How to create a Minecraft server? Step by step guide

Setting up a Minecraft server is not that difficult. However, at the very beginning you need to know for whom you want to create such a server: for yourself, friends or for more people. If you want to create a server for yourself or your friends, all you need is a computer and internet. If for more people – you may need hosting, which is not as expensive as you might expect, but more on that later.

Downloading server files

At the very beginning we must start by downloading all the necessary server files, but fortunately there are not many of them. To download the needed files, we go to the official Minecraft website, where we will find only the latest server files. That site can be found here: www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/. Then click download minecraft_server.1.17.1.jar.

Then a window will open in which we indicate where to save the file.

And basically these are all the required files to run your own Minecraft server. Now it’s time to move on to the next step.

Initial server startup

To run the file, you need to create a file that will run the server. The first step is to launch notepad. Then paste the following code:

java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar server.jar nogui

pause

The above code causes the server to start. The -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M fragment corresponds to the amount of RAM used by the server. You can freely edit this argument according to your needs, e.g. increase the amount of RAM used to 2GB by entering 2048M here (-Xmx2048M -Xms2048M), for 3GB, 4GB etc. The only thing to remember is that you must not exceed more than your system supports. Next, we save the file as a .bat file. We save the file, name it as start.bat, and change the file type to all.

If we have the file ready, we run it just like a regular application by double clicking on it. It should open a black window, which is a window with the console of our server. At the very beginning we will get an error, but that is the way it should be. We will see an error loading some files and information that we have to approve EULA, that is terms of use of the server and information about using files.

There are now new server files in the server folder that were not there before. For now, we are interested in the eula file. Open it and edit it.

In the file we change only one value: from false to true, as in the picture below. Save the file and restart the server from the start.bat file.

The second attempt to run the server is much longer, because the map is already generated and all the necessary files and settings are loaded. After the server is finished, we get the message that reads Done.

However, that’s not the end of the editing and file digging. To make the server accessible to players outside your home, you still need to configure it properly. Finally, we write the stop command, which will stop the server.

Setting up networks and IP addresses

To change the server settings to public you need access to the router where you will change the port settings. First of all, enter the settings of your router. In your browser, type in the server address, which is usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1.

Next, we add a new entry. In the service name you can enter the name of your server (actually here you can enter whatever you like), in the external port you enter the number 25565 (the default port of the Minecraft server), the internal port also 25565, and the internal IP address you enter the address of our computer (in my case it’s 192.168.100.112). Finally, we add a profile and save the settings.

Now we go to the server settings file called server.properties. Edit it using notepad. Go to the line called server-ip and here enter the address of your computer, as above (in my case 192.168.100.112). Save the file and start the server.

After starting the server, we turn on the Minecraft game according to our server version (so 1.14.4). Now, to get to the server, we need our external IP address. Pages that show our external IP address can be found here. We enter this number into the multiplayer tab, add server, in the server address bar. You share the same number with all your friends you want to play with on the server. Finally, you can enter the server, the server world should load.

Every time someone enters the server a message will appear in the server console.

Please note that usually the public IP service is not activated. If you are still getting error messages despite correct port settings, please contact your ISP and ask them to activate this service 😉

Creating a Minecraft Server – Quick Guide

1. Download and extract server files from this link
2. Run Minecraft server – first time you run it you’ll get message about not accepting EULA file
3. Confirm EULA file (change value from false to true) and restart server
4. When server starts correctly, stop it and do proper port forwarding
5. Finally, fix the server.properties file and enter the correct values
6. That’s it – now you can play together with your friends on your private server!