How to Start a Minecraft Server

Running your own Minecraft server is the fastest way to get full control over gameplay, plugins and friends-only access. This guide walks you through the entire process from a clean machine to a working server players can join, using Paper , the most widely used server jar today.

What you need before you start

• Java 21 (Minecraft 1.21+ requires Java 21 , install temurin-21-jre or Microsoft's OpenJDK 21).
• 4,8 GB RAM for a small friends server. Big public servers want 16+ GB.
• A machine with a stable network connection. A VPS works, but a home PC behind NAT will need port forwarding.

Step 1: Pick a server jar

Vanilla Minecraft works, but Paper is dramatically faster, supports plugins and includes performance patches that vanilla never will. Download the latest Paper build from papermc.io/downloads and place the jar in a fresh folder, e.g. ~/mcserver/paper.jar.

Step 2: Create your start script

Create start.sh in the same folder:

#!/bin/bash
java -Xms4G -Xmx4G \
  -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:+ParallelRefProcEnabled \
  -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200 -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions \
  -XX:+DisableExplicitGC -XX:+AlwaysPreTouch \
  -jar paper.jar nogui

Run chmod +x start.sh and execute ./start.sh. The first run generates eula.txt; open it, change eula=false to eula=true, save, and start again.

Step 3: First-boot configuration

The server creates server.properties on first launch. The settings most people change first:

• motd=Welcome to my server! , the line shown in the server browser.
• max-players=20 , raise once you know your RAM headroom.
• view-distance=8 , lower (6,8) for big networks; affects RAM and CPU heavily.
• simulation-distance=6 , controls mob ticking; one of the biggest TPS knobs.
• online-mode=true , keep this on unless you are running behind a proxy that handles auth.

Step 4: Open the port

Default port is 25565/TCP. On a VPS run sudo ufw allow 25565/tcp. On home internet, forward the port in your router and share your public IP with friends. For a clean experience, point a domain at the IP and use an SRV record so players don't have to type the port.

Step 5: Make yourself an operator

In the server console:

op YourMinecraftName

You now have /gamemode, /give, /tp and the rest. For multi-staff setups, install LuckPerms instead of using OP , it scales far better.

Step 6: Backups, restarts and stability

Schedule a daily restart (cron + a wrapper script) and at minimum a daily backup of the world folder. CoreProtect covers grief rollback, but it is not a backup , you still need actual file backups.

Where to go next

From here most server owners install EssentialsX for core commands, WorldGuard for region protection, and a permissions plugin. For multi-server networks see the BungeeCord/Velocity guide. For a long-term stable setup also read the optimization guide.

Want to see all this in action? Astroworld MC runs a custom-built economy survival server with custom bosses, eternal enchants, crates and an auction house. Join at astroworldmc.com , IP play.astroworldmc.com, Java + Bedrock crossplay.