Self-hosting a private Minecraft world at home for you and your friends just got a whole lot smoother. The official vanilla Minecraft Java Edition server is now available on Olares Market. By running the server directly on your own Olares hardware, you get full control over your multiplayer world, whether you are building alongside family on your local home network or exploring together with remote friends via LarePass VPN.

A simpler way to self-host Minecraft Java Edition

Running a private Minecraft server often involves multiple manual setup steps. The process requires verifying Java runtime dependencies, downloading the server .jar file, writing custom startup scripts, and managing background system services. Enabling remote multiplayer access typically requires configuring port forwarding on a router, which exposes the local network directly to the public internet.

Olares simplifies this deployment by packaging the official vanilla Minecraft Java Edition server into a single Market application.

When installed from Olares Market, the server runs locally on your own Olares hardware. This gives you an authentic vanilla dedicated server environment while maintaining full local ownership of world files, player data, and system resources without requiring manual command-line configuration, router port-forwarding, or monthly hosting subscriptions.

Installing Minecraft from Olares Market

The server can be deployed directly from the Olares Market:

1. Open Olares Market and search for Minecraft.
2. Select Get, then Install.
3. Launch the application and wait for the status to display Running.

During the initial boot, the server automatically downloads official game resources and generates world files. This process may take a few minutes to complete.

Once running, you can manage the server, run commands, op players, and adjust game settings, from the built-in console. Note that there is no web-based admin UI.

Play Together Over LAN or LarePass VPN

Your friends can join the server using two private connection methods depending on where they are.

When playing on the same local network, enable the Overlay gateway, a feature introduced in Olares v1.12.6 that assigns a dedicated local IP address directly to the application (requires a native Linux host with wired Ethernet). Once enabled for Minecraft in Olares Settings, players can join the server by entering this assigned local address into their game client.

When connecting away from home, you and your friends need to enable LarePass VPN on the client device. The connection to the server is established using the domain format <local-name>.olares.com:25565.

Both options establish private connections that do not require opening public router ports or exposing the server to external port scanning on the open internet.

What to know before you start

Before installing the server, review the following technical requirements and operational details:

System Requirement	Olares v1.12.6 or later
Supported Edition	Java Edition only
Client Version	Must match the server version in Olares Market (Currently Minecraft v26.2)
Hardware Setup	Native Linux host with wired Ethernet (for Overlay gateway)
IP Persistence	Overlay gateway IP may change after app restart or network change
Application Updates	Upgrading the app restarts the server and disconnects current players.

With these considerations in mind, setting up the server takes just a few clicks. Head over to Olares Market to install the Minecraft Java Edition server today. For full walkthrough configuration instructions, refer to the official Olares Minecraft Setup Guide.