Linux Installation

This guide covers installing and running a PowerNukkitX server on Linux. It includes manual setup and instructions to run the server as a background service via systemd.

Prerequisites: Java 21+

PowerNukkitX requires Java 21 or newer (64-bit).

Ubuntu / Debian

Install OpenJDK 21 via APT:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y openjdk-21-jre-headless wget

CentOS / RHEL / Rocky Linux

Install OpenJDK 21 via DNF:

sudo dnf install -y java-21-openjdk-headless wget

Verify your installation:

java -version

Setting Up the Server

For security reasons, it is highly recommended to run the Minecraft server under a dedicated, non-privileged system user rather than using root.

1. Create a Dedicated User and Group

Create a system user named minecraft:

sudo useradd --system --user-group --home-dir /opt/pnx-server --create-home minecraft

2. Download PowerNukkitX

Switch to the minecraft user and download the files:

# Switch to the dedicated user
sudo -u minecraft -s
cd /opt/pnx-server

# Download the jar file
wget https://github.com/PowerNukkitX/PowerNukkitX/releases/download/snapshot/powernukkitx.jar

3. Create the Startup Script

Create a start.sh script to launch the server with the necessary JVM reflection access flags:

cat << 'EOF' > start.sh
#!/bin/bash
java -jar --add-opens java.base/java.lang=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens java.base/java.io=ALL-UNNAMED powernukkitx.jar
EOF

# Make the script executable
chmod +x start.sh

4. Run the Initial Setup Wizard

Execute the server once to accept the license agreement and generate the initial configurations:

./start.sh

Follow the interactive prompts:

• Accept the license (y).
• Select your language (eng).
• Enter the MOTD and port.

Once the console logs [INFO] Startup finished in..., type stop to exit the server.

stop

After stopping the server, return to your regular root/sudo user terminal:

exit

Configuring a systemd Service (Recommended)

To keep your PowerNukkitX server running in the background, start on system boot, and restart automatically if it crashes, you should configure a systemd service.

1. Create the Service File

Create a new service configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/pnx.service

Paste the following configurations:

[Unit]
Description=PowerNukkitX Minecraft Bedrock Server
After=network.target

[Service]
User=minecraft
Group=minecraft
WorkingDirectory=/opt/pnx-server
ExecStart=/bin/bash /opt/pnx-server/start.sh
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

2. Enable and Start the Service

Reload systemd to read the new service file, enable the service to launch on boot, and start the server:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable pnx.service
sudo systemctl start pnx.service

3. Checking Service Status

To verify if the server is running properly:

sudo systemctl status pnx.service

To view the real-time console log stream from the server:

journalctl -u pnx.service -f

(Press Ctrl + C to exit the log viewer).

To stop or restart the service:

sudo systemctl stop pnx.service
sudo systemctl restart pnx.service