Member Avatar for zzmrzz

Hello fellow coders,
I am in this situration right now, where i'm soon going to buy my 3'rd dedicated server, and i wondered what Linux OS would be best? Right now i have a 64 GB and a 32 GB server with Linux CentOS 6.5 Minimal, and i'm using the 32 GB's server for hosting purpose for my customers, and the 64 GB's server to sponsor people (YouTube'ers, Twitch'ers etc.). So my questions is; what is the best and easiest Linux OS for Minecraft hosting, and for Gmod/CS:GO and CS:S hosting? And what about security? What is the easiest to learn security thing on the OS? And please inform me why that is better than the another... And if you want to help me configure everything, then PM me. Anyway thanks a lot!! :)
- Hope this makes sense, I'm not English... So...

  • 4 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 603 Views
  • 1 Month Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by amalfatima

Dani AI

Generated

Short summary and context — both CentOS-derived and Debian/Ubuntu families are commonly used for game hosts, so staying with what is already working (as and suggested) is a valid, low-friction choice. Note that CentOS Linux changed direction in 2020 (CentOS Stream became the focus) and older CentOS releases have reached end-of-life, so plan for a supported base or a RHEL-compatible replacement such as AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux if long-term binary-compatibility with RHEL/CentOS is required. (blog.centos.org)

Practical hosting notes — Source-engine servers (CS:GO, CS:S, Garry’s Mod) are deployed and updated with SteamCMD; run SteamCMD and the game servers under an unprivileged account, and install the small 32-bit compatibility libraries SteamCMD needs on 64-bit hosts. Minecraft (Java) needs a current supported JRE and is usually run headless with tuned JVM flags; managing the server with systemd (or a process supervisor) makes restarts, logging, and automatic start on boot reliable. (developer.valvesoftware.com)

Security tradeoffs — RHEL/CentOS families ship with SELinux enabled by default (powerful, fine-grained, steeper learning curve); Ubuntu/Debian tend to use AppArmor (easier to get started with profiles). For an “easy to learn” security stack, AppArmor + distro firewall + separate non-root game users is a reasonable starting point; for stricter multitenant isolation, invest time in SELinux. Keep automatic security updates configured for packages and the JVM. (docs.redhat.com)

Quick, copy-paste checklist (minimal, production-minded):

  • Install minimal server, create an unprivileged user minecraft or steam (do not run servers as root).
  • Example systemd unit for Minecraft (place in /etc/systemd/system/minecraft.service):
[Unit]
Description=Minecraft Server
After=network.target

[Service]
User=minecraft
WorkingDirectory=/opt/minecraft
ExecStart=/usr/bin/java -Xmx4G -Xms1G -jar server.jar nogui
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
  • Open required ports: for Minecraft 25565/tcp; for Source-engine games commonly 27015/udp (use ufw on Ubuntu or firewall-cmd/firewalld on RHEL-style systems). Example: sudo ufw allow 25565/tcp or sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=25565/tcp && sudo firewall-cmd --reload. (discourse.ubuntu.com)

Short conclusion — pick an LTS/stable distro that matches the team’s skills. For minimal learning pain go Debian/Ubuntu (AppArmor + apt + lots of how-tos); for RHEL-style environments choose Rocky/Alma if CentOS compatibility is desired. Use SteamCMD for Valve servers, run Minecraft under systemd with a dedicated user, and enforce firewall + per-service confinement for a solid baseline. (developer.valvesoftware.com)

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for rch1231

Hello,

The consensus on the minecraft site seems to be that both CentOS or Ubuntu make good servers. So since you are already using CentOS I would stick with an OS you know. CentOS is based on Red Hat Enterprise and Ubuntu is debian based and the packages and applications are distributed in different formants. The link below gives a good comparison between Debian and Red Hat and should als help you make your decision.

http://www.tecmint.com/redhat-vs-debian-administrative-point-of-view/

Edited by rch1231 because: Forgot link
Member Avatar for rubberman


The article is not too bad, but there are a lot of mistakes and the author's English leaves something to be desired. @zzmrmartinzz Read more than just this article to get an appreciation for the differences, strengths, and weaknesses of RedHat based distributions vs. Debian ones. In my opinion, since you are already familiar with RedHat based distributions (such as CentOS) then stick with what you know. In my previous position at Nokia Mobile Phones we used over 5000 CentOS servers. In my current position, we and our customers mostly use CentOS distributions as well, though some of our customers are wedded to Microsoft servers. Fortunately, our software supports both! We can also run on Debian servers, but not many of our customers use them.

Member Avatar for amalfatima

As long as you have it exactly as it is above; it should work.... Works for me at least! :/

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.