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To host a dedicated game server on a Linux VPS, install the game’s server software (Paper for Minecraft, SteamCMD for Palworld), open its port in the firewall, and run it in tmux or as a service so it keeps running after you log out. A VPS gives you full control of mods, plugins and settings instead of a slot-based host’s limits. A FlashRDP Linux VPS gives you:
  • 1 Gbps port in Phoenix, AZ or Paris, France: pick the one closer to your players.
  • SSD storage (NVMe in Phoenix, SATA SSD in Paris) for world saves and chunk loading.
  • Layer 4 DDoS filtering against network floods on every server. See DDoS protection.
  • Full root access to your firewall, Java version and installed software.
Install packages with sudo, but run the game server itself as a normal user, not root. Create one with sudo adduser gameserver and switch to it with sudo -iu gameserver before downloading and starting the server.

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Running a Minecraft Java server (Paper)

  1. Order a Linux VPS with Ubuntu 24.04. GOLD (16 GB) or DIAMOND (32 GB) suits larger communities and modpacks; small groups fit on less.
  2. Log in via SSH.
  3. Install Java and tmux. Current Paper releases need Java 25; Minecraft 1.20.5 to 1.21.x needs Java 21. Check Paper’s getting started guide for your version:
    If your Ubuntu release doesn’t package that Java version, install it from Eclipse Temurin.
  4. Download Paper. Copy the link to the latest build from papermc.io/downloads/paper, then:
  5. Accept the Minecraft EULA, then start the server in tmux. Set the memory to roughly half your plan’s RAM (8 GB on GOLD shown here):
    Detach with Ctrl+B, then D.
  6. If you use a firewall, open the game port: sudo ufw allow 25565/tcp.

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Running a Palworld server

Palworld’s own guide recommends 16 GB of RAM (32 GB for larger servers) and 4 CPU cores, so choose GOLD or above. Follow the Palworld server guide. On Ubuntu, install SteamCMD from the multiverse repository:
Then, as your game server user, download and start the server:
Players connect on UDP port 8211 by default, so open it if you use a firewall: sudo ufw allow 8211/udp.
Managing several servers? Free panels such as Pterodactyl or PufferPanel give you a web interface for restarts, console commands and file uploads.

Linux VPS Overview

Learn the basics of managing your FlashRDP Linux VPS.

Connecting via SSH

Connect to your server as the root user.

DDoS Protection

What Layer 4 DDoS filtering covers.
Last modified on October 16, 2026