How to Use Screen on Your Linux VPS

With Screen you can run terminal sessions in the background. This way processes like a Minecraft server keep running even when you close the SSH connection.

Install Screen

1. Update system
   First, update the package lists:

   sudo apt update

2. Install Screen
   Install Screen with the following command:

   sudo apt install screen -y

Use Screen

Start a new session

Start a new Screen session with a name:

screen -S my-session

You are now inside the Screen session and can run commands.

Detach session

To keep the session running in the background, press:

Ctrl + A, then D

The session will continue running in the background, even if you close the SSH connection.

List sessions

Show all running Screen sessions:

screen -ls

Reattach session

Reconnect to a running session:

screen -r my-session

End session

To completely end a session, type inside the session:

exit

Example: Minecraft Server

1. Start Screen session
   Create a new session for the Minecraft server:

   screen -S minecraft

2. Start server
   Navigate to the server directory and start the server:

   cd /home/minecraft/server
   java -Xmx4G -Xms4G -jar server.jar nogui

3. Detach session
   Press Ctrl + A, then D. The Minecraft server will continue running in the background.

4. Reconnect later
   To open the server console again:

   screen -r minecraft

All commands

Command	Description
screen -S name	Start a new session with name
screen -ls	List all sessions
screen -r name	Reattach to a session
Ctrl + A, D	Detach session
exit	End session