Setting up a Java Minecraft Server

Howdy there Minecraft enthusiast, Got stuck while setting up a Java Minecraft server, Don't worry. This guide teaches you how to set up a basic Minecraft server. So with that said let's get started. For port forwarding, feel free to check out my Port forwarding alternative guide.

Prerequisite

The only requirement to make a Minecraft Server is to have Java installed on your system. (Recommended: The latest version of java). This is required so that it can run .jar files on your computer.

Downloading Server Files

Go to the web browser of your choice and search for Minecraft Server Java and select the first one or click here. As of now, latest Minecraft server version is 1.18.2.

• Click on minecraft_server_x.xx.x.jar to download the server file (where x represent the version number). 
• Now make a new folder and name it, I am gonna name it as 'Minecraft-server'. Note: Sometimes it can cause an issue if you leave space while naming, so either don't leave space or replace it with a hyphen)
• Copy and paste the .jar file you just downloaded into the Minecraft-server folder.
• Double click on the server.jar file, it will run and create some files on the folder.
• There should be one file named eula.txt, open that and change eula=false to eula=true and save the file.
• Now run it again, it might take some time to run it the first time. So wait patiently 😌. Go drink some water and come back. When it's fully loaded type stop, to stop the server safely. Note: If you get some error message about java, Click here to download jar fix, this should fix the java error. Otherwise, feel free to comment down below or contact me.
• Now create a text file and rename it as start.bat, right-click and select edit in windows 10, if you are using windows 11, click show more option then edit. Then copy-paste the following command :
  java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar server.jar nogui 

Note: Xmx1024M means that the server has a minimum of 1GB of ram allocated, and Xms1024M means that the server has a maximum of 1GB of ram allocated. Feel free to change it according to your need. I allocate at least 3GB for running the server with some plugins. If you don't want the graphical interface part, just leave the 'nogui' part.

Configuring server.properties

Here I'll explain in detail which all properties you need to configure and what all are the default values.

Properties you need configure

1. levelseed: sets the seed of the world, leave it blank to generate a random seed on server startup.
2. gamemode: Sets the gamemode for the world, it can be :
   survival (0) creative (1)
   adventure (2) spectator (3)
3. levelname: Sets the name of the world in the directories
4. motd: Sets the name of the server in-game, like when you select multiplayer in the game and see the servers, this name shows there.
5. pvp: Sets the pvp of the server, which can be true or false.
6. difficulty: Sets the difficulty of the server, Can be easy, normal or hard.
7. max-players: Limits the maximum number of players that can join at a time.
8. server-ip: This is the IP that is used to join the server from the same network. This can be found via cmd, open cmd and type ipconfig, The ipv4 address is the address of the hosting computer. If you are connecting from the same computer use 127.0.0.1 instead. If you are connecting from a different network, you need to set up port forwarding.
9. server-port: This is the port of the server, Can be changed.

Check out Minecraft Wiki, for a detailed explanation of every property.

With that said, feel free to check out my Port forwarding alternative guide. to learn how to port foward easily so that your friends can join your amazing server. Any questions, comments, concerns ? Leave it in the comment section.