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To make an RLCraft server, download and unpack the RLCraft server pack, install Java 8, install Forge 1.12.2 build 14.23.5.2860 into that folder, accept the EULA, apply the pack’s server properties, allocate memory, and launch the Forge jar. Players on other networks also need TCP port 25565 forwarded to the server computer.

The most common startup problem is using the wrong Java release. RLCraft’s 1.12.2 server requires Java 8, even when a newer Java version is the system default. The procedure below covers a self-hosted Windows or Linux server, then explains Docker and hosting-panel alternatives.

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What you need before starting

Prepare the following before downloading anything:

  • A computer or virtual server with administrator access and a dedicated folder for the instance.
  • The RLCraft server pack downloaded from CurseForge. Extract it into its own folder rather than mixing it with another Minecraft installation.
  • Java 8 installed and available from the command line. Keep the full path to the Java 8 executable if another Java version is also installed.
  • The Forge 1.12.2 server installer, build 14.23.5.2860.
  • At least 5 GB of system memory according to one hosting guide; its example assigns a 4 GB maximum heap and leaves the rest for the operating system and background services.
  • Router access if people outside your home network will connect.

A guide reports RLCraft release v2.9.3 as the latest release in June 2023. Because that version information is old relative to this article, check CurseForge for the current server-pack release before downloading. The pack version, Forge build, and client version must be kept aligned.

Choose a way to run the server

There are three practical deployment models. The manual method gives you the clearest control over Java, memory, files, and updates; the alternatives trade some control for convenience.

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Manual self-hosting Install the pack, Java 8, Forge, EULA, properties, and startup command yourself. Highest control over files, Java path, memory, and pack version. You handle updates, backups, firewall rules, and availability.
Docker Run a community image that downloads the pack during its first startup. Configuration is expressed through the container and environment variables; host-level control is less direct. You maintain Docker, persistent storage, image changes, and backups.
Hosting panel Use a game-hosting control panel with a CurseForge modpack installer. The provider controls much of the operating system and Java setup. The provider supplies the machine and panel; pricing, limits, and backup features vary by provider.

Use manual self-hosting when you want to understand every file or already have a suitable machine. Docker is useful when you already operate containers. A panel is the shortest path if you do not want to administer an operating system.

Step 1: Download and unpack the RLCraft server pack

  1. Download the current RLCraft server pack from CurseForge.
  2. Create a dedicated directory, such as RLCraft-Server. Do not use your client’s .minecraft directory.
  3. Extract every file from the server-pack archive into that directory.
  4. Inspect the extracted files before proceeding. The pack supplies the modpack content, but it does not include Forge or a ready-made startup script, so those two pieces must be added manually.

Use a short path without unusual characters if possible. A simple directory makes it easier to quote the path in a command and to locate logs, worlds, and configuration files later.

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Step 2: Install and verify Java 8

RLCraft’s server is built for Java 8. Check the version from a terminal or Command Prompt:

java -version

The output should identify an 1.8.x runtime. A result such as Java 17 or Java 21 means the command is resolving to a newer installation, not the runtime this server needs.

Linux installation

On Debian or Ubuntu, one published setup guide suggests installing the headless Java 8 runtime with:

sudo apt install openjdk-8-jre-headless

After installation, run java -version again. If several Java versions are installed, select Java 8 with the distribution’s alternatives tool or bypass the system default by using the complete path to the Java 8 binary in every server command.

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Windows installation

Install a Java 8 runtime, then open a new Command Prompt so the updated environment is visible. Run the same version check. If Windows still reports a newer release, find the Java 8 executable, commonly named java.exe, and use its full path when launching Forge. In a path containing spaces, wrap the executable path in quotation marks; in HTML, the equivalent command can be written as "C:pathtoJava8binjava.exe" -version.

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Do not rely on a successful Java installation alone. The important test is the version returned by the exact command or executable path that will launch the server.

Step 3: Install Forge 1.12.2 into the pack folder

Download the Forge installer for Minecraft 1.12.2, build 14.23.5.2860. Run the installer with Java 8 and target the directory containing the extracted RLCraft pack.

Graphical installer

  1. Open the Forge installer with Java 8.
  2. Select Install server.
  3. Set the destination to the dedicated RLCraft server folder.
  4. Confirm the installation and wait for the installer to finish downloading and creating its server files.

Command-line installer

Open a terminal in the RLCraft folder, or change to that folder first, then run:

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java -jar forge-1.12.2-14.23.5.2860-installer.jar --installServer

If the system’s java command is not Java 8, replace java with the full Java 8 path. A successful installation produces the Forge server jar, reported by the setup guides as forge-1.12.2-14.23.5.2860.jar, along with the libraries and other files Forge needs.

Do not rename the jar in the launch command unless you also update the command to match. If the installer cannot find the target directory, check that you are in the pack folder and that the archive was fully extracted.

Step 4: Start once and accept the EULA

Forge needs one initial start to generate files. From the RLCraft directory, launch the Forge jar with Java 8. The first run normally stops when the EULA file is created. If an eula.txt file already exists, open it directly instead.

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  1. Open eula.txt in a text editor.
  2. Change eula=false to eula=true.
  3. Save the file without adding quotation marks or changing the property name.
  4. Restart the same Forge command.

Setting the value means the server operator accepts Mojang’s EULA. If the file remains false, the server will stop rather than create a playable world.

Step 5: Apply the RLCraft server properties

Open the generated server.properties file in the server directory. A Space-Node setup guide reports the following four values for this pack:

Property Value Purpose
allow-flight true Allows the server to tolerate flight-related behavior used by the pack.
difficulty 3 Sets the numeric difficulty value reported by that guide.
max-tick-time -1 Uses the value reported by the guide for the server watchdog setting.
enable-command-block true Enables command blocks.

These four entries come from a single setup source rather than a version-independent Forge specification. Verify them against the documentation shipped with the current RLCraft pack before changing an existing, customized configuration. Edit only the value after each equals sign, keep one property per line, and restart the server after saving.

Step 6: Allocate memory and launch Forge

Memory requirements vary with the world, number of players, loaded chunks, and other processes on the machine. One hosting guide recommends at least 5 GB of total system RAM and gives this example:

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java -Xmx4G -Xms2G -jar forge-1.12.2-14.23.5.2860.jar nogui

In that command, -Xmx4G caps the Java heap at 4 GB, -Xms2G starts the heap at 2 GB, -jar selects the Forge server jar, and nogui runs without the graphical server window. The same guide warns that assigning substantially more than 4 GB can create problems, so do not treat a larger heap as automatically better.

Leave enough physical memory for the operating system and any other services. If you change the allocation, change only the values you have a reason to test, and keep the Java 8 executable in the command if the default Java is not correct. On Windows, a full-path example is:

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"C:pathtoJava8binjava.exe" -Xmx4G -Xms2G -jar forge-1.12.2-14.23.5.2860.jar nogui

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On Linux, make the command executable from the server directory or place it in a small shell script. Keep the terminal attached while testing so startup errors remain visible. Once the console finishes loading, leave it running; closing the terminal or ending the process stops the server.

Step 7: Make the server reachable

Players on the same network

Give local players the server computer’s private address and the port shown in the server configuration. They should connect through the game’s multiplayer screen after installing the matching RLCraft client version.

Players outside your network

  1. Reserve or identify the server computer’s private address so the forwarding rule continues to point to the same machine.
  2. In the router’s port-forwarding page, forward TCP port 25565 to that private address.
  3. Allow the Java server through the computer’s firewall when prompted, or create an inbound rule for the same TCP port.
  4. Give remote players your public address and the port. They should not use the private LAN address from outside your network.

Port forwarding exposes the game service to the internet. Use a strong operator password, share the address only with intended players, and remove the forwarding rule when the server is no longer needed.

Confirm that the installation is complete

Before inviting anyone, check the server directory and console:

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  • The RLCraft pack files and Forge libraries are in the same dedicated directory.
  • The launch command names the installed Forge jar exactly.
  • The Java version used by that command is 1.8.x.
  • eula.txt contains eula=true.
  • The intended values are saved in server.properties.
  • The world and configuration files are being created in the directory you expect, not in a different working directory.
  • The server process remains running after startup instead of returning immediately to the shell.
  • A local player can join before you test an internet connection.

Stop the server from its console rather than killing the process. This gives it an opportunity to save the world before shutdown. Make a copy of the world and configuration directories before changing the modpack or Forge installation.

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Troubleshoot an RLCraft server that will not start

The console reports an unsupported Java version or exits immediately

This is the usual failure mode. Repeat the version check using the exact executable in the launch command, not merely the Java installed most recently. If it is not 1.8.x, replace the command’s Java path with the Java 8 path and try again. Multiple Java installations often cause the shell’s short java command to select the wrong runtime.

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The Forge jar is missing

The server pack does not supply Forge. Run the 1.12.2 build 14.23.5.2860 installer with Java 8, choose the RLCraft directory, and confirm that the generated jar name matches the name in your launch command. Running the installer in a different folder leaves the pack directory without the required libraries.

The server stops and says the EULA has not been accepted

Open the eula.txt that sits beside the server files actually being launched. Set its value to true, save it as plain text, and restart. Editing a similarly named file in another directory has no effect.

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The server starts but behaves incorrectly

Review the four pack-specific properties and compare them with the current pack documentation. A typo, duplicate key, or edit made while the server was running can leave the old value in memory. Stop the server, make one controlled change, save the file, and start again.

The process runs out of memory or the machine becomes unresponsive

Check total physical memory rather than increasing the heap automatically. The published example leaves roughly 1 GB beyond its 4 GB heap for the operating system on a 5 GB machine. Close unrelated services, then test a conservative heap size. Allocating far more than the guide’s example can make overall system performance worse.

Players cannot connect from outside

First verify that a player on the same network can join. Then confirm that the router forwards TCP 25565 to the correct private address, the host firewall permits it, and remote players are using the public address. A changed private address or a second router performing network address translation can send the traffic to the wrong computer.

The client and server disagree about the pack

Use the same RLCraft release and compatible Forge setup on both sides. If the server pack was updated, do not assume an older client can join; check the release shown by the pack download and update the client deliberately.

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Docker and hosting-panel alternatives

Docker image

The community image goobaroo/rlcraft is reported to download RLCraft 1.12.2 Release v2.9.3 on its first run. It requires the environment variable EULA="true", which records the operator’s acceptance of Mojang’s EULA. Treat the image’s bundled release as a version choice: confirm that it matches the client pack you intend to use, mount persistent storage for the world and configuration, and preserve those files before replacing the image.

Game-hosting panel

Several providers offer a CurseForge modpack installer. The panel can remove the manual Forge and Java steps, but you still need to select the correct RLCraft release, accept the EULA, set memory within the plan’s limit, and use the provider’s network address and port. Read the provider’s backup and version-change rules before starting a long-lived world.

Updating without losing the world

  1. Stop the running server cleanly from its console.
  2. Copy the world, server.properties, eula.txt, and any customized configuration or script files to a separate backup location.
  3. Record the current RLCraft release and Forge build.
  4. Download the new server pack into a new directory instead of overwriting the working installation.
  5. Install the Forge build required by that pack, then copy only the saved world and deliberate configuration changes into the new directory.
  6. Start the new instance privately and test a backup copy of the world before allowing players to return.

Keeping the old directory intact gives you a rollback path when a pack update changes a mod, configuration format, or required Java runtime.

Final operating checklist

  • Use the current RLCraft server pack and record its release.
  • Run every launch through Java 8.
  • Install Forge 1.12.2 build 14.23.5.2860 in the pack directory when that is the build required by your selected pack.
  • Keep the EULA setting and server properties in the directory being launched.
  • Allocate memory conservatively and leave headroom for the operating system.
  • Forward TCP 25565 only when remote access is needed.
  • Back up the world before configuration or version changes.

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