How to create Minecraft servers ? Easy, with the right tools and instructions. It is not impossible, believe me. Just a little time to spend on it, a few euros (if you want to buy the Raspberry Pi, otherwise you can do everything on your computer), and voila: your server is up and running, fully customizable and ready to use. You will be able to enter and play with your friends, deciding who can enter and who cannot.
Do we try to build it from scratch? That is what we will need:
- an internet connection to download the software
- a Rasperry Pi card
Check that Java is installed to create the Minecraft server
Suppose that you already know what a Minecraft server is and especially what is Rasberry Pi. But let’s also assume that you have already installed Raspbian on Raspberry. The latest versions also include Java, so you won’t need to download it. Anyway, if you are not sure if you have Java already installed, in the terminal window, next to the $ symbol you can write:
Java version
If you get a sensible answer from Raspy, something like:
Java version “1.7.3”
Or something similar, then Java is installed. Otherwise, you will have to install it by typing these commands in the terminal window:
sudo apt-get install oracle-java7-jdk
Where the number 7 represents the version of Java you want to install. We recommend that you check for newer versions.
To create the Minecraft server, download, install and launch Cuberite
Once we know that our Raspberry has Java installed, we have to download and configure the software that will allow it to create the Minecraft server. For our experiment we have chosen Cuberite, a server that, due to its ease of installation and use, seems to be the right one for us.
To install Cuberite, simply type this command line, in Raspbian’s terminal (TTY) window, on Raspberry (which also applies to Linux and Mac OSX):
curl -sSfL https://download.cuberite.org | sh
During the download, Raspy will reassure you with the following message:
Downloading precompiled binaries.
Then it will surprise you, informing you that Cuberite has not only been downloaded, but is already installed!
Cuberite is now installed, it runs using the ‘cd Server; ./Cuberite ‘.
Now all you have to do is launch it, following the instructions. During installation, Cuberite created a folder called Server and copied the files into it. Copy and paste the words on the command line:
cd Server; ./Cuberite
Or copy it by hand (but be careful with capital letters! In Raspbian, typing Server or server is not the same …). Cuberite will respond by listing the various operations that it will have completed from time to time and will be able to consider them definitely started when you read the message:
Full boot, took 6289ms!
The number of milliseconds taken (in the example it is 6289ms) is clearly different from time to time, and varies based on many factors. Anyway, Cuberite has already started and your Minecraft server is up and running.
Customize your Minecraft Cuberite server
Creating the Minecraft server wasn’t difficult, was it? Now that your Minecraft server is ready, what do we do?
Don’t worry: from the main Minecraft screen, choose the one called Minecraft Multiplayer, and then Login to the server.
There you will be asked to choose a name for your server (Minecraft Server is already offered to you, and you can easily leave that one) and the server address. Here you have to enter the IP of the raspberry (something like 192.168.1.XXX) or localhost, followed by the default port number, 25565. In other words:
localhost: 25565
Or, something like:
192.168.1.3:25565
Press Done, and you’re done!
Here’s your Minecraft server! Select it, hit Enter the server, and have fun!
Conclusions
So what was it like creating a Minecraft server? Easy right? Cuberite is a versatile and easy-to-use tool. That is why we use it to explain how to create your Minecraft server in a few minutes and without difficulty. You don’t need to use the RAsberry Pi, of course. Here we have proposed it for (almost) educational purposes.
