CasaPi 5

The Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 IO Board turning it into a fully functional server. The Pi 5 is a powerful upgrade over its predecessors, with a quad-core ARM Cortex-A76 processor, up to 8GB of RAM, and support for high-speed storage and networking—making it ideal for lightweight server applications.

These are the parts that make up this construction.

1. Compute Module 5
2. Compute Module 5 IO Board
3. Ant Esports 690 Neo Pro M.2 NVME 512GB
4. 12V / 3A USB-C power supply
5. Quality brand or official Pi 5 power adapter for reliability

Installing a Linux-based OS: I used Raspberry Pi OS (or another distro like Ubuntu Server) for stability and

The process starts with Raspberry Pi Imager, the official tool to install operating systems on the Pi.

1. I used Raspberry Pi Imager to flash a supported OS (like Raspberry Pi OS Lite or Ubuntu Server) onto the NVMe SSD.
2. During the setup in Raspberry Pi Imager, I enabled SSH and set up Wi-Fi or Ethernet credentials.
3. Once flashed, I connected the SSD to the Raspberry Pi 5 using a compatible NVMe HAT or USB adapter.

The Raspberry Pi 5 supports booting from NVMe out of the box (with updated firmware). After powering it on:

1. The Pi detected the SSD and booted directly into the OS.
2. This gives much better read/write speeds than a microSD card and boosts server performance.

Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing CasaOS, update your operating system to ensure all packages are up-to-date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

CasaOS requires certain dependencies to be installed on your system. Install these with:

sudo apt install curl

Step 3: Download and Install CasaOS

Use the official installation script to download and install CasaOS:

curl -fsSL https://get.casaos.io | sudo bash

You do not need the display to be running after installing CasaOs; just disconnect it and let it run. We can now access it via browser using the IP.

Once the CasaOs was up and running, a user-friendly web interface for managing apps using Docker.

1. Installed CasaOS via their official install script
2. Accessed the CasaOS dashboard through my web browser using the local IP address (e.g., 192.168.x.xxx)

Instead of managing the Minecraft server manually, I used Crafty, a modern Minecraft server panel,

available right from the CasaOS App Store.

1. Opened the CasaOS App Store
2. Searched for Crafty
3. Clicked Install and waited for the setup to complete
4. After installation, accessed the Crafty interface via its web port (e.g., 192.168.1.x:8000 or whatever is shown)

When you first launch Crafty, it asks for a username and password — but these aren’t set through the web interface initially.

To find the login credentials:

1. SSH into the Raspberry Pi or use CasaOS's terminal
2. Navigate to the Crafty configuration directory (usually something like /opt/crafty or inside the Docker container volume)
3. Look for a file like crafty.db or config.yml, depending on the version
4. The default admin username and password will be listed there, or you can reset it manually using Crafty CLI commands or by editing the config

Once logged in, you can change the username and password from within the Crafty dashboard for better security.

To make the server accessible over the internet without configuring port forwarding:

1. Downloaded the playit.jar file from the official playit.gg site
2. Pasted it into the plugins folder of the Minecraft server directory (under Crafty’s server folder)
3. Restarted the server
4. On first run, playit.gg gives a tunnel link — created an account and connected it
5. Now, friends can join the server using the public address provided by playit.gg

Minecraft 1.12.2 is lightweight and runs well on the Pi 5

For newer Minecraft versions, make sure to update Java (e.g., to Java 17 for Minecraft 1.18+)

Crafty makes it easy to view logs, manage server restarts, and tweak settings via a web interface

Raspberry Pi 5 Minecraft Server with CasaOS

I'm using the Raspberry Pi 5 to host a Minecraft server, and to make management easy and clean, I’m running it through CasaOS. CasaOS is a lightweight, open-source home cloud system that simplifies running apps and services on devices like the Pi. It comes with a modern web interface and support for Docker, which is perfect for deploying a Minecraft server. And we can use any device to access it. It can also be used to broadcast movies and other media or transfer files.

It’s smooth, efficient, and gives me full control without the bloat. Whether for solo builds or a small multiplayer world, it’s a solid home server setup.