Getting a Raspberry Pi Setup as a Minecraft Server: How to Use Minecraft Server Flags
If you are a Minecraft enthusiast looking to run your own server on a Raspberry Pi, you’re in the right place. Raspberry Pi is a tiny, very low-cost computer perfect for running light applications, and one of these applications is Minecraft server. Now, the Raspberry Pi may not be as powerful as a dedicated gaming PC or high-end server, but it is more than capable of running Minecraft Java Edition with a few optimizations.
When running a Minecraft server, there are many server flags that would enable you to fine-tune the server to give a proper experience. These flags, therefore, define server behavior and performance. Whether you’re a noob or just want to tune in your setup, knowing the Minecraft Server flag on a Raspberry Pi is quite meaningful.
What is a Minecraft Server Flag?
A server flag is a command or a configuration setting that tells the Minecraft server how to operate. Flags define things like memory, performance, and gameplay settings. These flags are usually passed to the Java Runtime Environment when launching a server.
Why Use a Raspberry Pi for a Minecraft Server?
Low Power Consumption: Raspberry Pi uses significantly less power than a typical PC or laptop.
Cost-effective: It’s much cheaper than having to build or rent a dedicated server.
Space efficiency: It’s small and can fit anywhere.
Easy to get started: The process of setting up a Raspberry Pi is pretty easy, and it’s an excellent learning experience for those who are new to servers and Raspberry Pi itself.
Preparing Your Raspberry Pi for Minecraft
Before you get into Minecraft server flags, here is a quick run-through of the steps required to set up a Minecraft server on a Raspberry Pi.
Install Raspbian OS: If you haven’t already, install the official Raspberry Pi operating system, Raspbian, on your Raspberry Pi.
Install Java: Minecraft is java based, so you are required to install the JRE – Java Runtime Environment. This can be done in one of the following ways:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install openjdk-11-jdk
Download Minecraft Server: Download the Minecraft server.jar from the official Minecraft website and keep it in a dedicated folder on the Raspberry Pi.
Allocate Memory: The Raspberry Pi has limited RAM, so make sure to allocate just enough memory for Minecraft to run efficiently. This brings us to the next important step: Minecraft server flags.
Common Minecraft Server Flags
Now that your Raspberry Pi is ready to host a Minecraft server, it’s time to look at the key server flags that can help improve performance and gameplay.
- -Xmx and -Xms (Memory Allocation)
Memory allocation is important on the Raspberry Pi. Minecraft uses up lots of memory, especially running a server. By default, the server might not be using up as much RAM as it could use, which can cause lag or even a crash. You can raise the allocated amount of memory by using the -Xmx and -Xms flags.
-Xms is how much memory Minecraft uses at start up.
-Xmx specifies the amount of memory that can be allocated at most (how much memory Minecraft can use at most).
Example:
java -Xms512M -Xmx1024M -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui This command will allocate 512 MB at start-up and allow it to use up to 1024 MB (1 GB) of memory.
If you are using a Raspberry Pi 4 with 4 GB or 8 GB of RAM, you can test out giving it around 1 GB to 2 GB of memory. If you have a model with less RAM, such as the Raspberry Pi 3, it is best to keep it lower, at around 512 MB or 1 GB.
- -jar (Running the Server)
The -jar flag runs a.jar file, and for this example, it is the Minecraft server.jar file. You will be asked to provide the path to your Minecraft server.jar file, as follows:
java -Xms512M -Xmx1024M -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui
In this example, minecraft_server.jar is the Minecraft server. In addition, you will see nogui, which we cover below.
- nogui: No Graphical User Interface
The nogui flag disables the graphical user interface of the Minecraft server, which is crucial for optimal performance on the Raspberry Pi because a server with a GUI can quickly gobble up system resources and the Raspberry Pi is well-known for its lack of those kind of resources.
Here’s what the full command would look like:
java -Xms512M -Xmx1024M -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui
This command runs the server in “headless” mode, conserving precious CPU and memory resources.
- -server (Java Server Mode)
The -server flag compels Java to run in server mode, which is optimized for better performance on a dedicated server. It improves the JVM’s garbage collection and overall performance when running long-running processes, which is ideal for hosting a Minecraft server.
java -Xms512M -Xmx1024M -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui -server
This can slightly improve the performance of your server, especially when running on the limited hardware of a Raspberry Pi.
- -Duser.timezone (Time Zone Settings)
This flag allows you to specify the time zone for your server. For example, if your Minecraft server is hosted in a different time zone than the default, you can use the -Duser.timezone flag to set it.
java -Duser.timezone=America/New_York -Xms512M -Xmx1024M -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui
Additional Configuration Options
Apart from server flags, you can optimize your server through the server.properties file, which controls many parameters in the Minecraft server, among which are world generation, player count limits, and many other settings.
max-players
It is used to set the limit on the number of people that can join your server.
view-distance
Controls how many blocks players can see in your world.
spawn-protection
To enable or disable spawn protection.
Running a Minecraft server on a Raspberry Pi is an entertaining and educational project, and making use of server flags gets you to fine-tune the different parameters. Whether it’s fine-tuning of memory allocation, disabling the GUI, or just little server tweaks like setting flags -Xmx, -Xms, nogui, and -server you get a very smooth experience on a Minecraft server on your Raspberry Pi.
