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How to Install or Update Vanilla (Java) on your Minecraft Server

This guide will work for more or less all hosting companies or deployments on linux based systems.


Notes about Updating versus Installing Vanilla Minecraft​

Vanilla minecraft is an out of the box server solution created by Microsoft as the baseline, "original" minecraft experience; for most players we advise using PaperMC as a significantly more performant, open source alternative. Updating works the same way as installing a fresh copy with either of the methods below, and Minecraft will automatically update any world files when you update to a newer version. We highly advise against attempting to downgrade your server as it can cause corruption; we will not assist users attempting to do this.


We advise creating a backup before making any changes, whichever method you use, as mistakes can happen and files can accidentally be overwritten.


Method 1: Installing with EnviroMC's version installer

This is the fastest way to install or update Vanilla and is the method we'd recommend for most users.

Head to the Versions tab on your server, select Vanilla, then find the version you want in the list and click on it. Unlike Paper or Forge, Vanilla only has a single build per Minecraft version, so there's no build dropdown to worry about. Please note that snapshot/experimental builds are hidden by default - click "Show Snapshot Versions" if you need one, though these are inherently unstable and should be used with caution in production environments.


You'll be asked to confirm the install, with two toggles:

  • Wipe Server Files - leave this off when you're updating. The new version is installed over the top of your existing files, so your world, server.properties and configs all carry over and Minecraft will migrate your world data to the new version on first boot. Only enable it if you want a totally clean install - it deletes everything on your server first and cannot be undone.
  • Accept EULA - toggle this on to pre-accept Minecraft's EULA, or leave it off and accept the pop up on first boot instead.

Hit Install - this usually only takes a few seconds since it's just downloading a single jar file.


Head to the Console tab and hit Start. If you didn't tick "Accept EULA" during install, the Accept Minecraft® EULA pop up will appear - click I ACCEPT and the server will continue booting, generating the world and finishing with Done (7.472s)! For help, type "help".

It's worth checking under Startup that your startup command and Docker Image (Java version) are still correct for the version you just installed, especially if your server was previously running something else.



Method 2: Installing manually from Minecraft's website

This process is near identical to the process we outlined in our article on How to Install Paper, as are most Minecraft server software installations.


Head to minecraft.net/en-us/download/server and click the minecraft_server.jar download link for the version shown. Take note of the launch command listed just underneath it - you'll need it shortly.


Make sure your server is stopped, then head to the Files tab and hit Upload (or drag and drop the file straight onto the panel) to upload the jar. If you're updating an older server, delete any other .jar files in the root directory first (immediately after clicking "Files" in the navbar, before entering any folders) so they don't conflict.


Head to Startup, tick Custom Startup, and set your startup command to match the jar you just uploaded and the amount of memory your server has. A good starting point is:

java -Xms128M -Xmx{Amount of RAM}G -Dterminal.jline=false -Dterminal.ansi=true -jar {jarfile.jar} nogui

making sure to change the Xmx and jar filename to match your server.

Make sure your server has the correct Java version too - under Startup > Docker Image. At the time of writing, for anything post 1.18.2, Java 21 is advised. Anything prior to 1.16.5 can be run on Java 8.


Finally, head back to the Console tab and hit Start, accepting the EULA pop up if it's a fresh installation. This pop up can sometimes be obscured by advert/JS blockers - if that happens you'll need to manually verify that the eula.txt file contains the line eula=true.


Updating manually is exactly the same process - just upload the newer jar over the old one, update the startup command's filename if it's changed, and start the server again. Your world will carry over and be migrated automatically.


If you are an EnviroMC customer still experiencing issues with installing or updating your server, please feel free to reach out to us via a ticket for support.