Introduction: How to Setup a Modded Minecraft Server (1.12.2)

By
About: Gaming and pixels and making the dings, these are a few of my favorite things.

Minecraft is a fun game to play with friends, and modding the game can add many more possibilities. Server hosting websites or Minecraft Realms cost a monthly subscription to use. If you don't have the money to have a separate website host the server for you, setting up your own server for free will be your best option. Here's how to setup a modded Minecraft server in 1.12.2 (works with most past and future updates, you can find the specific .jar file for whatever version you're hosting).

Supplies

What you will need:

- A computer that can run modded Minecraft and a server at the same time (4gb of ram should be minimum)

- A copy of Minecraft

- A secure internet connection

- Access to your router's login information

Step 1: Install Minecraft, Add Forge Mod Loader

In order to play on a Minecraft server, you need... Minecraft! If you've purchased Minecraft, you can download it at https://my.minecraft.net/en-us/store/minecraft/#ow...

It'll download MinecraftInstaller.msi, launch it and follow the instructions to install it. Once installed, you will want to launch vanilla 1.12.2 at least once in order to install all the important stuff. Under the Installations tab, click + New, then under Versions, select 1.12.2. Select 1.12.2 from the drop down menu, and press PLAY. Once it fully loads to the menu screen, exit the game.

Next, you'll want to download and install Forge, go to this link and click on Windows Installer. https://files.minecraftforge.net/

Launch it, and click OK. Wait for it to install.

Step 2: Install Forge Server, Accept EULA

In order to start hosting a server, you need these files. Reopen the Forge installer and select Install Server, and the location you want it to be installed.
Now that its been installed, double click on forge-1.12.2-14.23.5.2838-universal.jar to launch it. once you do that, the folders logs, mods, and eula.txt will appear in the folder.

Double click on the eula.txt to open it, and change the false to true. ctrl+s or click File then Save, then close the txt. Once that's done, relaunch the .jar. You'll see a bunch more files appear in the Server folder, and a window open up titled Minecraft server. Congrats! You now have a local modded Minecraft server! But we're not here for that, we're trying to create a server that anyone can connect to. Close the Minecraft server window.

Step 3: Gather Your Mods

You can't have a modded Minecraft server without mods! You'll be able to find almost every mod ever made at this link https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods?filte...

Once you download the mods' .jar file, make a copy of it. Open your server's mods folder and paste the mods there. Then you'll want to move the original mods you copied to your .minecraft folder. to find it, press the windows key and type %appdata% into the search box. Once there, click on .minecraft. In there should be a folder labeled mods. If there isn't, make one. Put all of the same mod files into the mods folder.

Step 4: Reduce Lag

Before you even launch the server again, there is a way to majorly reduce the lag on the server and your computer. Right click in the Server folder and create a new text document. Title it Server Launcher. Open it, and copy and paste the following text:

java -Xmx2048M -Xms2048M -jar forge-1.12.2-14.23.5.2838-universal.jar -o true nogui

The number 2048 actually says how much ram the server will be using, 2048 being 2gb, or 4096 being 4gb. replace the number to suit how much ram you want to use.

Once the text has been pasted into the text file, select File, then Save As. Change the Save as Type to All Files, and rename the file from Server Launcher.txt to Server Launcher.bat. Now double click on the .bat file every time you want to start the server. Launch the server, let it fully load, then close it.

Step 5: Port Forward the Server

(Since this section deals with IP addresses, there will be no pictures for privacy stuff, cause IDK how IPs can be used to harm)

The server now works locally! Anyone on the same IP as yours can now join the server. In order to allow people not on the same IP to connect,you'll need to port forward your server. To do this, google Whats my IP? on Google. Take the number it gives you, copy it, and paste it into the address bar. This will most likely take you to your router's website where you can manage your router's settings. Enter the password to your router to continue. My router is a Linksys, you'll want to google around to find the steps with your specific router. You'll want to find the Port Range Forwarding section of your router, and enter in the following information.

Application Name: Minecraft server
Start ~ End Port: 25565 - 25565
Protocol: TCP
Device IP: ENTER COMPUTER'S IP HERE

Enabled: True

In order to get your computer's IP, hold down the windows key and press R. In the box that pops up, type cmd. When the command prompt opens up, type ipconfig. Look for the line labeled as IPv4 Address, and copy the IP address there. Type that number in for your Device IP above.

Step 6: All Done!

The server should now be up and running! Double click the .bat file to launch the server, start up Minecraft, and enter in your public IP (when you googled "what's my IP") in the multiplayer menu. Connect to the server, and enjoy your new world!

Games Contest

Participated in the
Games Contest