Set Up A Minecraft Server On Your Raspberry Pi
Minecraft is a hugely popular game. You can setup your own Minecraft server and can create your own worlds in the game. You don't have to buy a dedicated computer. A Raspberry Pi, a small Linux computer that is about the size of a credit card, can do this. Raspberry is the ideal choice if you are looking to play it on a small LAN with your friends and family. Graphics of this game is not good but still it looks so fascinating to play this game on network with other people.
Within an hour, you can start playing Minecraft on your dedicated Raspberry Pi powered Minecraft server. Although Raspberry Pi isn't powerful enough to handle complex automated farms or more than 5 players, it is still a great low-cost option to play this game on a network.
So, in this tutorial we will learn about managing Minecraft servers using Raspberry Pi.
1. Raspbian installed on Raspberry Pi 2 or higher
2. LAN cable
3. Power adaptor
This tutorial will show you how to connect Raspberry Pi with External Monitor via HDMI cable. You can also use SSH client (Putty), VNC server, or a monitor to connect to Raspberry pi via your laptop or computer. If you are having trouble connecting to Raspberry Pi, please consult our Getting Started Guide.
To connect with this Minecraft server you need another Raspberry Pi to join the game. Check out the working Video at the end. Here the complete process to setup minecraft on Rasbperry pi is explained in the below steps:
1. Make sure to update the Raspberry Pi
This command will first update and upgrade your raspberry Pi system.
2. Setup your Environment
Minecraft works on Java so, check whether Java and java compiler is installed in your Raspberry Pi using the following commands:
You can have a different version. If versions are not showing then you have to install java SDK.
3. Install Minecraft
We are going to install Spigot Minecraft Server, It is a most optimize plugin for small Minecraft servers. These are the steps you need to follow in order to do this:
Step 1 - Create the Minecraft folder
Step 2: Download the buildtools
Step 3 - Use the following command to create the server packages you have downloaded.
Building of the files takes time. It can take anywhere between one hour and two hours depending on how fast your internet is. minecraft-servers.cc So, this would be a good time to get yourself a drink or snacks.
Be patient and return after an hour. If everything goes well, you will find a file called spigot-12.2.jar in your Minecraft folder (or whatever the current version).
4. Launching the Minecraft Server
It's time to launch the server. Use the ls command (or the spigot.jar command) to locate and download the file.
There is should be file with a filename similar to spigot-[version].jar. At the time of writing, this was spigot-1.12.2.jar.
Step1 - Launch the server by entering the following command.
After launching, the server will stop automatically (first time only) to confirm the license agreement.
Step2:- Open the end-user license agreement(EULA) file using this command:
Accept the EULA and change False to True. Then press Ctrl >X to exit.
Step3: Next, run the same command to launch the server once again
As the map is being built, it will take some time. It will take about 30 minutes, so be patient
5. Connect to the Raspberry Pi Minecraft Server
Now, your Minecraft server is online on your local network. You just need to launch Minecraft on your computer. Next, click Play > Servers-> Add server. Fill in the details, give it an IP address, and give it a name.
The following commands can be used to find the IP address for your server:
Select the server that you want to start playing.
You can also play on another Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi includes a Minecraft game. So, you can connect this local minecraft with our newly created Minecraft server:
1. Open the Minecraft pi in Game.
2. Start the game on Raspberry Pi.
3. Click on Join game on another raspberry pi. Then your server IP will appear. Click on it. Now you can play on your own terms.
Full demonstration is available in the Video at End.
6. Configure Your Minecraft Server
Once you have successfully tested the server on your Rasbperry pi, it is time to configure it. You will need to edit the server properties. The below command will set the properties. It is a file in text format.
Keep in mind that Raspberry Pi is not a high-speed processor so set the properties that require less processing. This link Minecraft Wiki outlines the server properties.
Finally, after all the configuration is complete, you can install a plugin which will prevent Raspberry Pi from using too many RAM for Minecraft game. You have to install the NoSpawnChunks plugin to prevent high RAM usage by the Minecraft server.
First, use this command for the plugins subdirectory:
Download the NoSpawnChunks.jar File:
Now you have your own Minecraft server which you can customize according to you. Now you can play the game with your family and friends.