🖥️ Hosting on a VPS (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode)

Complete guide to running Eaglercraft on your own cloud server.

Why Choose a VPS?

Best VPS Providers for Eaglercraft

DigitalOcean ($5/month)

• ✅ 1 vCPU, 1GB RAM ($5 Droplet)
• ✅ Simple interface
• ✅ Good documentation
• ✅ Free monitoring

Vultr ($2.50-5/month)

• ✅ Cheapest option
• ✅ Pay per hour (no commitment)
• ✅ Multiple data centers
• ⚠️ Slightly less user-friendly

Linode ($5/month)

• ✅ Very reliable
• ✅ Good community support
• ✅ API for automation
• ✅ North American focus

Recommended Specs for Eaglercraft

Setup Process (DigitalOcean Example)

Step 1: Create Droplet

Step 2: SSH into VPS

$ ssh root@your.vps.ip.address
(Accept the key fingerprint: yes)
(Paste password from email)

Step 3: Install Docker

$ apt update && apt upgrade -y
$ curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
$ sh get-docker.sh
$ rm get-docker.sh

Step 4: Install Docker Compose

$ curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/latest/download/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
$ chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
$ docker-compose --version

Step 5: Deploy Eaglercraft (Same as Codespaces!)

$ mkdir eaglercraft && cd eaglercraft
$ nano docker-compose.yml
(Paste the Docker compose config)
$ docker-compose up -d

Step 6: Set Up Reverse Proxy (Nginx for HTTPS)

$ apt install nginx -y
$ apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

(Create nginx config pointing to localhost:5201)
(Run certbot for free SSL certificate)

Domain Configuration

Option 1: Use VPS IP Directly

Server URL: wss://1.2.3.4:5201

⚠️ Warning: Self-signed certificate warnings

Option 2: Point Domain (Best)

Using Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc.:

Security Best Practices

Essential Security Steps

• ✅ Use SSH keys instead of password login
• ✅ Install UFW firewall and only open necessary ports
• ✅ Use SSL/TLS certificates (Let's Encrypt free)
• ✅ Keep system updated: apt update && apt upgrade
• ✅ Install fail2ban for attack protection
• ✅ Regular backups of world data

Firewall Config

$ ufw allow 22/tcp   (SSH)
$ ufw allow 80/tcp   (HTTP, for certbot)
$ ufw allow 443/tcp  (HTTPS/WSS)
$ ufw enable

Monitoring & Maintenance

Check Server Resources

$ docker ps              (running containers)
$ docker logs -f eaglercraft  (see logs)
$ df -h                (disk usage)
$ free -h              (RAM usage)
$ top                  (CPU usage)

Restart Server Safely

$ docker-compose restart
(Wait 60 seconds for graceful shutdown)
(Server auto-restarts)

Troubleshooting VPS Issues

❌ Server Won't Start

• Check: docker-compose logs
• Check port isn't in use: ss -tlnp | grep 5200
• Restart Docker: systemctl restart docker

❌ Connection Refused

• Check firewall: ufw status
• Check container running: docker ps
• Check ports exposed: docker port eaglercraft-server

❌ High CPU Usage

• Check player count
• Lower world size/render distance
• Upgrade to larger VPS