How to Set Up a Vanilla Minecraft Java Server on a VPS

TL;DR / Geek Summary:

• Server Deployment: Step-by-step guide to hosting a Minecraft Java server on Ubuntu 22.04.
• Infrastructure: JDK versioning logic (v8 for <1.16, v17 for >1.18) and screen session management for 24/7 uptime.
• Optimization: Custom start.sh loop with G1GC garbage collection and memory allocation (Xmx/Xms) tuning for scalability.

# Setting Up a Minecraft Server on a VPS (Linux)

# I. Why Set It Up?

When playing Minecraft, we often want to play multiplayer. However, Minecraft Java natively only supports LAN multiplayer for local networks. This is when we need to set up a server so players from different regions can play online together.

The English version is currently in progress.

# II. Installation Environment

• Virtual Private Server (VPS) OS version: Ubuntu 22.04 64-bit
• Minecraft International Edition version: 1.12.2 Java Edition

# III. Setup Steps

1. Connect to your server via SSH.

2. Enter the following commands to install the JDK environment.

If you don’t know how to use SSH, you can search for a guide on Baidu or Bing.

# JDK Environment

For 1.16 and earlier versions, you need to install JDK 8.

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sudo apt install openjdk-8-jdk

For 1.17, you need to install JDK 16.

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sudo apt install openjdk-16-jdk

For 1.18 and above, JDK 17 is required.

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sudo apt install openjdk-17-jdk

# Server Software Download

1. Go to https://mcversions.net/ and find the server version you want to download.

2. Copy the link for server.jar.

For example, on the following page:

1.12.2

Enter the following command to download the Minecraft server software:

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wget -N [paste your copied link here]

Enter the following command to start the server:

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java -server -XX:+UseG1GC  -Xmx2048M -Xms1024M -jar server.jar nogui

Open eula.txt and change the part in the red box to eula=true.

Edit the server.properties file and modify the following sections:

view-distance=10
max-build-height=256
server-ip=
level-seed=
gamemode=0 # 1 is Creative, 2 is Spectator
server-port=25565 # Server port, it is recommended to change this
enable-command-block=false
allow-nether=true
enable-rcon=false
op-permission-level=4
enable-query=false
generator-settings=
resource-pack=
player-idle-timeout=0
level-name=world
motd=A Minecraft Server # Server description (Message of the Day)
announce-player-achievements=true
force-gamemode=false
hardcore=false
white-list=false
pvp=true
spawn-npcs=true
generate-structures=true
spawn-animals=true
snooper-enabled=true
difficulty=1
network-compression-threshold=256
level-type=DEFAULT
spawn-monsters=true
max-tick-time=60000
max-players=20 # Maximum number of players the server can handle
use-native-transport=true
online-mode=true # Change to false to disable premium authentication (allow cracked accounts)
allow-flight=false
resource-pack-hash=
max-world-size=29999984

Create a screen session, and then write a startup script.

Create the script file:

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nano start.sh

Fill in the script content:

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#!/bin/sh

for ((i=0; i<10; i ++))
do
	java -server -XX:+UseG1GC  -Xms1024M -Xmx2048M -jar server.jar nogui -noverify -XX:+AggressiveOpts -XX:+UseCompressedOops
done

Press Ctrl+X to save.

Grant execution permissions:

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chmod 777 start.sh

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./start.sh

# Note

If you need to stop the server, please enter the screen session and type the /stop command to gracefully shut down the server program.

You can use the following command to check if screen is already installed on your server:

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screen -v

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apt-get -y install screen

# How to start a screen session

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screen -S name

Replace “name” with a meaningful name for your session (e.g., mc).

# Detaching from a screen session

To detach from the current screen session, you can press Ctrl-A followed by d. All screen sessions will remain active in the background, and you can reattach to them at any time later.

# Reattaching to a screen session

If you detached from a session, or if your connection was interrupted for some reason, you can reconnect using the following command:

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screen -r mc

If you have multiple screen sessions, you can list them using the ls parameter.

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# Enter 
screen -ls
# List sessions
There are screens on
# 114514 is the session ID
114514.session    (Detached)
  
1919810.homo   (Detached)
  
514441.session1   (Detached)
  
3 Sockets in /var/run/screen/S-root

In our example, we have three active screen sessions. Therefore, if you want to restore a specific session, you can execute:

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screen -r 1919810

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# Or use the session name
screen -r -S homo

# Deleting a Screen

While inside the current screen, press Ctrl+D to delete that screen.

# What it looks like after the server is up

Press Ctrl+c to exit. Re-do the screen process mentioned above.

Then, type in your server’s public IP in the game client (for some servers, you need to turn off the firewall or open the ports in your security group first).

Enter the game and enjoy!