Deploy and Host Minecraft Paper Server on Railway

A single Paper Java Edition server with a pinned runtime and Paper build, a persistent /data volume, and public TCP access. There is no web dashboard or HTTP endpoint.

About Hosting Minecraft Paper Server

This configuration uses Paper 26.2 build 121 on Java 25 through itzg/minecraft-server:2026.9.0-java25, pinned by digest. The initial and maximum JVM heap are 2G. Heap is not total container RAM: allow additional JVM/native overhead and measure your workload before adding plugins or players.

Required EULA choice and connection

Read the Minecraft EULA. Set required EULA=TRUE yourself only if you accept it. There is intentionally no default acceptance.
Deploy with /data attached before startup and sufficient memory above the heap limit.
Wait for Done ( in application logs; first boot downloads Paper and generates the world. Railway SUCCESS alone is not Minecraft protocol readiness.
In the Paper service's TCP Proxy settings, copy its actual host:external-port. Container port 25565 is not necessarily the assigned external port.
Use a compatible Minecraft Java Edition client: Multiplayer → Direct Connection. Verify a protocol status/ping response and real player connection before inviting others.

Online mode is enabled, so players need legitimate Java Edition accounts. Online authentication is not a whitelist. Configure a whitelist before sharing a private server's address. The exact configuration passed a Minecraft status and matching ping/pong exchange (Paper 26.2, protocol 776). Player authentication and world persistence across restart remain unverified; protocol readiness is not a full gameplay or persistence test.

Gameplay and operation defaults

TYPE=PAPER, VERSION=26.2, PAPER_BUILD=121.
INIT_MEMORY=2G, MAX_MEMORY=2G, USE_AIKAR_FLAGS=TRUE.
Survival mode, normal difficulty, maximum 20 players, view distance 8, simulation distance 6, and MOTD Paper on Railway. The player limit is a setting, not a tested capacity guarantee.
ONLINE_MODE=TRUE; ENABLE_RCON=FALSE. There is no public remote-administration port or generated admin login.
PAUSE_WHEN_EMPTY_SECONDS=60 uses native empty-server ticking pause. Legacy itzg process-freeze autopause is disabled. The JVM remains resident: idle pause does not release the heap or eliminate memory charges.
MAX_TICK_TIME=60000; environment-managed server properties are overwritten at startup. Change the corresponding environment variables rather than only editing server.properties.

Worlds, plugins and backups

Worlds, plugins, logs and configuration belong under /data. Keep one server writer and avoid overlapping deployments against the same world. Back up and test restore before upgrades or plugin changes. Before relying on persistence, create a unique world/file marker, restart, and read back the same content. A volume or listening socket alone is insufficient.

Manage files through Railway's authenticated access mechanisms, which require your own authorized account/key; this is not a public SSH daemon. If enabling RCON later, supply a strong secret and keep port 25575 private.

Startup can download Paper YAML defaults from the mutable Shonz1/minecraft-default-configs repository. Runtime and jar pins do not pin that additional dependency. Review downloaded settings and upstream changes before use.

Common Use Cases

A small private Java Edition world.
Evaluating Paper-compatible plugins.
A persistent development server with explicit resource limits.

Dependencies for Minecraft Paper Server Hosting

An eligible Minecraft EULA choice, Java Edition clients/accounts, a Railway volume, TCP proxy, and enough RAM/CPU for your world. Plugin compatibility, player capacity, backup recovery and native-pause behavior require deployment-specific checks.

Deployment Dependencies

Why Deploy Minecraft Paper Server on Railway?

Railway supplies the container, persistent world volume, logs and TCP proxy. You remain responsible for EULA consent, administrator access, backups, compatible clients and adequate game-server resources.