Run a Minecraft Server on Raspberry Pi

Pi 4 vs Pi 5 for Minecraft

• Pi 4 (4GB): Handles 2–4 players on a small world comfortably. View distance of 6–8 chunks recommended.
• Pi 5 (8GB): Handles 4–8 players. The faster CPU makes a noticeable difference for chunk generation.
• Pi 3: Not recommended — too slow for a usable experience.

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Minecraft Java vs Bedrock

	Java Edition	Bedrock Edition
Platform	PC only	PC, Console, Mobile
Pi server software	PaperMC (recommended)	Nukkit / PocketMine
Performance on Pi	Good with PaperMC	Good with Nukkit
Mods	Yes (Forge, Fabric)	Limited

This guide covers Java Edition with PaperMC — the most popular choice.

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Step 1: Prepare Your Pi

Make sure Raspberry Pi OS is installed and up to date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install Java

PaperMC requires Java 21 for Minecraft 1.21+:

sudo apt install -y openjdk-21-jdk-headless
java -version

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Step 2: Download PaperMC

Create a dedicated directory:

mkdir ~/minecraft && cd ~/minecraft

Download the latest PaperMC build (check papermc.io for the latest version):

wget -O paper.jar "https://api.papermc.io/v2/projects/paper/versions/1.21.4/builds/latest/downloads/paper-1.21.4-latest.jar"

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Step 3: First Run and EULA

Run the server once to generate config files:

java -Xms512M -Xmx2G -jar paper.jar --nogui

It will stop with an error about the EULA. Accept it:

nano eula.txt

Change eula=false to eula=true. Save and exit.

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Step 4: Start the Server

java -Xms512M -Xmx2G -jar paper.jar --nogui

RAM allocation guide:

• Pi 4 (4GB): -Xmx2G (leave 2GB for the OS)
• Pi 5 (8GB): -Xmx4G or -Xmx5G

Wait for Done (Xs)! For help, type "help" — the server is ready.

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Step 5: Configure the Server

Edit server.properties to tune performance for the Pi:

nano server.properties

Recommended settings:

view-distance=6
simulation-distance=4
max-players=8
difficulty=normal
gamemode=survival
online-mode=true

Lower view-distance is the most impactful performance setting. Default is 10 — drop to 6 for smoother gameplay on a Pi.

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Step 6: Connect to Your Server

From the Same Network

Find your Pi’s IP:

hostname -I

In Minecraft → Multiplayer → Add Server → enter 192.168.1.x:25565.

From the Internet (Friends Outside Your Network)

1. Forward TCP port 25565 on your router to your Pi’s local IP
2. Share your public IP address (check whatismyip.com) or set up a dynamic DNS hostname (see our PiVPN guide for DuckDNS setup)

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Step 7: Keep the Server Running (Systemd Service)

Create a startup script:

nano ~/minecraft/start.sh

#!/bin/bash
cd /home/pi/minecraft
java -Xms512M -Xmx2G -jar paper.jar --nogui

chmod +x ~/minecraft/start.sh

Create a systemd service:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/minecraft.service

[Unit]
Description=Minecraft Server
After=network.target

[Service]
User=pi
WorkingDirectory=/home/pi/minecraft
ExecStart=/home/pi/minecraft/start.sh
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start:

sudo systemctl enable minecraft
sudo systemctl start minecraft
sudo systemctl status minecraft

The server now starts automatically on boot.

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Step 8: Server Admin Commands

Connect to the server console via SSH and use systemctl:

# View live console output
sudo journalctl -u minecraft -f

# Stop the server
sudo systemctl stop minecraft

# Restart the server
sudo systemctl restart minecraft

Common in-game admin commands (run in console or as op):

/op username       — give operator status
/deop username     — remove operator status
/ban username      — ban a player
/whitelist add username  — add to whitelist
/difficulty hard   — change difficulty
/weather clear     — clear weather

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Performance Tips

Use an SSD: SD card I/O is a bottleneck for world saves. A USB SSD dramatically improves chunk loading.

Optimize PaperMC: Edit config/paper-world-defaults.yml and reduce mob-spawn-range and entity-activation-range values.

Backups: Set up a cron job to back up the world/ folder regularly:

crontab -e

0 4 * * * tar -czf ~/backups/world-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).tar.gz ~/minecraft/world/