Minecraft Server VPS - Getting Started Guide

Software Included

Step 1 - Connect to Your Server

Your Minecraft server is running on port 25565 (default). Open Minecraft Java Edition, click Multiplayer → Add Server, and enter your server IP:

your.server.ip

No port needed - Minecraft uses 25565 by default.

Step 2 - Server Administration via SSH

Connect to your server via SSH for administration:

ssh root@your.server.ip

Useful commands:

# Check server status
systemctl status minecraft

# Stop the server
systemctl stop minecraft

# Start the server
systemctl start minecraft

# Restart the server
systemctl restart minecraft

# View live server logs
journalctl -u minecraft -f

Server Properties

The main configuration file is located at:

/opt/minecraft/server.properties

After editing, restart the server for changes to take effect:

systemctl restart minecraft

Common settings you may want to change:

Installing Plugins

Paper MC supports Bukkit and Spigot plugins. To install a plugin:

# Copy plugin JAR to the plugins directory
cp my-plugin.jar /opt/minecraft/plugins/

# Restart the server
systemctl restart minecraft

Download plugins from trusted sources:

• Hangar (official Paper plugin repository)
• Modrinth
• SpigotMC Resources

Whitelist Management

If you enabled whitelist, only approved players can join. Manage the whitelist via SSH:

# Edit whitelist file
nano /opt/minecraft/whitelist.json

# Or add players by editing server.properties:
# white-list=true
# Then restart and use the whitelist.json file

Automatic Backups

Your world is automatically backed up every 6 hours. Backups are stored in /opt/minecraft/backups/ and kept for 7 days.

# List backups
ls -lh /opt/minecraft/backups/

# Manual backup
sudo -u minecraft /opt/minecraft/backup.sh

# Restore from backup (stop server first!)
systemctl stop minecraft
cd /opt/minecraft
rm -rf world
tar -xzf backups/world-2026-03-04_12-00.tar.gz
systemctl start minecraft

JVM Memory

The server automatically allocates memory based on your VPS RAM (total RAM minus 1 GB for the OS). No manual tuning needed.

* For 8+ GB VPS, 2 GB is reserved for the OS instead of 1 GB.

Performance Tips

• Lower view-distance and simulation-distance in server.properties if you experience lag
• Use the built-in Spark profiler: type /spark tps in-game to check server performance
• Limit entity counts with Paper's configuration in /opt/minecraft/config/paper-world-defaults.yml
• Pre-generate chunks with a plugin like Chunky to avoid lag spikes when players explore

To update Paper MC to the latest version:

# Stop the server
systemctl stop minecraft

# Backup current JAR
cp /opt/minecraft/paper.jar /opt/minecraft/paper.jar.bak

# Download latest Paper MC
# Visit https://papermc.io/downloads/paper and download the latest JAR
# Upload it to your server via SCP or SFTP:
scp paper-1.XX.X-XXX.jar root@your.server.ip:/opt/minecraft/paper.jar

# Fix permissions
chown minecraft:minecraft /opt/minecraft/paper.jar

# Start the server
systemctl start minecraft

File Locations

• Paper MC Documentation: docs.papermc.io
• Aikar's Flags: docs.papermc.io/paper/aikars-flags
• server.properties Reference: minecraft.wiki
• Paper Plugins: hangar.papermc.io