Table of Contents
Who this is for: Players wanting to host their own Minecraft servers for friends or communities.
Ready to jump in? Play minecraft games and discover endless creative possibilities in blocky worlds.
Play free games on Playgama.com
Prerequisites for Running a Minecraft Server
Before launching your server jar file, you’ll need Java installed on your system. Minecraft servers require Java 17 or newer for recent versions. Download it from Oracle’s website or use OpenJDK if you prefer an open-source option.
Basic Command to Start Your Server
Open your command prompt or terminal and navigate to the folder containing your server jar file. Use this command structure:
java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar server.jar nogui
Replace “server.jar” with your actual filename. The -Xmx and -Xms flags allocate memory – 1024M means 1GB RAM. Adjust this based on your available system memory and expected player count.
First-Time Setup Steps
When you run the command initially, the server creates several files including eula.txt. You must edit this file and change “eula=false” to “eula=true” to accept Minecraft’s End User License Agreement. Without this step, your server won’t start properly.
Memory Allocation Guidelines
For small servers (1-5 players), 1-2GB RAM works fine. Medium servers (5-15 players) benefit from 3-4GB, while larger communities need 6GB or more. Never allocate all your system’s RAM – leave at least 2GB for your operating system.
Common Startup Issues and Solutions
If you encounter “Java not recognized” errors, add Java to your system’s PATH environment variable. Port conflicts happen when another application uses port 25565 – either close that application or change your server’s port in server.properties.
Essential Server Configuration
After your first successful startup, customize server.properties to match your preferences. Key settings include difficulty level, game mode, spawn protection radius, and whether to allow flight. The whitelist feature helps control who can join your server.
Ready to explore more sandbox adventures? Check out our collection of minecraft games for additional creative experiences.
TL;DR
Run a Minecraft server jar using the command ‘java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar server.jar nogui’ after installing Java and accepting the EULA agreement.
