How to get a Discord alert when your Minecraft server goes down

To receive instant notifications when your Minecraft server encounters issues, you can set up a free system using a Discord webhook, netcat, and a simple script. Start by creating a Discord webhook within the channel you want alerts sent to. Keep the webhook URL confidential, as anyone with access can post messages to that channel.

Next, install netcat on your Linux machine, which allows for sending network packets. Save the provided bash script as ~/mc-check.sh and replace the webhook URL and the server details with your own information. Make the script executable with the command chmod +x ~/mc-check.sh.

The script checks the server's status every minute by querying its IP address and port using netcat. It stores a state file to avoid redundant alerts while the server remains down. When the server goes down, the script posts a notification to Discord stating "Minecraft server is down." Conversely, when the server becomes operational again, it sends the message "Minecraft server is back up."

To execute the script regularly, open the crontab by running crontab -e and add the line "* * * * * $HOME /mc-check.sh." This configuration ensures the script runs once per minute.

Keep in mind that this method only detects whether the server is accepting connections. It won't identify issues such as server freezing, heavy lag, full disk space, or a crash loop that restarts too quickly. For comprehensive monitoring, consider using a solution like MineOps, which provides real-time tracking of server performance metrics, Discord, Slack, or email notifications, and even automatic server restarts.