How To Start Your Own Minecraft Server

Minecraft isn't a very hardware-intensive game, but if you're hoping to run your own server, there are some key points to take into account. RAM is the first hurdle you'll encounter. This means that for every four to five users who are using your server, you will need around 1GB of RAM. Your Internet connection will be your primary obstacle.

Your first stop: CanIHostaMinecraftServer.com. Enter your connection speed and the amount of RAM inside your prospective server machine, and this website will let you know how many players you can expect to support simultaneously. If that number is a bit low, consider renting space on a dedicated Minecraft server-or having fewer friends.

There are many, many server hosts to choose from. You can begin your search by simply doing a Google search. But before you choose one, you should have a clear idea of how many players you're likely to have on your server, and how much money you're willing to spend.

If you'll be hosting only a few friends, you can run a Minecraft server on your own hardware; the process is fairly simple. If you plan to install your server on a Windows machine, head over to the Minecraft downloads page and grab the executable. You can also download the server.jar file to run the server on a Mac and Linux. (Note: If you plan to run this in Ubuntu, use the Windows server download link.)

Regardless of whether you're using Windows or Mac/Linux for your operating system, you should dump the downloaded file into its own folder. This is because it creates configuration files on its own during operation. Double-click the executable in Windows. It will immediately create a world, populating it with critters.

You will need to do some extra work for the Mac/Linux option. For either platform, ensure you have the latest Java version installed. Minecraft Servers Are My Life Macs will handle that task via software update. Java's download site can be used to locate the correct version for your distribution.

Once you've installed the latest version of Java, you'll need to tell the Minecraft server how much memory to allocate to the server. Skip to the section appropriate for your system. Windows users can skip straight to "Getting Your Friends Inside".

Linux Users

Open the terminal on Linux. Instructions may vary by distribution, but you'll probably find it in the Applications menu, under Accessories. Navigate to your Minecraft server folder (cd NAME OF YOUR FOLDER), and type the following command:

java -Xms1024M -Xmx1024M -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui

This will assign 1GB RAM to your server. 1GB is the limit if you are using Java 32-bit. If you're running 64-bit Java you can replace "1024M", with however many megabytes, that you'd like to allocate. For example, 2048M can be used to allocate 2GB and 4096M to allocate 4GB.

Mac Users

Open TextEdit on a Mac and copy or paste the following lines of code.

exec java -Xmx1G -Xms1G -jar minecraft_server.jar

Allocate as much memory as you'd like by changing '1G' to the number of gigabytes you'd like to set aside (2G for 2GB, 4G for 4GB, and so on).

In the Format Menu, select Make Plain Text, save the file as start.command, and move it into your server folder. Next, go to the Terminal. Type chmod +x and drag the start.command file into the Terminal. It will grant the file appropriate permissions. Finally, double-click the start.command key to start your server.

Invite your friends

Anyone who wishes to play must select Multiplayer from Minecraft's main menu. From there, players can choose Direct Connect (for a temporary visit) or Add Server (to instruct Minecraft to remember the details). If everyone is on the same network, they can simply type localhost into the server address field. To connect with friends remotely, you will need to find your external IP address. Just type "What's my IP address?" into Google. You should see the information in a box over the results.

Sharing your single-player world with friends

In your Minecraft server folder, look for the file named 'server.properties' and open it with your favorite text editor. The Minecraft Wiki provides an extensive guide to configuring your Minecraft server. This article will focus on how to transfer a world that you have been playing on to the Minecraft server you just created.

First, find the world that you created solo. Click the Start button in Windows. Type "%appdata%" (without quotation marks, but with spaces fore-and-aft) into the search box. Press Enter. The.minecraft> folder should be located at the top. Your world will be in the Saves folder; copy that folder into the folder that contains your Minecraft server. Look in the'server.properties.php' file for the line 'levelname=world'. Change 'world' to your world's name. Your creation will be available for everyone who has access the server when you fire it up again.