This repository provides a simple setup for running a Minecraft server inexpensively in the cloud. It includes the following features:
- Script to download any version of the Minecraft server
- Process management with PM2
- Static website to manage a Minecraft server through DigitalOcean
You need java to run the Minecraft server and npm to install and use PM2.
The basic setup:
git clone https://github.com/bentsherman/minecraft-server.git
cd minecraft-server
./scripts/download.sh
npm install
NOTE: The download.sh script may not work for newer versions of Minecraft. For newer versions, check the Minecraft website.
There are several npm helper commands provided by package.json that you can use:
# start the server
npm start
# view the server logs in real time
npm run logs
# stop the server
npm stop
You must agree to the EULA by updating eula.txt after the first attempt, and then the Minecraft server will start up properly. The server will use the world in the world folder, or create a new world if this folder doesn't exist. This way you can transfer a world from another server or even a local world by transferring that world's folder. For example, if you had a local world called Earthland, you would have to find the folder called Earthland in your Minecraft install, copy it to the server directly and rename the folder to world.
This repository can be used to create a server on DigitalOcean which can be managed through a static website. This setup is ideal for a Minecraft server that needs to be accessible from anywhere but does not need to be available all the time. Using the static website, you can "start" a server by creating a Droplet from a snapshot, and then "stop" a server by creating a new snapshot from the Droplet and then deleting the Droplet and the old snapshot. This way, the cost of hosting the Minecraft server is much lower, as you only pay for the time that you actually use the server, as well as the storage cost of the snapshot.
To get started, you must create an account on DigitalOcean and create an API key, which will allow you to use the static website to access your resources on DigitalOcean. You will also need to create a "bootstrap" Droplet with the Minecraft server installed. The bootstrap.sh script provides a rough outline of how to setup the Minecraft server on a Droplet. Once your bootstrap Droplet is ready, create a snapshot of it called "minecraft-server" and delete the old Droplet. You should then be able to use the static website.