How to Host Minecraft Server on Ubuntu

Welcome, Dev! Are you a gamer and love playing Minecraft? Do you want to create your own Minecraft server on Ubuntu? If yes, then you are at the right place! In this journal article, we will guide you step by step on how to host a Minecraft server on Ubuntu.

Prerequisites

Before you start setting up the Minecraft server, make sure you fulfill the following prerequisites:

1. Ubuntu 18.04 or higher version installed on your computer
2. A static IP address for your Ubuntu server
3. A Minecraft account to access the server
4. At least 4GB of RAM, but we recommend using 8GB or more

Step 1: Installing Java

The first step to hosting a Minecraft server on Ubuntu is to install Java. Minecraft requires Java to run, so make sure you have Java installed on your computer by running the following command:

Command	Description
sudo apt update	Updates the package index list
sudo apt install default-jre	Installs the default Java Runtime Environment (JRE)
sudo apt install default-jdk	Installs the default Java Development Kit (JDK)

After running these commands, verify the installation by running the following command:

Command	Description
java -version	Checks the Java version

If the command returns the Java version, it means Java is installed successfully!

Step 2: Download and Install Minecraft Server

Now that we have Java installed, it’s time to download and install the Minecraft server. You can download the server from the official Minecraft website or use the following command to download it:

Command	Description
wget https://launcher.mojang.com/v1/objects/...	Downloads the Minecraft server

Replace the URL with the latest version of Minecraft server available on the official website.

After downloading the server, create a new directory for the server files and move the server file to that directory using the following commands:

Command	Description
mkdir ~/minecraft_server	Creates a new directory for server files
mv minecraft_server.jar ~/minecraft_server	Moves the server file to the new directory

Step 3: Configure Minecraft Server

After downloading and moving the server file to the new directory, it’s time to configure the server. Create a new server configuration file using the following command:

Command	Description
nano ~/minecraft_server/server.properties	Creates a new server configuration file

Once the file is opened in the Nano editor, you can make the following changes:

• server-ip=: Enter the static IP address of your Ubuntu server
• max-players=: Enter the maximum number of players allowed on the server
• level-seed=: Enter the seed for the world generation. This field is optional.

After making these changes, save and close the file by pressing CTRL+X, then Y, and Enter.

Step 4: Start Minecraft Server

Now that we have downloaded, installed, and configured the server, it’s time to start the server. Use the following command to start the server:

Command	Description
java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui	Starts the Minecraft server

This command starts the server with a maximum and minimum memory of 1024MB, respectively. This can be changed according to the amount of RAM available on your server. The nogui option starts the server without a graphical user interface.

You can verify if the server is running by checking the server status in the terminal output.

FAQ

Q. How do I connect to the Minecraft server?

A. To connect to the server, open Minecraft and click on the “Multiplayer” option. Click on “Add Server” and enter the static IP address of your Ubuntu server in the “Server Name” field. Click “Done” and the server will be added to the list of servers. Click on the server to join the game.

Q. How do I add plugins to the Minecraft server?

A. To add plugins to the server, download the desired plugin from a trusted source and move the plugin file to the “plugins” folder in the server directory. You can then restart the server to apply the changes.

Q. How do I stop the Minecraft server?

A. To stop the server, go to the terminal where the server is running and press CTRL+C. This will stop the server and close the terminal.

Q. How do I make the Minecraft server accessible from the internet?

A. To make the server accessible from the internet, you need to set up port forwarding on your router. Forward port 25565, which is the default port used by Minecraft servers, to your Ubuntu server’s static IP address.

Q. How do I update the Minecraft server?

A. To update the server, download the latest server file from the official Minecraft website and replace the old server file with the new one. You can then start the server as usual.

Conclusion

Congratulations, Dev! You have successfully learned how to host a Minecraft server on Ubuntu. We hope this guide has been helpful to you. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment below!