Setting up a server

This page is part of the official Bukkit Documentation This page has been accepted and included in the official Bukkit Documentation. You can discuss discrepancies, issues, or errors in the article on its Talk page.

Preliminary notes

Note: The name of the craftbukkit .jar file must match the one you download. (currently craftbukkit-1.3.1-R2.0.jar)

Note: Unless you have a multi-homed machine and know what this means/requires, server-ip= in server.properties MUST remain unchanged from default and be blank.

Note: When running a server for the first time, errors will show up. Do not worry as this is normal; the server is generating files and folders needed to run as they do not exist yet.

Note: The Bukkit server is intended as a complete replacement for the official Minecraft Server downloaded from Minecraft.net and is not normally ran at the same time on a single computer. It is possible however, to copy your 'World' data files previously created within a Minecraft Server into your Bukkit folders to continue use of your previous game. As always, backup your data and configuration prior to migrating to Bukkit.

Windows

1. Download CraftBukkit's latest recommended build: CraftBukkit - Where can I get it?
2. Put the .jar file in the directory you'd like the server to run from
3. Open notepad and type:

@ECHO OFF
SET BINDIR=%~dp0
CD /D "%BINDIR%"
"%ProgramFiles%\Java\jre6\bin\java.exe" -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar craftbukkit.jar
PAUSE

Note: If you are running java in 32-bit mode on a 64-bit machine, change %ProgramFiles% to %ProgramFiles(x86)%

If you are running Java 7, type this instead:

@ECHO OFF
SET BINDIR=%~dp0
CD /D "%BINDIR%"
"%ProgramFiles%\Java\jre7\bin\java.exe" -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar craftbukkit.jar
PAUSE

4. Save the document as RUN.bat (not as a .txt)

5. Double Click RUN.bat and you're away!

6. When you're done toying, issue "stop" command in console.

7. Remember to RENAME your CraftBukkit's latest recommended build: to Craftbukkit.jar

Please note that the full directory of the java.exe doesn't need to be entered. just entering "Java" will do just fine, so one could use the following codes to ensure universal compatibility.

@ECHO OFF
SET BINDIR=%~dp0
CD /D "%BINDIR%"
java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar craftbukkit.jar
PAUSE

Or, the following can be used (although may not work on all machines) It is a lot shorter than the previous ones.

@ECHO OFF
java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar "%~dp0craftbukkit.jar"
PAUSE

Linux

See also: Setting up a remote Linux server

1. Download CraftBukkit's latest build: CraftBukkit - Where can I get it?
2. Put the .jar in a folder, for this example we'll use a generic one: ~/craftbukkit
3. Move to the above directory in terminal with 'cd ~/craftbukkit'
4. Create a new text document in the minecraft folder and name it craftbukkit.sh
5. Edit the document and paste this into it:

#!/bin/sh
 BINDIR=$(dirname "$(readlink -fn "$0")")
 cd "$BINDIR"
 java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar craftbukkit.jar

      6. Make the file executable, either by running "chmod +x ~/craftbukkit/craftbukkit.sh" in a terminal, or by changing the permissions in the file's properties.

7. Then, in terminal, type '~/craftbukkit/craftbukkit.sh' to run to start the server. 

8. When you're done playing around, issue the "stop" command in console.

If you plan to run the server more permanently an init script like this one (recommended) [1]

If you want to run your server with screen, you can use a script like this one (recommended) ABM

For CentOS Users - A little more detailed page for CentOS.

Mac OS X

1. Install Java

   Since OS X 10.7 Java does not come packaged with OS X. You will need to install java from the Apple's website http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1421

2. Obtaining the Server Files

   To run a server you will need the server jars, i.e. the server files. We will need a place to put the files.

   1. Create a New Folder

      Open up finder, and create a new folder in your Home folder named CraftBukkit

   2. Download the File

      Download the server files. You can download the latest builds from the front page of the wiki.

      Note: Download the stable build if you are not chasing the cutting edge in the development build

   3. Move the File

      Move the file from the Downloads folder to the CraftBukkit folder you created.

   4. Rename the File

      We will rename it craftbukkit.jar

3. Obtaining startup script

   To easily start the server you will need a startup script. The following is a basic server script to start your server.

   1. Open up TextEdit set it to plan text mode under format and paste the following in

      #!/bin/bash

      cd "$( dirname "$0" )"

      java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar craftbukkit.jar

   2. Save the file

      Save it in your CraftBukkit folder as start_server.command

   3. Allow the script to run
      1. Open up Terminal.app
      2. Type into Terminal.app

         chmod a+x

         Warning:

         Do not hit return

      3. drag the start_server.command into Terminal.app
      4. hit return
4. Starting the server

   From this point on you can start the server by double-clicking start_server.command.

   You will need to run the server once for it to generate some configuration files.

   Warning:

   To stop the server, do not close the terminal/command prompt window. Instead, type 'stop' into the console. Closing the terminal window without stopping the server could lead to corruption of the save files.

ALTERNATE METHOD [Only for Advanced Users]:

Open Terminal (Found in Application/Utilities) and paste:

cd ~/Desktop/
mkdir BukkitServer
cd BukkitServer/
curl -O http://cbukk.it/craftbukkit.jar
mv craftbukkit-1.2.5-R4.jar CraftBukkit.jar
echo "cd ~/Desktop/BukkitServer/" >> start.command
echo "java -Xms[RAM]M -Xmx[RAM]M -jar CraftBukkit.jar" >> start.command
chmod +x start.command
open -a TextEdit start.command

Textedit should open a document called "LaunchServer.command". Find [RAM] and replace it with:
512 or 1024 or 1536 or 2560 or 3072 or 5120

That is the ram amount the server will have.
512=512MB; 1024=1GB; 1536=1.5GB; 2560=2.5GB; 3072=3GB; 5120=5GB

The server is installed on your Desktop, in "Bukkit Server". To start it double click "LaunchServer.command".

Community Guides

Ubuntu Server x64 Setup. (Beginner-Friendly!)

CraftBukkit Auto Installer (Beginner-Friendly!)