How to Host a Minecraft Server on Heroku

Welcome, Dev! If you’re a Minecraft enthusiast, you probably know that hosting a Minecraft server can be quite challenging. Fortunately, Heroku is a cloud platform that allows you to deploy and run your Minecraft server with ease. In this article, we will guide you through the steps to host a Minecraft server on Heroku. Let’s get started!

What You’ll Need

Before we begin, let’s ensure that we have everything we need:

Item	Description
Heroku Account	Create an account on Heroku.com
Minecraft Server Files	Download the Minecraft server files from the official website
Git	Download and install Git from git-scm.com

Step 1: Create a New Heroku App

The first step is to create a new Heroku app:

1. Log in to your Heroku account.
2. Click on “New” and select “Create new app”.
3. Enter a name for your app and select a region.
4. Click on “Create app”.

Heroku App Naming Convention

When naming your Heroku app, ensure that the name is unique and easy to remember. Also, avoid using special characters and spaces. Heroku app names should consist only of lowercase letters, numbers, and dashes.

Step 2: Clone the Heroku App Repository

Now that we have created a new Heroku app, we need to clone the app repository:

1. Open a terminal window.
2. Navigate to the directory where you want to store your Minecraft server files.
3. Run the following command to clone the Heroku app repository:

$ git clone https://github.com/heroku/java-getting-started.git

Git Basics

If you’re new to Git, here are some Git basics that you should know:

• Git is a version control system that allows you to track changes in your code.
• Git uses a repository to store your files and their history.
• You can commit changes to your Git repository using the “git commit” command.
• You can push your changes to a remote repository, such as Heroku, using the “git push” command.

Step 3: Configure the Minecraft Server

Now that we have cloned the Heroku app repository, we need to configure the Minecraft server:

1. Download the Minecraft server files from the official website.
2. Copy the server files to the directory where you cloned the Heroku app repository.
3. Create a new file in the same directory called “Procfile”.
4. Add the following line to the Procfile:

web: java $JAVA_OPTS -cp target/classes:target/dependency/* Main

What is a Procfile?

A Procfile is a text file that specifies the commands to run your app on Heroku. The Procfile must be in the root directory of your app.

Step 4: Commit and Push to Heroku

The final step is to commit and push your changes to Heroku:

1. Run the following commands:

$ git add .

$ git commit -m "Initial commit"

$ heroku login

$ heroku git:remote -a your-app-name

$ git push heroku master

FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions:

Q: How much does it cost to host a Minecraft server on Heroku?

A: The cost of hosting a Minecraft server on Heroku depends on the resources and add-ons that you choose. However, Heroku provides a free dyno option that you can use to host your server.

Q: Can I install plugins on my Heroku Minecraft server?

A: Yes, you can install plugins on your Heroku Minecraft server. You can use the “Plugins” folder in the Minecraft server directory to add plugins to your server.

Q: Can multiple players connect to my Heroku Minecraft server?

A: Yes, multiple players can connect to your Heroku Minecraft server. However, the number of players that your server can handle depends on the resources that you allocate to your server.

Q: How do I update my Heroku Minecraft server?

A: To update your Heroku Minecraft server, you need to push the updated files to Heroku using Git.

That’s it, Dev! You have successfully hosted a Minecraft server on Heroku. Enjoy playing Minecraft with your friends!