Minecraft Server

In this article

• Deployment Features
• Deployment Features
• System Requirements
• Getting Started After Minecraft Server Deployment
• Account and Game Server Management in MCSMManager
• Configuring a Reverse Proxy for HTTPS
• Order a Minecraft server using the API

Info

Minecraft Server is server software that allows you to launch a multiplayer Minecraft server for online play.

Deployment Features

• Multiplayer gameplay - the server allows simultaneously connecting and playing with up to 255 players;
• Customizable game world - the administrator can create unique worlds, install plugins and mods;
• Access control management - the ability to assign different rights to players in different parts of the world;
• Protection from griefers - tools to protect the world from player vandalism;
• Backup - automatic saving of the server world to prevent data loss;
• Multiple worlds - optionally, you can launch multiple different worlds on a single server;
• API - a set of interfaces for the server to interact with other applications;
• Monitoring - tracking of online users, activity, event logs;
• Performance - optimized for operation on a dedicated server with a large number of players.

Deployment Features

ID	Compatible OS	VM	BM	VGPU	GPU	Min CPU (Cores)	Min RAM (Gb)	Min HDD/SDD (Gb)	Active
65	Ubuntu 22.04	+	+	+	-	1	1	-	Yes

• Automatic MCSMManager installation - a cluster management service for Minecraft servers that allows you to:
  • Automatically start, stop, and restart Minecraft servers;
  • Monitor server status and receive alerts;
  • Manage plugins, mods, and configurations on servers;
  • Update server and plugin versions;
• To balance the load between servers in the cluster;
• Make backups of worlds and server data;
• Restore servers from backups;
• Scale the cluster by adding or removing servers.
• After MCSMManager is installed, the following directory structure is created in /opt/mcsmanager/:
• daemon/ - the daemon service catalog, including:
  • data/Config/global.json - the file of global service settings.
• web/ - the web interface catalog;
• start-daemon.sh - the daemon startup script;
• start-web.sh - the web interface startup script;
• usage.txt - usage documentation.
• Additional catalogs and files are used to configure HTTPS and manage certificates:
• /var/lib/docker/volumes/nginx_secrets - a vault for secrets, such as keys and certificates for Nginx, organized through Docker Volumes;
• /data/nginx - the main catalog for storing Nginx configuration and related files;
  • user_conf.d/ - a subdirectory for custom Nginx configurations;
  • nginx-certbot.env - an environment file containing variables for Certbot to automatically operate with Nginx;
• /root/nginx - a catalog where backups or additional Nginx settings managed manually may be located.

Note

Unless otherwise specified, we install the latest release version of the software from the developer's website or operating system repositories.

System Requirements

Requirements for Minecraft resources increase as the number of players on the server grows. Large gaming groups require more RAM and disk space. Recommended system requirements for a Minecraft server:

• Processor (CPU): 2 cores or more, ideally 2 GHz or higher;
• RAM: minimum 2 GB for 1-2 players, 5 GB for 3-6 players, 8 GB for 6+ players;
• Operating system: Minecraft is available for all popular OSes, but the OS requires additional resources;
• Disk space: minimum 2 GB for 1-2 players, 18 GB for 3-5 players, 35 GB for 6+ players.

Getting Started After Minecraft Server Deployment

After you pay for your order, you will receive a notification to the email you registered with, notifying you that your server is ready to work. It will contain the VPS IP address, as well as a login and password for connecting. Our company's clients manage hardware in the servers and API control panel — Invapi.

Authorization data that can be found in the Info >> Tags tab of the server control panel or in the email can be found:

• Link: in the webpanel tag;
• Login and Password arrive in a letter to your email after the software is deployed when your server is ready to work.

Account and Game Server Management in MCSMManager

The first time you click on the link from the webpanel tag, you will be prompted to set up the control panel and create an administrator account. The initial setup process consists of the following steps:

1. In the opened window, click the Start button.

2. Create an administrator account by filling in the required fields.

3. Indicate your user status:

   • New user (first using the system)
   • Existing user

4. Select the application type for deployment (e.g., Minecraft Bedrock Edition game server).

Note

By default, the system is installed with Open JRE 17, which needs to be considered when choosing and deploying the game server. When installing modern versions of Minecraft, you first need to update Java to a compatible version.

1. Specify the target machine for installing the application.

2. Define the deployment method:

   • Quick Minecraft installation
   • Deployment via Docker images
   • Other available options

3. Select the software version:

   • Minecraft 1.21.1
   • Minecraft 1.20.1
   • Forge 1.20.6
   • Other available versions.

4. Wait for the installation to complete.

Configuring the Remote Node

After the installation is complete, configure the remote node:

• Go to the Nodes section in the side menu;
• Click the Add Node button or select an existing one to edit;

• Configure the connection to the remote node:

  • Enter the node name (e.g., minecraft{SERVER_ID});
  • Enter the connection address (wss://minecraft{SERVER_ID}.hostkey.com);
  • Set the connection port (12444);
  • Leave the Remote Node Key field blank unless special settings are required.

  

• Click the Save or Update button;

• As a result, the node status should change to Up:

Creating and Managing a Game Server

1. Create an instance of a server:

   • Go to the Instances section in the side menu;
   • Click the Create Instance button;

   • In the opened window, select:

     • Node: select the previously configured node:

     

     • Server type: e.g., MC Java Edition Server:

     

     

     

     

     • Instance name: enter the desired name (e.g., minecraft{SERVER_ID}vanilla):

     

   • Click the Ok button;

   • After creation, the instance will appear in the list with the specified name.

2. Initial server setup:

   • Select the created instance in the list;
   • Go to the Configuration Files tab:

   

   • Find and edit the eula.txt file:
     • Change the value of eula=false to eula=true to accept the licensing agreement;
     • Save the changes:

   

   

   • Return to the Overview or Console tab.

3. Launching and monitoring the server:

   • Click the Launch button on the instance page:

   

   • In the server console, track the loading process;
   • Pay attention to error messages or warnings;
   • After full loading, the console will display the message Done with the loading time indicated.

4. Managing a running server:

   • In the Basic Information section, the following are displayed:
     • Server Name;
     • Work start time;
     • Number of reboots;
     • Output encoding (UTF-8);
     • Server status (Online/Offline);
     • Resource usage (CPU, RAM).

5. Configuring the server:

   • Go to the Configuration Files tab;
   • Find and edit the server.properties file:
     • gamemode: game mode (survival, creative, adventure);
     • difficulty: difficulty (peaceful, easy, normal, hard);
     • pvp: enable/disable PvP (true/false);
     • max-players: maximum number of players;
     • server-port: server port;
     • level-name: world name;
     • view-distance: rendering distance;
     • accepts-transfers: file transfer (true/false);
     • allow-flight: allow flight (true/false);
     • allow-nether: access to the Nether (true/false);
     • broadcast-console-to-ops: send console messages to operators (true/false);
     • broadcast-rcon-to-ops: send RCON messages to operators (true/false);
   • Save the changes and restart the server to apply the settings.

Note

Detailed information about the main MCSMManager settings is available in the developer documentation.

Configuring a Reverse Proxy for HTTPS

Warning

Setting up HTTPS is a complex task that requires professional knowledge in network technologies. We strongly recommend against regular users attempting to manually configure an HTTPS connection. Before proceeding, make sure you fully understand the network architecture of the system and the principles of working with SSL certificates. Incorrect configuration can lead to unstable server operation or complete loss of access to the control panel.

Configuring a reverse proxy for HTTPS is important for ensuring the security, performance and ease of managing the server. It encrypts traffic, preventing data interception, and also routes requests, providing load balancing and reliability. The proxy centralizes the management of SSL certificates, simplifies server configuration and can cache data, improving performance. However, if the system does not require high security, load, or complex infrastructure (for example, for local tests or small projects), you can do without configuring a reverse proxy.

Step 1: Preparing SSL certificates

If you already have an SSL certificate (e.g., a self-signed one or from an external Certificate Authority), you can use it. Otherwise, follow these steps:

1. Getting the certificate:

   • For a self-signed certificate, use the command:

     open ssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:4096 -keyout /data/nginx/ssl/domain.key -out /data/nginx/ssl/domain.crt -sha256 -days 365
     

     If the certificate was obtained from Let's Encryot or another Certificate Authority, make sure the .crt and .key files are in the /data/nginx/ssl/ directory.

Note

The process of issuing SSL certificates for a server in MCSMManager is built on the use of a Docker container and the Certbot tool for automatically obtaining certificates from Let’s Encrypt. More details on the instant obtaining and updating of SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt are described in the article Free Domain Certbot

1. Preparing directory to store certificates:

   • Ensure certificates are in a secure directory, for example:

     mkdir -p /data/nginx/ssl
     cp /path/to/certificate/domain.crt /data/nginx/ssl/
     cp /path/to/certificate/domain.key /data/nginx/ssl/
     

Step 2: Preparing Nginx configuration

1. Creating configuration for the daemon:

   In the directory where the Nginx configuration files are located (/data/nginx/user_conf.d or similar), create a configuration file for the daemon.

   Example configuration for the daemon (daemon_https.conf):

   ```nginx server { listen 12444 ssl http2; listen [::]:12444 ssl http2;

   ssl_certificate /data/nginx/ssl/domain.crt; ssl_certificate_key /data/nginx/ssl/domain.key;

   location / { proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:24444; proxy_set_header Host $host; proxy_set_header X-Real-Ip $remote_addr; proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $remote_addr; proxy_set_header REMOTE-HOST $remote_addr; } }

    **Creating configuration for the panel**:
   
    Example configuration for the panel (`web_https.conf`):
    ```nginx
    server {
      listen 12333 ssl http2;
      listen [::]:12333 ssl http2;
   
      ssl_certificate /data/nginx/ssl/domain.crt;
      ssl_certificate_key /data/nginx/ssl/domain.key;
   
      location / {
          proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:23333;
          proxy_set_header Host $host;
          proxy_set_header X-Real-Ip $remote_addr;
          proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $remote_addr;
          proxy_set_header REMOTE-HOST $remote_addr;
      }
   }
   

2. Activating configurations:

   To make Nginx use these configurations, create symlinks in the /data/nginx/user_conf.d/ directory (or another where active configurations are stored):

   ln -s /data/nginx/user_conf.d/daemon_https.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
   ln -s /data/nginx/user_conf.d/web_https.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
   

   Or, if you want to add the configurations directly to the nginx.conf file, open it and add the configuration blocks before the last closing brace }:

   nano /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
   

Step 3: Checking and restarting Nginx

1. Checking the configuration:

   Before restarting Nginx, make sure the configuration is correct, use the command:

   sudo nginx -t
   

   If everything is OK, you will see the message:

   nginx: the configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf syntax is ok
   nginx: configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf test is successful
   

2. Restarting Nginx:

   After successfully checking the configuration, restart Nginx to apply the changes:

   sudo systemctl reload nginx
   

Step 4: Configuring Automatic Redirection from HTTP to HTTPS

To ensure that all HTTP requests are automatically directed to HTTPS, create an additional configuration for redirection:

1. HTTP to HTTPS Redirection Configuration:

   In the Nginx configuration, add a server that will listen on port 80 (HTTP) and redirect all requests to HTTPS:

   server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;
   
    location / {
        return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
    }
   }
   

Step 5: Connecting and Verifying

1. Connecting via HTTPS:

   After reloading Nginx, check the availability of your services via HTTPS:

   • Control panel: https://your-domain.com:12333/
   • Daemon: https://your-domain.com:12444/

2. Setting up WebSocket:

   If your application uses WebSocket for interacting with daemons, ensure that your proxy configurations correctly support WebSocket:

   In the Nginx configuration, add:

   proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
   proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
   

3. Verifying connection:

   If everything is configured correctly, you should see correctly working HTTPS connections. The control panel will display the login page, and the daemon will display the "OK" status.

   Note

   Detailed information on setting up a reverse proxy for HTTPS can be found in the developer documentation.

Order a Minecraft server using the API

To install this software using the API, follow these instructions.

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Some of the content on this page was created or translated using AI.