- Servers are the backbone of every single Minecraft world ever built. With that in mind, let’s see how you can build your own Minecraft server that your friends can join.
- You can create servers for Minecraft: Java and Minecraft: Bedrock editions. While the steps are somewhat different, the end result is pretty much the same in both scenarios.
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We can all agree that Minecraft is an amazing game. It’s come a long way since its initial release, and updates just keep popping up. So what is it that makes Minecraft so cool, even after so many years?
It may be that after a while, you get used to thinking in squares. But not. Perhaps the fact that a rather simplistic survival game has evolved to the point where you can build fully functional computers on it? Maybe.
Contents index
- Minecraft servers are community based.
- How to make a Minecraft server: Java Edition
- Check that the latest version of Java is installed
- Download the files from the Minecraft server
- Start the server
Minecraft servers are community based.
But the real reason Minecraft thrived and continues to thrive is the community. As you probably know, Minecraft never had official servers, everything was managed by its community.
So there was no place where everything was available to you. You had to carry on through tears and frustration to build the perfect world for you and your friends.
However, all of this couldn’t be possible without servers, the backbone of every Minecraft world ever built. With that in mind, let’s see how you can build your own Minecraft server that your friends can join.
Since most of the servers are made by the community, it would be a good idea to protect your privacy online by using a VPN. You can find a list of our top 5 VPNs for Minecraft on Windows and Mac.
How to make a Minecraft server: Java Edition
1. Check that the latest version of Java is installed
First of all, you need to download and install Java. If you have already done so, you need to make sure the latest version is installed on the PC that you will be using to host the server. This is what you can do to perform a Java version check:
- In your Control Panel , click Java (32 or 64 bit), go to the Update tab and click Update Now (check screenshot).
- Visit the Java Version Checker Tool and let it check the version for you. Please note that this does not work in Chrome and Firefox.
- Launch the command prompt , type java -version, and press Enter on your keyboard. Compare the version with the official website.
2. Download the files from the Minecraft server
You can find the Minecraft server files in the download section of the official website. It is also possible to recover previous versions , but not from the official website. If you want the latest developments, we recommend that you always use the latest version from the official site.
Please note that the server is a JAR file which will not work unless you have Java on your system.
It is worth mentioning that the JAR file will create various configuration files in the location where you start it. Therefore, before starting the server, make sure that it is in a suitable location on your PC.
Best practice would be to create a dedicated folder where you want it, move the JAR file there, and run it.
3. Start the server
After setting everything up, just start the server by double clicking on the JAR file. This should start a process that writes some configuration files and quits almost immediately.
First and foremost, we have to accept the EULA. So, find the eula.txt file in the server folder and open it in a text editor. Edit the eula = false part within the document to eula = true, save it and close it. Please note that doing so means you agree to the EULA.
You cannot download older versions of Minecraft server from the official website. We have included some instructions on where you can find older versions of the server, but we recommend that you stick with the latest ones.
