Installing and Using Overviewer on Ubuntu 20.04

This guide covers how to install and operate Overviewer on Ubuntu 20.04.

What Is Overviewer?

Overviewer is a Python and C-based open-source utility designed to generate interactive, high-resolution web maps of Minecraft worlds. These maps are commonly embedded on Minecraft server sites to assist with navigation and provide insights about the game world.

System Resource Considerations

Keep in mind that Overviewer is resource-intensive during map rendering. For instance, rendering a map from a 500 MB world folder utilized nearly full CPU capacity, up to 4 GB of RAM, and 3 GB of disk space. The system requirements vary depending on render settings and map size. A more powerful server may be necessary depending on your needs.

Requirements Before Installation

Make sure to complete the following steps beforehand:

• Deploy an Ubuntu 20.04 server with a minimum of 4 GB of RAM.
• Update the server software.
• Create a user account with sudo privileges (not root).
• Log into the server using that non-root user.
• Have access to a Minecraft world folder (downloaded online, from your .minecraft/saves folder, or your server directory).

Installing Overviewer

Start by installing the necessary dependencies:

$ sudo apt-get install python3-pil python3-dev python3-numpy build-essentials

Clone the Overviewer repository from GitHub:

$ git clone https://github.com/overviewer/Minecraft-Overviewer.git

Navigate into the directory and execute the setup script with Python 3 (this might take some time):

$ cd Minecraft-Overviewer

$ sudo python3 setup.py build

Download the latest texture pack files:

$ mkdir -p ~/.minecraft/versions/1.17/ && wget https://overviewer.org/textures/1.17 -O ~/.minecraft/versions/1.17/1.17.jar

Overviewer is now installed within the Minecraft-Overviewer folder.

Using Overviewer to Render Maps

You will need a Minecraft world folder to begin. Larger folders require more rendering time.

Since Overviewer doesn’t come bundled with Minecraft textures and is being installed on an Ubuntu server, you must supply the textures manually. In the previous step, version 1.17 textures were installed. Overviewer detects them automatically. If they become outdated, substitute 1.17 with the version you wish to use and rerun the command. Additional texture usage information can be found in the official Overviewer documentation.

To apply a custom texture pack, a configuration file must be added. Further instructions are provided in the documentation as well.

Render Modes and Performance

There are various rendering modes available to change how your map is generated. If you are unsure which to choose, the smooth-lighting mode is recommended as it enhances the visual output—although it does require more time and system resources.

Example command to render a world using smooth-lighting mode, assuming the world directory is called world and the output will be stored in a folder named mcmap:

$ ./overviewer.py –rendermodes=smooth-lighting world/ mcmap/

This will initiate rendering of the specified world folder. Depending on the folder size, render configuration, and server performance, the process might be lengthy. However, the resulting map will be visually impressive.

Viewing the Rendered Map

Once rendering is complete, switch to the newly created mcmap directory:

$ cd mcmap

Open the index.html file in a web browser. You will see an interactive display of your Minecraft world. Navigation is intuitive—you can zoom in or out using the scroll wheel or the “+” and “−” buttons located in the top-left corner. To move around, either click and drag with the mouse or use the keyboard’s arrow keys. Hovering over areas of the map displays the corresponding coordinates in the bottom-left corner, which is especially helpful when locating in-game features.

When your world receives updates, simply re-run Overviewer using the same configuration. The software detects changes and re-renders only what’s necessary—making the update process faster.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve now completed the process of installing and using Overviewer to generate an interactive web map for your Minecraft world. This map not only enhances navigation but also provides a dynamic visual interface to explore your terrain. Whether for personal use or for your game server’s community, Overviewer transforms your Minecraft data into an accessible and engaging format.