Download Vanilla Minecraft Server
The official Minecraft server JAR published by Mojang. Plain Minecraft, no plugins, no mods — exactly what ships with the game.
What is the vanilla Minecraft server?
The vanilla Minecraft server is the official server binary that Mojang publishes for every release of Minecraft. It's plain Minecraft: no plugins, no mods, no API — just the game as the developers intended. If all you want is to play survival, creative or adventure with friends over the internet, vanilla is often the right choice. Vanilla servers are lightweight, simple to configure, and guaranteed to be compatible with every Minecraft feature on day one because they ARE Minecraft. Every download button on this page links directly to piston-data.mojang.com, the Mojang CDN, so you're always getting the exact binary Mojang published.
When should I use vanilla?
Pick vanilla if you want the game exactly as it ships, with no plugins or mods. Pick it if you want the smallest possible maintenance surface. Pick it for small private survival servers. Don't pick it if you want economy plugins, protections, minigames, custom commands (use Paper) or if you want to run a modpack (use Fabric, Forge or NeoForge).
Setup
Required Java
Java 21 (MC 1.20.5+) · Java 17 (MC 1.17–1.20.4) · Java 8 or 11 (older)
Recommended RAM
1–2 GB for small private, 3–4 GB for 10–20 players
Start script (Linux/macOS)
java -Xms2G -Xmx2G -jar server.jar noguiStart script (Windows)
java -Xms2G -Xmx2G -jar server.jar nogui
pauseAll Vanilla versions
Every Vanilla build we have ever seen, grouped by Minecraft major version. Click any version to open its dedicated download page.