Minecraft Bedrock Server on Oracle Cloud (Always Free)

September 9, 2024 · View on GitHub

This guide provides instructions for setting up a Minecraft Bedrock server on Oracle Cloud's Always Free tier. It covers everything from creating a virtual machine (VM) on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to configuring the server with Docker and managing the server using common commands. After finishing this guide, you'll be able to control your server with Admincraft!

Setup a VM on Oracle Cloud

Create a new instance with those settings:

Placement
- Availability domain: AD-1

Image and shape
- Image: Canonical Ubuntu 22.04
- Image build: 2024.06.26-0 (or any newer one)
- Shape: VM.Standard.A1.Flex
- OCPU count: 2
- Network bandwidth (Gbps): 2
- Memory (GB): 12

Primary VNIC information
- Virtual cloud network -> Choose one or create for later editing
- Subnet -> Choose one or create for later editing

Add SSH keys
Generate a key pair for me -> Download and store safely!

Boot volume
- Use in-transit encryption

Once created, take a note of the server IP, you will need it to connect to your server.
In Networking > Virtual cloud networks > your network > Subnet Details, select Security List Details and press Add Ingress Rules:

Minecraft port

- Source CIDR: 0.0.0.0/0
- IP Protocol: UDP
- Destination Port Range: 19132
- Description: Minecraft port

Admincraft WebSocket port

- Source CIDR: 0.0.0.0/0
- IP Protocol: TCP
- Destination Port Range: 8080
- Description: Admincraft WebSocket port

Setup the Minecraft server

Login via MobaXterm or the tool of your choice by using the IP, SSH Keys and username (ubuntu if you choose an Ubuntu image).
Once connected, execute those commands to open the needed ports for Minecraft and Admincraft WebSocket:

sudo iptables -I INPUT 6 -m state --state NEW -p udp --dport 19132 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -I INPUT 6 -m state --state NEW -p tcp --dport 8080 -j ACCEPT
sudo netfilter-persistent save

Edit the docker-compose.yml file:
- Change the services.websocket.environment.SECRET_KEY variable for a strong password you will use to control the server with Admincraft.
- Change any other variables you like in services.minecraft, like the LEVEL_NAME or LEVEL_SEED, you can see a full list here.
Make sure to edit the backups-config/config.yml file, the worlds setting should match the one you have introduced in the setting LEVEL_NAME in the docker-compose.yml. You can also change the backups frequency as you like.

NOTE: If you want to enable SSL, follow the next chapter before continuing (recommended)!

Upload the docker-compose.yml file and the backups-config folder to the home folder of your server.
Run sudo docker compose up -d to start your server for the first time.
You should now be able to connect to your server with Minecraft and with Admincraft!

NOTE: If you enabled the setting ALLOW_LIST = true in the docker-compose.yml, you will need to whitelist the users you want to be able to connect with the command whitelist add username.

Optional: Configure SSL

Edit the certs/makecerts.sh by changing the variable COMMON_NAME=YOUR_IP_HERE for your server IP.
Upload the certs folder to the home folder of your server.
Make the script executable, format it for Linux, and run it to generate the certificates:

cd certs
chmod +x makecerts.sh
sed -i 's/\r$//' makecerts.sh
./makecerts.sh

Ensure that the services.websocket.environment.USE_SSL variable in the docker-compose.yml file is set to true.
The server.crt certificate can be downloaded directly from the server to avoid Man-in-the-Middle attacks. If using a safe network, it can download it from https://IP:8080/getcert ignoring the security warnings.

Open Admincraft and use the server IP and the SECRET_KEY you set in the previous steps. If you enabled SSL, also provide the server.crt.
Admincraft should connect automatically and display the server logs. If there is any issue you will be prompted with an error pop-up.

Automatic Upgrade and Backups

To update the Minecraft server to the latest version, simply restart it from the Admincraft Control Panel, or execute this command in the server:

sudo docker compose restart

Common Server Commands

See all available commands here.

Run containers in the background (detached mode)

sudo docker compose up -d

Run containers in the foreground (for debugging)

sudo docker compose up

Stop containers

sudo docker compose stop

Restart containers

sudo docker compose restart

Remove all containers (the world will not be lost)

sudo docker compose rm -fsv

Remove all containers and volumes (the world will not be lost)

sudo docker rm -vf $(sudo docker ps -aq)

Remove all images (the world will not be lost)

sudo docker rmi -f $(sudo docker images -aq)

Remove all server data (the world WILL BE LOST!)

sudo rm -rf minecraft/

See logs interactively

sudo docker compose logs -f

See X log lines

sudo docker compose logs --tail 2

See logs interactively for a specific container

sudo docker compose logs admincraft -f
sudo docker compose logs websocket -f

Send minecraft commands from outside the container (this is exactly how Admincraft controls the server)

sudo docker exec minecraft send-command <commandname>

sudo docker exec minecraft send-command whitelist add moaibeats
sudo docker exec minecraft send-command give moaibeats coal 20
sudo docker exec minecraft send-command time set 2000

Go into the container's command line (do not exit with CTRL-C! Use CTRL-P CTRL-Q)

sudo docker attach minecraft

Some examples

whitelist add moaibeats
give moaibeats coal 20

Go into the container's shell

sudo docker exec -ti minecraft /bin/bash

Architecture

The system consists of three main containers running in a Docker environment:

Minecraft Bedrock Server (minecraft):
- Exposes the Minecraft server to the internet through port 19132/udp.
- Accepts incoming connections from Minecraft clients.
- SSH access is enabled for the backup process, and the Minecraft server data is stored in a mounted volume.
- Server configuration is set in the docker-compose.yml file, allowing for customization of settings such as world seed, level name, and gameplay modes.
Admincraft WebSocket Server (websocket):
- Accessible via port 8080, allowing secure control of the Minecraft server using Admincraft.
- The WebSocket server authenticates incoming connections using JWT (JSON Web Tokens), with the SECRET_KEY stored in environment variables.
- Once authenticated, users can issue Minecraft server commands, which are executed in real time within the Minecraft container.
- Additionally, certain Docker-level commands (like restarting the server) can be executed through the WebSocket interface, but these are restricted to predefined key commands for security reasons.
Backup Server (backup):
- Connects to the Minecraft server every few hours via SSH to back up world data.
- The backup server uses a mounted volume to store backup files in a dedicated folder, ensuring Minecraft server data can be restored if needed.
- Backup configurations, including the backup schedule and the target Minecraft server, are stored in the backups-config/config.yml file.