How To Install A Minecraft Server (PaperMC) On Linux VPS (Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Debian)

Hosting your own dedicated Minecraft server on a Linux VPS provides complete administrative freedom, zero player slot restrictions, full mod and plugin support, and low-latency multiplayer performance. While vanilla Minecraft server jars are resource-heavy, running high-performance forks like Paper (PaperMC) dramatically optimizes tick loop calculations, memory utilization, and chunk loading.

This comprehensive guide walks you through setting up a modern Minecraft server on Ubuntu 24.04/22.04 LTS, Debian 12, AlmaLinux 9, Rocky Linux, and CentOS using Java 21 (OpenJDK 21), automated systemd service management, and firewall port configuration.

Recommended hardware requirements for Minecraft servers

Small Server (1–5 players, Vanilla/Paper): 2 vCPU cores, 2 GB – 4 GB RAM.
Medium Server (5–20 players with Plugins): 4 vCPU cores, 6 GB – 8 GB RAM.
Modded Server (Forge / Fabric / Large Modpacks): 4+ high-frequency vCPU cores, 12 GB – 16 GB RAM + NVMe SSD storage.

Step 1: Create a dedicated unprivileged user

For security best practices, never run game servers directly as the root user:

# Create dedicated minecraft system user and directory
sudo useradd -r -m -d /opt/minecraft -s /bin/bash minecraft
sudo su - minecraft

Step 2: Install Java 21 (OpenJDK 21)

Modern Minecraft versions (1.20.5+) require Java 21 (LTS). Switch back to your sudo account to install the runtime:

On Ubuntu and Debian:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install openjdk-21-jre-headless screen wget curl -y

On AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and CentOS:

sudo dnf install java-21-openjdk-headless screen wget curl -y

Step 3: Download PaperMC (High-Performance Server)

PaperMC delivers massive performance gains over the default vanilla software. Switch to the minecraft user and download the server build:

sudo su - minecraft
mkdir -p /opt/minecraft/server
cd /opt/minecraft/server

# Download the latest Paper 1.21 build
wget https://api.papermc.io/v2/projects/paper/versions/1.21.1/builds/119/downloads/paper-1.21.1-119.jar -O server.jar

Step 4: Accept the Minecraft EULA agreement

Run the server once to generate initial configuration files:
```
java -Xms1G -Xmx2G -jar server.jar --nogui
```
The server will stop and create eula.txt. Open the file:
```
nano eula.txt
```
Change eula=false to eula=true. Save and exit (Ctrl + O, Enter, Ctrl + X).

Step 5: Configure systemd service for auto-restart (Recommended)

Running your server under systemd ensures it automatically starts on system boot and restarts if a crash occurs.

Exit back to your sudo user (type exit).

Create the service unit file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/minecraft.service

Paste the following service configuration (adjust -Xmx4G according to your VPS RAM size):

[Unit]
Description=Minecraft Dedicated Server
After=network.target

[Service]
WorkingDirectory=/opt/minecraft/server
User=minecraft
Group=minecraft
Restart=always
ExecStart=/usr/bin/java -Xms2G -Xmx4G -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:+ParallelRefProcEnabled -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200 -jar server.jar --nogui

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now minecraft

Step 6: Open Minecraft Port 25565 in your firewall

Minecraft multiplayer uses TCP/UDP port 25565. Open this port to allow incoming player connections:

On Ubuntu / Debian (UFW):

sudo ufw allow 25565/tcp
sudo ufw reload

On AlmaLinux / Rocky / CentOS (FirewallD):

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=25565/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Step 7: Connect from your Minecraft game client

Launch Minecraft on your PC.
Click Multiplayer > Add Server.
In the Server Address box, enter your VPS IP address (e.g. YOUR_SERVER_IP or YOUR_SERVER_IP:25565).
Click Done and join your high-speed cloud Minecraft world!

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