Minecraft (Paper) server on your VPS

Paper is the performance-optimised server most public servers run. Vanilla/modded differs only in the jar file. RAM guidance: 2 GB plan ≈ 2–4 players, 4 GB ≈ 6–10 with plugins.

1. Java + user

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
apt update && apt install -y openjdk-21-jre-headless screen
adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" mc

2. Paper jar

su - mc
mkdir server && cd server
# grab the latest Paper build for your MC version from papermc.io/downloads
wget -O paper.jar "https://api.papermc.io/v2/projects/paper/versions/1.21.4/builds/230/downloads/paper-1.21.4-230.jar"
echo "eula=true" > eula.txt

3. Systemd service

exit   # back to root
cat > /etc/systemd/system/minecraft.service <<'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=Paper Minecraft
After=network-online.target
[Service]
User=mc
WorkingDirectory=/home/mc/server
ExecStart=/usr/bin/java -Xms2G -Xmx3G -jar paper.jar --nogui
Restart=always
RestartSec=10
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF
systemctl daemon-reload && systemctl enable --now minecraft
journalctl -u minecraft -f    # watch it boot

4. Connect

Server address for players: YOUR_SERVER_IP (port 25565 opens automatically). Tune -Xmx to ~70% of your plan's RAM. Need a bigger box? Buran-3 (8 GB) runs 10+ players with plugins.