How to set up a Java Server
Before Realms and the Better Together update, the best way to get together and play with other players that didn’t live in your area was to create your own Minecraft server! They were versatile, easy to join and, best of all, completely customisable!
If you want complete control over your multiplayer experience and your computer is fast enough to do so, you can host your own Java Minecraft server though setting it up can be a bit tricky if you’re a computer novice.
There are plenty of tutorials out there that can help you set up a server, but here’s the basic premise:
1. Install the latest version of Java
Make sure that you have the latest version of Java is installed on your PC.
2. Select a location for your Minecraft server files
Before downloading the required server software, decide where on your computer you would like to store your server files, as when you run your server for the first time, it will create some standard config files. It’s good to have them organised in one place. This can be in your documents folder, desktop, or wherever you’d like; choose somewhere that’s easy to remember!
3. Download the Minecraft server software and start it
Download the server software on the Minecraft website. You’ll notice it comes with a .jar file. Make sure this is saved in the server folder that we discussed in the previous step. You can rename this file to whatever you want the server to be called.
Once it’s downloaded, double click on the .jar file to start the server. At this point, several configuration files are created which need to be modified just a bit before your server is ready.
Acknowledge the End User License Agreement (EULA) and accept. To do this, open the eula.txt in any text editor tool and find where it says eula=false. Set this equal to true.
Do not skip this step. Without it, you won't be able to begin your Minecraft server.
If you see a “can’t save server properties” error, try running your Minecraft server as an admin. Right-click the .jar file and choose run as administrator.
4. Open the server to online players
If you plan on hosting your server for players on your local network, you don’t need to worry about this step. If, on the other hand, you would like to make your server accessible by anyone in the world, you will need to enable port forwarding on your router.
Refer to your specific router’s documentation for precise instructions on how to configure port forwarding on your machine. Once you reach your router’s Port Forwarding page create a new server and enter the number 25565 into the port when prompted. This will open your Minecraft server to other players.
It will also be necessary for you to enter your server’s local IP address as the Server IP or Output IP to enable port forwarding. You can find your server’s local IP by opening the command prompt for your computer. Do this by hitting Windows +R and typing cmd. Once the command panel is open, enter ipconfig and scroll to IPv4 address where you can find your IP address.
5. Start your server!
To start up your Minecraft server, just double click the server’s .jar file. You can check the accessibility of your server by entering your public IP address into the Minecraft Server Status Checker.
To edit your server, open the server.properties file in a text editor such as Notepad. From there you can customise your world as you see fit!
Done!
There are plenty of guides, videos and support sites concerning setting up and modifying Minecraft: Java servers, as well as companies, that offer servers without the faff.