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. This is possible without spending a lot of money on a dedicated computer. You can easily do it with a Raspberry Pi-sized Linux computer. If you want to play it on small LAN network with your family and friends then Raspberry is the perfect choice for you. 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. Raspberry Pi isn’t capable of handling complex automated farms with more than five players, but it’s still the best low-cost option for playing this fascinating 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 shows how to connect Raspberry Pi to External Monitor using HDMI cable. If you don’t have a monitor, you can use SSH client or VNC to connect to Raspberry Pi via Laptop or Computer. If you need help, then please see our Getting Started with Raspberry Pi Guide.
To connect with this Minecraft server you need another Raspberry Pi to join the game. The working Video is at the end of this project. The steps below will show you how to set up minecraft on Rasbperry pi.
1. Keep the Raspberry Pi updated
This command will first update and upgrade your raspberry Pi system.
2. Set up your environment
Minecraft works only on Java. You can check if Java is installed on your Raspberry Pi with the following commands.
Different versions can exist. You can have different versions.
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: Build the server package that you have downloaded using below command:
It takes time to build the files. It can take anywhere from one hour to two hours, depending on the speed of your internet. This is a good time for a drink or snack.
Be patient and come back in an hour. If all goes well, you''ll find a file in your Minecraft folder called "spigot-1.12.2.jar" (or whatever version it is at the moment).
4. Launching the Minecraft Server
Now it''s time for the server to be launched. Use ls command to find the spigot.jar file and it''s version.
There is should be file with a filename similar to spigot-[version].jar. This filename was spigot-1.2.2.jar as of the writing.
Step1:- Start the server by running the following command. Make sure to enter the correct version number.
After launching, server will stop automatically (first-time only) to confirm license agreement.
Step2:- Open an end-user license agreement (EULA) and file it using this command.
Accept the EULA, change False or True, and then press Ctrl>X to exit.
Step3:- Next, launch the server again using the same command:
It will take time, as map is building. It will take around half an hour so be patient
5. Connect to the Raspberry Pi Minecraft Server
Now, your Minecraft server is online on your local network. Start Minecraft on your computer. Click Play > Servers->Add server to fill in the details. Give it a name and add the IP address.
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 comes with a Minecraft game. So, you can connect this local minecraft with our newly created Minecraft server:
1. Open the Minecraft pi in the Game option.
2. Start the game from the Raspberry Pi server.
3. Click on Join game with another raspberry pi. Your server IP will then be displayed. 360 degrees all the way around 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
After you have tested the server, and it works on your Rasbperry pi computer correctly, it''s now time to set it up. Edit 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. You can find a list of server properties at this link Minecraft wiki.
Finally after all the setup and configuration, you can optionally install a plugin to prevent using too much RAM of Raspberry pi by Minecraft game. You have to install the NoSpawnChunks plugin to prevent high RAM usage by the Minecraft server.
This command will first open the plugins folder.
Download the NoSpawnChunks.jar archive:
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.
