Hosting a Minecraft Server on a Raspberry Pi: A Comprehensive Guide for Devs

If you’re a dev and love Minecraft, then you may be interested in setting up your own Minecraft server on a Raspberry Pi. Hosting your own server can not only save you money, but it can also provide a sense of satisfaction and control. In this article, we’ll show you how to set up a Minecraft server on a Raspberry Pi from start to finish.

Getting Started

Before we dive in, let’s make sure we have everything we need to get started. Here’s what you’ll need:

Item	Description
Raspberry Pi	A Raspberry Pi 3 or 4 is recommended
Power Supply	A 5V 3A power supply is recommended
MicroSD Card	A high-speed, Class 10, 32GB MicroSD card is recommended
Ethernet Cable	An Ethernet cable to connect the Raspberry Pi to your network

Once you have all the necessary equipment, it’s time to move on to the next step.

Choosing the Right Operating System

The first thing you’ll need to do is choose an operating system for your Raspberry Pi. There are several options available, but we recommend using Raspbian, which is the official operating system for the Raspberry Pi.

To download Raspbian, visit https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/ and choose the latest version of Raspbian. Once downloaded, follow the instructions to flash the image onto your MicroSD card.

Installing Java

Before we can install Minecraft, we’ll need to install Java on the Raspberry Pi. To do this, open up the terminal on your Raspberry Pi and enter the following command:

sudo apt-get install default-jdk

This will install Java on your Raspberry Pi.

Installing Minecraft Server

Now that we have Java installed, we can move on to installing the Minecraft server software. To do this, open up the terminal on your Raspberry Pi and enter the following command:

wget https://s3.amazonaws.com/Minecraft.Download/versions/1.16.5/minecraft_server.1.16.5.jar

This will download the latest version of the Minecraft server software to your Raspberry Pi.

Creating a Minecraft Server Directory

Next, we’ll need to create a directory to store all the files for our Minecraft server. To do this, enter the following command in the terminal:

mkdir ~/minecraft_server

This will create a directory called “minecraft_server” in your home directory.

Moving the Minecraft Server Software

Now that we have a directory for our Minecraft server, we’ll need to move the server software we downloaded earlier into that directory. To do this, enter the following command:

mv minecraft_server.1.16.5.jar ~/minecraft_server

This will move the Minecraft server software into the “minecraft_server” directory.

Launching the Minecraft Server

Now that we have everything set up, it’s time to launch the Minecraft server. To do this, enter the following command in the terminal:

cd ~/minecraft_server
java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar minecraft_server.1.16.5.jar nogui

This will launch the Minecraft server without a GUI. You’ll see a lot of output in the terminal as the server starts up.

Connecting to Your Minecraft Server

Now that your Minecraft server is up and running, you can connect to it from any device on your network. To do this, open up Minecraft and click the “Multiplayer” button. Then, click the “Add Server” button and enter the IP address of your Raspberry Pi.

FAQ

How many players can a Raspberry Pi Minecraft server handle?

The number of players a Raspberry Pi Minecraft server can handle depends on a variety of factors, such as the number of plugins and the amount of RAM allocated to the server. Generally, a Raspberry Pi Minecraft server can handle up to 5-10 players.

Can I run a Minecraft server on a Raspberry Pi Zero?

It’s possible to run a Minecraft server on a Raspberry Pi Zero, but it’s not recommended due to its hardware limitations. A Raspberry Pi 3 or 4 is recommended for hosting a Minecraft server.

What is the recommended amount of RAM for a Raspberry Pi Minecraft server?

The recommended amount of RAM for a Raspberry Pi Minecraft server is 1GB. This will allow the server to run smoothly with a small number of players.

Conclusion

Hosting a Minecraft server on a Raspberry Pi can be a fun and rewarding experience for any dev. With this guide, you should be able to set up your own Minecraft server in no time. If you run into any issues, don’t hesitate to ask for help in online forums or communities.