Install Minecraft Server on VPS: Complete Setup Guide

A Virtual Private Server (VPS) provides an optimal hosting environment for Minecraft servers, offering dedicated resources, guaranteed uptime, and full administrative control. This setup eliminates the limitations of personal computer hosting while providing a stable, dedicated IP address for your server.

Note: This guide uses Ubuntu 22.04 as the base operating system.

Java Edition Installation

Prerequisites and Java Setup

Connect to your VPS server via SSH
Update the system package repository:
```
sudo apt-get update
```
Install the appropriate Java version based on your Minecraft version:
```
sudo apt install [OpenJDK version]
```

Java Version Requirements

Minecraft Version	Java Version	OpenJDK Package
1.16.x and below	Java 8	openjdk-8-jre-headless
1.17.x	Java 16	openjdk-16-jre-headless
1.18.x - 1.20.4	Java 17	openjdk-17-jre-headless
1.20.5 and above	Java 21	openjdk-21-jre-headless

Confirm installation when prompted by entering y

Server Environment Setup

Install screen for session management:
```
sudo apt install screen -y
```
Create a dedicated user for the Minecraft server:
```
sudo useradd -r -U -d /usr/local/games/minecraft_server/ -s /usr/sbin/nologin [Username]
```
Security Note: Never use root or privileged users to prevent security vulnerabilities.

Create the server directory structure:

sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/games/minecraft_server/java

Assign ownership to the Minecraft user:

sudo chown -R [Username]: /usr/local/games/minecraft_server/

Server Installation and Configuration

Switch to the Minecraft user:
```
sudo su - [Username] -s /bin/bash
```

Navigate to the Java server directory:

cd /usr/local/games/minecraft_server/java

Download the server JAR file (obtain links from MCVersions.net):
```
wget [server.jar link]
```
Create a screen session:
```
screen -S [Screen name]
```

Perform initial server boot:

java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar server.jar nogui

Accept the End User License Agreement:
```
sed -i 's/\bfalse\b/TRUE/' eula.txt
```
Launch the server with custom RAM allocation:
```
java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar server.jar nogui
```
Adjust -Xmx and -Xms values based on your VPS RAM allocation.

Bedrock Edition Installation

Initial Setup

Connect to your VPS server via SSH
Install required packages:
```
sudo apt install screen -y
```
Navigate to the temporary directory:
```
cd /tmp
```
Download the Bedrock server (obtain links from the official Minecraft wiki):
```
wget [server link]
```

Server Extraction and Configuration

Install unzip utility and extract server files:

apt-get install unzip
sudo unzip -d /usr/local/games/minecraft_server/bedrock [.zip filename]

Create a dedicated user account:

sudo useradd -r -U -d /usr/local/games/minecraft_server/ -s /usr/sbin/nologin [Username]

Create the Bedrock directory:

sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/games/minecraft_server/bedrock

Set directory permissions:

sudo chown -R [Username]: /usr/local/games/minecraft_server/

Launch Script Creation

Switch to the Minecraft user:
```
sudo su - [Username] -s /bin/bash
```
Navigate to the Bedrock directory:
```
cd bedrock
```
Create the launch script:
```
nano launch_mc_bedrock_server.sh
```

Add the following content to the script:

#!/bin/bash
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./bedrock_server

Save and exit (Ctrl+S, then Ctrl+X)
Make the script executable:
```
chmod +x launch_mc_bedrock_server.sh
```

Server Launch

Create a screen session:
```
screen -S [Screen name]
```
Launch the Bedrock server:
```
./launch_mc_bedrock_server.sh
```

SSH Connection Guide - Connect to your VPS before starting setup
Common Ubuntu Commands - Reference for Linux commands used in this guide
VPS Setup Guide - Initial VPS configuration before installing Minecraft
Configure Windows Firewall Ports - Open ports for player connections

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