How to Create a Minecraft Server (Java & Bedrock)

1. Get a machine — a Linux VPS with 4 GB RAM or more, or your own PC if everyone is on the same network.
2. Install Java 21 — on Ubuntu, install the headless JRE and check that java -version prints 21.
3. Start the jar once — download the official Java server or Paper, run it, then set eula=true.
4. Open the port — allow TCP 25565, or UDP 19132 for Bedrock, and share the public IP.
5. Tune the heap — set -Xms and -Xmx below the VPS RAM, then add plugins only after the world loads.

Minecraft Server Options: Free vs VPS vs Managed

You create a Minecraft server in one of four ways: a free hosted panel, your own PC, a Linux VPS, or a managed game host. The jar and the EULA are the same idea on the last three. What changes is who keeps the world online and who opens the port.

A free panel is the right start when you only want friends in a world tonight. It is the wrong tool when you need your own jar, a fixed IP, or a world that does not depend on someone else's free queue.

WebJi quotes a VPS hosting in India box or a managed server in INR before payment. 18% GST is added on the invoice. This page has no per-slot price.

What you need before you create a Minecraft server

Match the server to the edition your friends already play. Java players cannot join a Bedrock world on the same address, and the setup files are different.

• Java Edition — Java 21, the official server.jar or a Paper jar, and TCP port 25565.
• Bedrock Edition — the official dedicated-server package for Linux, and UDP port 19132. Phones and consoles use this edition.
• One version — the server and every client must run a compatible Minecraft version.
• A reachable machine — a Linux VPS with a public IPv4, or a PC plus a router port forward for friends outside your house.
• The EULA — the world will not stay up until you accept the Minecraft EULA.

On a VPS, leave server-ip blank in server.properties. A wrong address there makes a healthy server refuse every join.

Step 1: choose VPS RAM for the Minecraft server

Give a small vanilla or Paper world 4 GB of RAM. That is the heap in the official Java server example, and it still leaves room on a larger VPS for the operating system. Do not assign the entire VPS to -Xmx.

Minecraft mostly runs on one core, so a faster core beats a plan that only advertises more RAM. Shared web hosting cannot run server.jar. You need root on a Linux VPS, or a panel that starts the jar for you.

Step 2: install Java and download the Minecraft server.jar

On Ubuntu, install the headless Java 21 runtime, then check the version. This step is done when the version line contains 21.

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y openjdk-21-jre-headless

java -version

Download the Java server jar for the version your friends run, from the official Minecraft server download, into an empty folder such as ~/minecraft. For plugins, download the Paper jar for that same version and name it server.jar.

Bedrock does not use a jar. Unzip the official Bedrock dedicated server for Linux and run its binary. Skip the Java install on a Bedrock-only machine.

Step 3: accept the Minecraft EULA and start the world

The first launch stops on purpose until you accept the EULA. Run the jar, open eula.txt, change eula=false to eula=true, save, and start again.

java -Xms2G -Xmx4G -jar server.jar nogui

Use nogui on a VPS so Java does not look for a window. Lower -Xmx if the VPS has less free RAM than the number you set. Raise it only when you reserved more than 4 GB for the world.

You know it worked when the log prints Done. Then set the MOTD, leave server-ip empty, keep online-mode=true unless you mean to allow unverified accounts, and drop view distance to 10 or lower if the tick rate falls.

Step 4: open Minecraft port 25565 and share the IP

Friends do not use localhost. Localhost is only the machine the server runs on. They add the VPS public IPv4 in Multiplayer. Java listens on TCP 25565, so the IP alone is enough unless you changed the server port.

On Ubuntu with UFW, allow the Java port:

sudo ufw allow 25565/tcp

For Bedrock, also allow UDP 19132 with sudo ufw allow 19132/udp. A Java address will not connect a Bedrock client.

You know the port is open when a friend on another network joins and their name appears in the console. A timeout means the firewall, the cloud security group, or the wrong IP. An EULA block would have stopped the server before this test.

Paper and Spigot plugins on a Minecraft server

Paper and Spigot replace the vanilla jar and add a plugins folder. Vanilla has no plugin loader. Use Paper for a friends' survival world. It is the build most server plugins expect.

Start Paper once so it creates plugins, eula.txt, and the world. Then put each plugin jar in plugins and restart. Essentials and LuckPerms are the usual first pair for homes and ranks. If the server fails on boot, remove the last jar you added.

Forge and Fabric load mods, not Spigot plugins, and they need more RAM. Do not mix a Forge modpack with Paper plugins in the same folder.

When a managed Minecraft host beats a DIY VPS

Stay on the DIY VPS when you want SSH, your own start script, and full control of the jar. Move to a managed host when you do not want to patch Java, open ports, or restore a world after a bad plugin.

Game server hosting runs the Minecraft process on a KVM server with a panel for start, stop, and backups. Minecraft server hosting is that same job sized for Java or Bedrock. WebJi quotes it in INR before you pay. Free migration of an existing world is subject to terms and approval, not instant.

The monthly figure depends on RAM and mods. The Minecraft server cost in India guide is where that math lives. Do not compare a free panel's zero price with a VPS until both are for the same always-on world.

Email support@webji.services with the edition, player count, and whether you use plugins or a modpack. The desk replies with the INR figure before you pay. That mailbox is 24/7 in Hindi and English. Do not call the office number for setup help.