Creating Your Own Minecraft Java Edition Server on CentOS

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Creating Your Own Minecraft Java Edition Server on CentOS

Have you ever wanted to play Minecraft with your friends, or maybe your kids, but didn't want to have to spend money to rent expensive Minecraft servers? Have you ever then thought about creating your own Minecraft server, but got intimidated by the technical steps required to do so? In this hands-on lab, you will be provided with a CentOS 7 Linux server on which you will create your very own Minecraft Java Edition server! This lab will provide clarity not just on how to create a Minecraft server, but also on some Linux fundamentals.

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Lab Info

Level

Beginner

Last updated

Aug 27, 2025

Duration

1h 0m

Challenge

Prepare the Server with a Minecraft User Account
1. Create a minecraft user account and group.
Challenge

Download and Deploy the Minecraft Server JAR
1. Create the minecraft installation directory.
2. Change the user and group ownership of the installation directory to minecraft.
3. Download the latest Minecraft server JAR to the installation directory.
4. As the minecraft user, execute the server.jar to create the rest of the server files.
5. Accept the Minecraft server EULA.
Challenge

Whitelist and Grant Operator Status to Your Minecraft User Account on the Minecraft Server
1. Enable the Minecraft server whitelist.
2. Start Minecraft in the foreground.
3. Grant your Minecraft account operator status (use Quartermyle if you do not have a Minecraft user account).
4. Whitelist your Minecraft account (use Quartermyle if you do not have a Minecraft user account).
5. Stop the Minecraft server.
Challenge

Create a systemd Service for Your Minecraft Server and Enable On-Boot Startup
1. Create the systemd minecraft service file.
2. Enable the Minecraft server to start on system boot.
3. Start your Minecraft server using systemctl.
Challenge

(Optional) Join Your Minecraft Server Using the Minecraft Game Client
1. Start your Minecraft game client with the same version of Minecraft as your server.
2. In the "Multiplayer" menu, add a new server using the public IP address of your lab server.
3. Join your Minecraft server.

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