Minecraft Server Now Runs on a Smart Lightbulb, Thanks to Developer Vimpo
Developer Vimpo achieved an impressive feat by deploying a custom Minecraft server, Ucraft, on a smart lightbulb's BL602 microcontroller. This compact server, detailed on GitHub, showcases gaming potential on unexpected, resource-limited hardware.
Minecraft continues to push the boundaries of creative innovation, recently rivaling the 'can it run DOOM?' meme with projects like Sammyuri's in-game ChatGPT. While it has graced many unusual devices—the Nintendo 64 aside—a new remarkable feat comes from developer Vimpo, who successfully set up a Minecraft server on an inexpensive smart lightbulb purchased from AliExpress.
Vimpo detailed the process in a video, leveraging the lightbulb's BL602 microcontroller. To overcome the smart bulb's extremely limited resources, the developer engineered a specialized system dubbed Ucraft. This server is incredibly compact and, by necessity, omits most features found in a vanilla Minecraft server.
According to Vimpo, the Ucraft server's binary size is approximately 46 KB without the authentication library, expanding to 90 KB when authentication is included. Memory consumption scales with active players; for a worst-case scenario involving 10 players, heap usage reaches about 70 KB with authentication enabled, or a mere 20 KB without it.
Ucraft is publicly available on GitHub, accompanied by a comprehensive guide for building the server on a Linux machine.