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Your Opus Host VPS can run a Minecraft server 24/7 so you and your friends can play anytime. This guide covers installing Java, setting up the server, and keeping it running in the background — even after you close your terminal.
We recommend a VPS with at least 1 GB of RAM for a smooth experience. Check Resource Limits to see your current allocation. You also need port 25565 open before players can connect — see Networking.

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Install Java

1

Update packages

Refresh your package lists to make sure you install the latest available versions:
2

Install Java 17

Minecraft 1.17 and later require Java 17. Install the headless JRE (no desktop environment needed on a VPS):
3

Verify the installation

Confirm Java is installed and check the version:
You should see output similar to openjdk version "17.x.x".

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Download and Run the Minecraft Server

1

Create a dedicated folder

Keep all server files in one place:
2

Download the server JAR

Mojang updates the server JAR regularly, so you need to grab the current download link yourself:
  1. Visit the Minecraft server download page in your browser.
  2. Right-click the minecraft_server.X.X.X.jar download button and copy the link address.
  3. Back on your VPS, use wget with that copied URL:
For example, the command will look similar to:
where <hash> is the unique identifier for the version you downloaded.
3

Accept the EULA

Minecraft requires you to accept the End User License Agreement before the server will start:
4

Start the server for the first time

Launch the server with modest memory limits suitable for a free-tier VPS. This first run generates the world and all default config files:
5

Stop the server

Once the world has finished generating and you see the Done message in the console, type stop and press Enter to shut it down cleanly before moving on to the next section.

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Keep It Running with screen

Closing your SSH session normally kills any processes running in it. screen lets the server keep running in the background.
1

Install screen

2

Start a named screen session

Your terminal is now inside a persistent session named minecraft.
3

Launch the server inside screen

4

Detach from screen

Press Ctrl + A, then D to detach. The server continues running in the background and your SSH session is free.
5

Reattach later

When you need to access the server console again — to run commands, check logs, or stop the server — reattach with:

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Configure the Server

All core server settings live in ~/minecraft/server.properties. Open the file with a text editor and adjust the values to suit your needs: After editing server.properties, restart the server for your changes to take effect.
For better performance on low-RAM machines, consider using PaperMC instead of the vanilla server JAR. PaperMC includes significant optimizations and runs noticeably smoother under 1 GB of RAM. Download it from papermc.io.
Remember to open port 25565 TCP in the Networking panel. Players connect to YOUR_SERVER_IP:25565 — if the port is closed, they’ll see a connection timeout.