SoFunction
Updated on 2025-03-03

Steps to build a Minecraft server on Linux

When selecting a server, make sure it has at least 1GB of RAM and preferably at least 2GB.

First, you need to connect to the server via SSH. If you are using a Mac, you can open a terminal; if you are using a PC, you can use PuTTY to connect. Once the command line is open, enter the following command to log in:

ssh username@ipaddress

Enter your password when prompted. While you can set up a server on the root user, this is not as secure as setting it under other usernames. You can check out this tutorial to learn how to add users.

Step 1: Install the required components

Before we proceed, we should quickly update apt-get, which is the program through which we will download all the components required by the server.

sudo apt-get update

After that, we need to make sure that Java is installed on our server. You can check by typing the following command:

java -version

If you do not have Java installed, you will receive a message saying "java: command not found". You can then download Java via apt-get:

sudo apt-get install default-jdk

You also need to provide the server with Screen, which will keep the server running when you disconnect:

sudo apt-get install screen

Here is a complete guide on how to install and use screen.

Step 2: Install the Minecraft server

First, create a new directory to store Minecraft files:

mkdir minecraft

After creating the directory, switch to it:

cd minecraft

In this directory, download the Minecraft server software:

wget -O minecraft_server.jar //versions/1.7.4/minecraft_server.1.7.

Since we have screen installed, you can start it (-S sets the session title):

screen -S "Minecraft server"

Once the file is downloaded, you can run it in Java:

java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui

The startup text should look like this:

2012-08-06 21:12:52 [INFO] Loading properties
2012-08-06 21:12:52 [WARNING]  does not exist
2012-08-06 21:12:52 [INFO] Generating new properties file
2012-08-06 21:12:52 [INFO] Default game type: SURVIVAL
2012-08-06 21:12:52 [INFO] Generating keypair
2012-08-06 21:12:53 [INFO] Starting Minecraft server on *:25565
2012-08-06 21:12:53 [WARNING] Failed to load operators list: : ./ (No such file or directory)
2012-08-06 21:12:53 [WARNING] Failed to load white-list: : ./ (No such file or directory)
2012-08-06 21:12:53 [INFO] Preparing level "world"
2012-08-06 21:12:53 [INFO] Preparing start region for level 0
2012-08-06 21:12:54 [INFO] Preparing spawn area: 4%
2012-08-06 21:12:55 [INFO] Preparing spawn area: 12%
2012-08-06 21:12:56 [INFO] Preparing spawn area: 20%
2012-08-06 21:12:57 [INFO] Preparing spawn area: 24%
2012-08-06 21:12:58 [INFO] Preparing spawn area: 32%
2012-08-06 21:12:59 [INFO] Preparing spawn area: 36%
2012-08-06 21:13:00 [INFO] Preparing spawn area: 44%
2012-08-06 21:13:01 [INFO] Preparing spawn area: 48%
2012-08-06 21:13:02 [INFO] Preparing spawn area: 52%
2012-08-06 21:13:03 [INFO] Preparing spawn area: 61%
2012-08-06 21:13:04 [INFO] Preparing spawn area: 69%
2012-08-06 21:13:05 [INFO] Preparing spawn area: 77%
2012-08-06 21:13:06 [INFO] Preparing spawn area: 85%
2012-08-06 21:13:07 [INFO] Preparing spawn area: 93%
2012-08-06 21:13:08 [INFO] Done (15.509s)! For help, type "help" or "?"

Your Minecraft server is now set up. You can exit screen by pressing the following key combination:

ctl-a d

To reconnect to screen, enter the following command:

screen -R

You can change the server's settings by opening the server properties file:

nano ~/minecraft/

This is the article about the methods and steps of building a Minecraft server on Linux. For more related content on building a Minecraft server on Linux, please search for my previous articles or continue browsing the related articles below. I hope everyone will support me in the future!