launch the server for the first time to generate configuration files:

java -Xms1G -Xmx2G -jar server.jar nogui

Memory parameters:

-Xms1G: initial memory (1 GB)
-Xmx2G: maximum memory (2 GB)
nogui: disables graphical interface

Stop the server with stop or Ctrl+C after the first launch.

Server Configuration

Edit the server.properties file according to your needs:

nano server.properties

Important Settings

# Server port (default: 25565)
server-port=25565

# Maximum number of players
max-players=20

# Game mode (survival, creative, adventure, spectator)
gamemode=survival

# Difficulty (peaceful, easy, normal, hard)
difficulty=normal

# Message displayed in server list
motd=My Minecraft Server

# Render distance (reduce if lag)
view-distance=10

# Enable whitelist
white-list=false

# Online mode (Mojang account verification)
online-mode=true

# Enable PvP
pvp=true

# Spawn protection (radius in blocks)
spawn-protection=16

Firewall Configuration

Open the Minecraft port in the firewall:

With UFW

sudo ufw allow 25565/tcp
sudo ufw reload

With iptables

sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 25565 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables-save | sudo tee /etc/iptables/rules.v4

Running with screen

To keep the server running after SSH disconnection:

Start the server in screen

screen -S minecraft
cd /opt/minecraft/server
java -Xms1G -Xmx2G -jar server.jar nogui

Detach the session

Press Ctrl+A then D to detach the session.

Return to the session

screen -r minecraft

List sessions

screen -ls

Configuration as systemd Service

For automatic startup at server boot:

Create the service file

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/minecraft.service

File content:

[Unit]
Description=Minecraft Java Server
After=network.target

[Service]
User=minecraft
WorkingDirectory=/opt/minecraft/server
ExecStart=/usr/bin/java -Xms1G -Xmx2G -jar /opt/minecraft/server/server.jar nogui
ExecStop=/bin/kill -SIGINT $MAINPID
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=20
StandardInput=null

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable minecraft.service
sudo systemctl start minecraft.service

Management commands

# Check status
sudo systemctl status minecraft.service

# Stop server
sudo systemctl stop minecraft.service

# Restart server
sudo systemctl restart minecraft.service

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u minecraft.service -f

Server Management

Useful Console Commands

Once connected to the server console (via screen):

Command	Description
`stop`	Stops the server properly
`save-all`	Saves the world
`list`	Shows connected players
`op <player>`	Gives admin rights to a player
`deop <player>`	Removes admin rights
`kick <player>`	Kicks a player
`ban <player>`	Bans a player
`whitelist add <player>`	Adds a player to whitelist
`whitelist remove <player>`	Removes a player from whitelist
`gamemode <mode> <player>`	Changes game mode
`difficulty <level>`	Changes difficulty

Performance Optimization

Optimized Startup Script

Create a launch script with optimized flags:

nano /opt/minecraft/server/start.sh

#!/bin/bash
cd /opt/minecraft/server

java -Xms2G -Xmx4G \
    -XX:+UseG1GC \
    -XX:+ParallelRefProcEnabled \
    -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200 \
    -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions \
    -XX:+DisableExplicitGC \
    -XX:+AlwaysPreTouch \
    -XX:G1NewSizePercent=30 \
    -XX:G1MaxNewSizePercent=40 \
    -XX:G1HeapRegionSize=8M \
    -XX:G1ReservePercent=20 \
    -XX:G1HeapWastePercent=5 \
    -XX:G1MixedGCCountTarget=4 \
    -XX:InitiatingHeapOccupancyPercent=15 \
    -XX:G1MixedGCLiveThresholdPercent=90 \
    -XX:G1RSetUpdatingPauseTimePercent=5 \
    -XX:SurvivorRatio=32 \
    -XX:+PerfDisableSharedMem \
    -XX:MaxTenuringThreshold=1 \
    -jar server.jar nogui

Make the script executable:

chmod +x /opt/minecraft/server/start.sh

Reduce Lag

In server.properties:

# Reduce render distance
view-distance=8

# Reduce simulation distance
simulation-distance=6

# Limit entities
max-tick-time=60000

Automatic Backup

Backup Script

sudo nano /opt/minecraft/backup.sh

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/opt/minecraft/backups"
SERVER_DIR="/opt/minecraft/server"
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M-%S)

mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# World backup
tar -czf $BACKUP_DIR/world_$DATE.tar.gz -C $SERVER_DIR world world_nether world_the_end

# Delete backups older than 7 days
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "world_*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

echo "Backup completed: world_$DATE.tar.gz"

chmod +x /opt/minecraft/backup.sh

Schedule Backup

sudo crontab -e

Add:

# Daily backup at 4 AM
0 4 * * * /opt/minecraft/backup.sh

Connecting to the Server

Players can connect using:

Address: YOUR_SERVER_IP or your_domain.com
Port: 25565 (default)

In Minecraft: Multiplayer → Add Server → Enter address

Troubleshooting

Server won't start

Check logs: tail -f /opt/minecraft/server/logs/latest.log
Verify Java is installed: java --version
Verify EULA is accepted: cat eula.txt

Players can't connect

Verify port 25565 is open: sudo ufw status
Verify server is running: sudo systemctl status minecraft.service
Test port: nc -zv SERVER_IP 25565

Performance issues

Increase allocated RAM (-Xmx)
Reduce view-distance in server.properties
Use Paper or Spigot instead of vanilla server for better performance

Order a Server​

Prerequisites​

Required Configuration​

System Update​

Java Installation​

Install Java 21 (recommended)​

Verify installation​

Creating a Dedicated User​

Installing Required Tools​

Downloading Minecraft Server​

Connect as minecraft user​

Download the official server​

EULA Acceptance​

First Launch​

Server Configuration​

Important Settings​

Firewall Configuration​

With UFW​

With iptables​

Running with screen​

Start the server in screen​

Detach the session​

Return to the session​

List sessions​

Configuration as systemd Service​

Create the service file​

Enable and start the service​

Management commands​

Server Management​

Useful Console Commands​

Performance Optimization​

Optimized Startup Script​

Reduce Lag​

Automatic Backup​

Backup Script​

Schedule Backup​

Connecting to the Server​

Troubleshooting​

Server won't start​

Players can't connect​

Performance issues​