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Installing Minecraft on Debian 11/10/9

Tutorials & Guides  ·  Christopher Sakel  ·   ·  Updated on  ·  2 min Reading time

In this blog article I want to show you how you can change Minecraft on Debian 9/10/11.

First we connect to our server via SSH, e.g. with Putty.

Now we run the following command:

  1. Update the server:
    root@testserver ~ # apt update & apt upgrade -y
  2. Now let's check whether Java is installed:
    root@testserver ~ # java -version
    java version "1.8.*_***"
    Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.*_**-***)
    Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build **.**-**, mixed mode)
  3. Create a Minecraft user:
    root@testserver ~ # adduser --disabled-login minecraft
    The details such as name, phone number, e-mail... can be skipped.
  4. Log in as the new user:
    root@testserver ~ # su - minecraft
    The user's home directory can be found at /home/minecraft.
  5. Download the desired version:
    Spigot 1.8.8:
    root@testserver ~ # wget https://cdn.getbukkit.org/spigot/spigot-1.8.8-R0.1-SNAPSHOT-latest.jar
    Spigot 1.16.4:
    root@testserver ~ # wget https://cdn.getbukkit.org/spigot/spigot-1.16.4.jar
    Craftbukkit 1.8.8:
    root@testserver ~ # wget https://cdn.getbukkit.org/craftbukkit/craftbukkit-1.8.8-R0.1-SNAPSHOT-latest.jar
    Craftbukkit 1.16.4:
    root@testserver ~ # wget https://cdn.getbukkit.org/craftbukkit/craftbukkit-1.16.4.jar
    More versions:
    https://getbukkit.org/download/spigot
    https://getbukkit.org/download/craftbukkit
  6. Create the start file:
    root@testserver ~ # nano start.sh
  7. Now enter the following into the window:
    screen -AmdS minecraft java -Xms1024M -Xmx1024M -jar spigot-1.8.8-R0.1-SNAPSHOT-latest.jar
    With -Xms and -Xmx you can specify the desired amount of memory.
    Also, the name of the file (spigot-1.8.8-R0.1-SNAPSHOT-latest.jar) must be specified correctly.
    Afterwards we need to save with CTRL + X and then the Y key.
  8. Grant permissions:
    root@testserver ~ # chmod +x start.sh
  9. Accept the license terms (EULA):
    root@testserver ~ # echo "eula = true" > eula.txt
  10. Run the start file:
    root@testserver ~ # ./start.sh
  11. Open the console:
    root@testserver ~ # screen -r minecraft

Frequently asked questions

How do I check whether Java is installed?
Run `java -version` on your server; it prints the installed Java Runtime Environment version.
Which user should run the Minecraft server?
Create a dedicated user with `adduser --disabled-login minecraft` and switch to it with `su - minecraft` before downloading and starting the server.
How do I start and reopen the Minecraft server console?
Start it with `./start.sh`, which launches a detached `screen` session; reopen the console anytime with `screen -r minecraft`.

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