# Run a private Minecraft server with Tailscale

Last validated Jan 5, 2026

Minecraft is a popular multiplayer game, in which players can connect to
a Minecraft world hosted within one of the player's running game or can
connect to a standalone server hosting a world.

Without Tailscale, setting up a Minecraft server to be reachable from outside
the home means either:

* paying for third-party hosting, or
* opening ports in the firewall, potentially allowing access to any person on the internet

With Tailscale, you can share it from anywhere with just the people you want.

In this guide, we'll show how to set up a Minecraft `bedrock_server` and connect
to the server from anywhere using Tailscale.

## Prerequisites

You will need a Linux server. These instructions assume a Linux server or VM
running within the home, behind a firewall. Tailscale lets clients connect to
computers wherever they are, so you do not need to worry about the
accessibility of the machine. It just needs to be on the internet. If you sign
up for a VM hosted by a cloud provider, make sure to
[block almost all access in the firewall][kb-firewall-ports].

The instructions in this guide assume you are using Ubuntu or Debian, though
the changes for other Linux distributions are small.

## Step 1: Set up `bedrock_server` on Linux

The `bedrock_server` supports both Windows and Linux. We'll cover Linux in
this guide.

We recommend creating a user to run the Minecraft server, and installing some
packages we'll need later:

```shell
adduser --system --home /opt/minecraft minecraft
addgroup --system minecraft
adduser minecraft minecraft
chsh --shell /bin/bash minecraft
apt install unzip curl tmux git wget
```

Download the current version of the Linux `bedrock_server` binary from
`https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/bedrock`. It is best to
do this as the `minecraft` user just created:

```shell
su -s -u minecraft
cd ~
wget "download path copied from https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/bedrock"
```

Minecraft `bedrock_server` is updated relatively frequently, and when the
Minecraft game app is updated it requires the new version of the server.
So we'll prepare for future updates by storing the server files in git:

```shell
git init .
unzip bedrock_server*.zip
rm bedrock_server*.zip
git add -A
git commit -m "Initial bedrock_server"
```

Each successive `bedrock_server` update can be stored in git. Pay special attention
to `permissions.json` and `server.properties`, where any future `bedrock_server`
will overwrite any customizations you may have made.

### systemd

`systemd` is a way to automatically start services when the system boots. We'll
create a few files to have `bedrock_server` start automatically.

***

`/etc/systemd/system/minecraft.service`

```
[Unit]
Description=Minecraft Service
Wants=network.target
After=network.target

[Service]
User=minecraft
Group=minecraft

Type=forking

ProtectHome=true
ProtectSystem=full
PrivateDevices=true
NoNewPrivileges=true
InaccessibleDirectories=/root /sys /srv /media -/lost+found
ReadWriteDirectories=/opt/minecraft
WorkingDirectory=/opt/minecraft
ExecStart=/opt/minecraft/start.sh
ExecStop=/opt/minecraft/stop.sh
TimeoutStopSec=20
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
```

***

`/opt/minecraft/start.sh`

```shell
#!/bin/sh
/usr/bin/tmux new-session -s minecraft -d
tmux send -t minecraft "LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./bedrock_server" ENTER
tmux send -t minecraft "gamerule showcoordinates true" ENTER
tmux send -t minecraft "gamerule keepInventory true" ENTER
```

***

`/opt/minecraft/stop.sh`

```shell
#!/bin/sh
/usr/bin/tmux send -t minecraft save-all ENTER
/usr/bin/tmux send -t minecraft stop ENTER
echo "Killing minecraft session"
/usr/bin/tmux kill-session -t minecraft
```

***

Also make the shell scripts executable: `chmod +x /opt/minecraft/start.sh /opt/minecraft/stop.sh`

As root you should now `systemctl start minecraft` and voilà, you are running
a Minecraft bedrock edition server.

As the `minecraft` user, you can connect to tmux to access the server console:

```shell
sudo -s -u minecraft
tmux attach
```

To detach from tmux and leave `bedrock_server` running, press Ctrl-B
then "d" for detach.

## Step 2: Install Tailscale on the server

Tailscale is available for essentially any modern Linux distribution, though the
installation instructions may vary slightly.

[Download Tailscale for Linux](/download/linux)

Once installed and active in the tailnet, the Minecraft `bedrock_server` can be
reached from any of your other Tailscale clients.

## Step 3: Play Minecraft

You'll need the Tailscale client installed, from the App Store for iOS devices
and the Play Store for Android. You'll also need the Minecraft app.

In the Minecraft app, select **Play**, and then select the **Servers** tab. There will be a
number of promoted third-party servers in the list, but scrolling to the
bottom there will be a button to **Add Server**.

![Minecraft Server list scrolled to the bottom with a button to Add Server](solutions/set-up-minecraft/add-server.png)

Add the details of the server just created, including the Tailscale IP address
(the 100.x.y.z IP address, which can be looked up in the Tailscale app or in the [Machines](https://login.tailscale.com/admin/machines) page of the admin console).

![Typing in the server name with a server address of 100.99.98.97](solutions/set-up-minecraft/server-details.png)

You'll be asked to login to XBox Live before being allowed to connect to the
server. `live.com` accounts are free, and you don't have to have an XBox to
create one. Tailscale never receives the `live.com` account, Minecraft only
requires it before connecting.

[kb-firewall-ports]: /docs/reference/faq/firewall-ports