Installing a Minecraft Bedrock/PE Server on Ubuntu 20.04

12 min readUpdated September 25, 2026

Previously, we published an article on creating a Minecraft Java server. This time, we will look at the process of installing a Minecraft Bedrock/Pocket Edition server.

#Initial information

The installation will be performed on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS OS, so this guide is suitable for both VDS and a Dedicated server.

When working with the server, the Screen utility will also be useful, we recommend reading the article: Installing Screen

In turn, Minecraft Bedrock does not require Java to be installed either on the server or on the client side. This is because this version of the game is written entirely in C++.

#Downloading server files

Update the system package and repository lists:

bash

sudo apt-get -y update && sudo apt-get -y dist-upgrade

We will show two methods for downloading the server files: entirely through the Linux system console, and manually via the FileZilla software.

#Linux console

First, we need to create a folder for the future server. Go to any directory you like (by default — root) and use the command:

bash

mkdir minecraftbedrock

minecraftbedrock — the name of the directory being created, you can specify any name here.

We can use a special command to list all files in the directory to make sure the folder has been created.

bash

ls

We see the created directory. Go into it using the command

bash

cd minecraftbedrock

Next, use the wget utility to download the server files.

bash

wget https://minecraft.azureedge.net/bin-linux/bedrock-server-1.16.221.01.zip

Done, the archive with the files has been downloaded.

Downloaded archive with Minecraft Bedrock server files

Now we need to unpack it. Install the zip utility:

bash

apt-get install zip

Use the command to unpack the archive:

bash

unzip bedrock-server-1.16.221.01.zip

Where bedrock-server-1.16.221.01.zip is the name of our archive.

#FileZilla

Connect to the server and create a directory in any folder (Right-click — Create directory).

You can use any name.

Specifying a directory name in FileZilla

Go to the created directory. Download the archive from the Mojang website to your computer:

https://minecraft.azureedge.net/bin-linux/bedrock-server-1.16.221.01.zip

Upload the downloaded file to your server.

Uploading the archive to the server via FileZilla

The archive has been successfully uploaded.

bash

cd bedrock

bedrock — the name of the directory.

Next, use the command to unpack the archive:

bash

unzip bedrock-server-1.16.221.01.zip

Where bedrock-server-1.16.221.01.zip is the name of our archive.

#Starting the server

For 24/7 server operation, create a Screen session with the command

bash

screen -S bedrock

bedrock — the name of the Screen session.

Creating a Screen session for the Bedrock server

While still in the server directory, run the command

bash

chmod 777 bedrock_server

This grants full read, write and execute permissions on the file.

Granting permissions to the bedrock_server file

Then proceed to start the server itself. Use the command

bash

./bedrock_server

bedrock_server — the name of the server startup file.

Great! Our server has been successfully started.

To detach from the Screen session, use the key combination Ctrl + A + D.

#Connecting to the server

Let’s try connecting from both versions of the game.

#Windows 10 Edition

Add a server by specifying a name, IP address, and the default port.

We have successfully connected to the server.

Successful connection to the Minecraft Bedrock server

The console also shows information about players connecting to and disconnecting from the server:

Information about players connecting and disconnecting in the console

#Pocket Edition

Enter the connection details again.

The server continues to run and is available in the Pocket Edition as well.

Connecting to the server in Pocket Edition

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