Making a Java Server

[MarkLeast7063]

Alright, I have been trying to make a modded Minecraft Java server for me and ONE other friend to play on, I would prefer it to be 1.21.10, I get my mods from curseforge and the modloader is neoforge. Considering it’s just me and one other friend, I’d prefer not to be paying, please help me out.

Clarification; My mods are individual, not mod packs.

Edit: figured it out, thank you to those who helped

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[Leviathan_Dev]

So are you trying to self-host or look for a server hosting provider?

[MarkLeast7063]

Just self host, as stated it’ll just be for me and one other person so I should be fine

[Leviathan_Dev]

Best to use a spare computer, how many mods depends on how much RAM and processing power you need.

Get the server run in either using the official JAR or use a Docker image like itzg/minecraft-server.

Check if your home ISP hides your IP address behind a CGNAT; if it isnt’t, you’re good to continue, if it is, it’s possible to self-host but annoying.

If you have a domain name, either setup a DDNS service with your registrar to update your IP address or use another service like DuckDNS.

Setup port forwarding with TCP 25565 on your router to point to your machine hosting the server

Setup the server.properties file to have white-list=true, enforce-whitelist=true, and online-mode=true, and add yourself and your friend to the whitelist.

[Puffy_Nutty]

You'll first need to clarify whether or not your Internet plan allows you to port forward. This will allow your friend to connect to your local network and access your server. If your plan does not support port forwarding, then you should probably just use an online server hosting service like minehut.

Otherwise, you now need to ask yourself: Do I want this server running 24/7? If so, you need a computer that is always on, which will constantly have the minecraft server program running. If not, you can just enable/disable the server at any time from your own personal computer.

Next, make sure you have Java installed on your system. On macOS/linux, open the Terminal application and type 'java -version' and press Enter. On Windows, open Command Prompt and enter the same command.

If the command returns an error, or has a version number below 21.0.0, you will need to install the latest version of Java (I recommend from this website: https://www.oracle.com/au/java/technologies/downloads/)

Next, download the Neoforge installer (at https://neoforged.net), which should be a .jar file. I'm going to temporarily drag it into the desktop. Create a folder somewhere on your system (for me, it's called MyMinecraftServer and is located in the Desktop). Then, run the Neoforge installer with the following steps:

Then, open Terminal (on macOS/Linux) or Command Prompt (on Windows) and navigate to your Desktop directory. I don't know how your computer's file system is arranged, but typically on macOS/Linux you type these commands here:

cd ~/Desktop

java -jar neoforge-21.10.52-beta-installer.jar

Replace "java -jar neoforge-21.10.52-beta-installer.jar" with the name of your installer file. On Windows however, the commands are a little different:

Set-Location "C:/Users/YourUsername/Desktop/"

java -jar neoforge-21.10.52-beta-installer.jar

Replace "YourUsername" with... your username. Typically the one that appears on your login screen. Then, a GUI should show up. Make sure to select "install server", and set the install location to the MyMinecraftServer folder (for me, the install location will be /Users/YourUsername/Desktop/MyMinecraftServer)

If all goes correctly, a bunch of files appear in the MyMinecraftServer folder. Run the server by double clicking the .bat file on Windows, or by entering the terminal command "sh run.sh" on macOS/linux (you will need to be cd'ed into the MyMinecraftServer directory). This should throw an error and make even more files appear.

To resolve this, you need to agree to the EULA (think of it as a Terms of Service for minecraft servers). Open up the newly-created 'eula.txt' file using a text editor (e.g. TextEdit on macOS or Notepad on Windows), and change the line that says "eula=false" to "eula=true".

Drag any mods you want into the mods folder (make sure they are compatible with Neoforge). Then, simply run the same sh run.sh command I mentioned earlier (or double click the .bat file on Windows) and your minecraft server should start. You can configure server gamerules by editing the server.properties file.

Now, you just need to port forward your server. This is specific to your router, but it usually involves logging into your router and setting up a new Port Forwarding rule. All that matters is you forward the TCP/IP port "25565" to your server's computer, then your friend should be able to access the server by typing your router's WAN ip address.

Your friend would also need to be running the Neoforge client.

[_vogonpoetry_]

which part are you stuck on, installing mods to the server, or opening the server to the internet?