Server Optimization

Optimize your server performance

Performance Optimization

Maximize your Minecraft server’s performance with these optimization tips.

Key Recommendations

Top optimizations for any Minecraft server:

1. Use Paper - Switch from Vanilla/Spigot for immediate performance improvements
2. Lower view distance - Set to 8 for most servers, 6 for busy ones
3. Pre-generate your world - Eliminates lag from chunk generation
4. Reduce mob spawn limits - Lower monster/animal counts in configs
5. Use Spark - Profile your server to identify performance issues
6. Keep plugins minimal - Only run what you actually need

Quick Wins

1. Use Paper

Switch from Vanilla/Spigot to Paper for immediate improvements:

• Better chunk loading
• Async operations
• Optimized entity handling
• Anti-xray built-in

2. Lower View Distance

Edit server.properties:

view-distance=8
simulation-distance=6

Setting	Players	Recommended
view-distance	1-10	10
view-distance	10-30	8
view-distance	30+	6

3. Pre-generate World

Generate chunks ahead of time:

1. Install Chunky
2. /chunky radius 5000
3. /chunky start
4. Wait for completion

Paper Configuration

paper-global.yml

chunk-loading:
  min-load-radius: 2
  max-concurrent-sends: 2
  autoconfig-send-distance: true

misc:
  max-joins-per-tick: 3
  
packet-limiter:
  kick-message: "Connection throttled"
  all-packets:
    max-packet-rate: 500.0

paper-world-defaults.yml

chunks:
  auto-save-interval: 6000
  delay-chunk-unloads-by: 10s
  prevent-moving-into-unloaded-chunks: true

entities:
  spawning:
    spawn-limits:
      monsters: 50
      animals: 8
      water-animals: 3
      water-ambient: 5
      ambient: 1

environment:
  disable-thunder: false
  disable-ice-and-snow: false
  optimize-explosions: true
  
hopper:
  disable-move-event: false
  ignore-occluding-blocks: true

Spigot Configuration

spigot.yml

world-settings:
  default:
    mob-spawn-range: 6
    entity-activation-range:
      animals: 16
      monsters: 24
      raiders: 48
      misc: 8
      water: 8
      villagers: 16
      flying-monsters: 32
    entity-tracking-range:
      players: 48
      animals: 48
      monsters: 48
      misc: 32
      other: 64
    tick-inactive-villagers: false
    nerf-spawner-mobs: true
    merge-radius:
      item: 3.5
      exp: 4.0

Bukkit Configuration

bukkit.yml

spawn-limits:
  monsters: 50
  animals: 8
  water-animals: 3
  water-ambient: 5
  water-underground-creature: 3
  axolotls: 3
  ambient: 1

chunk-gc:
  period-in-ticks: 600

ticks-per:
  animal-spawns: 400
  monster-spawns: 4
  water-spawns: 400
  water-ambient-spawns: 400
  water-underground-creature-spawns: 400
  axolotl-spawns: 400
  ambient-spawns: 400

JVM Optimization

Recommended JVM Flags

For most servers (Aikar’s Flags):

java -Xms8G -Xmx8G -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:+ParallelRefProcEnabled -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200 -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+DisableExplicitGC -XX:+AlwaysPreTouch -XX:G1NewSizePercent=30 -XX:G1MaxNewSizePercent=40 -XX:G1HeapRegionSize=8M -XX:G1ReservePercent=20 -XX:G1HeapWastePercent=5 -XX:G1MixedGCCountTarget=4 -XX:InitiatingHeapOccupancyPercent=15 -XX:G1MixedGCLiveThresholdPercent=90 -XX:G1RSetUpdatingPauseTimePercent=5 -XX:SurvivorRatio=32 -XX:+PerfDisableSharedMem -XX:MaxTenuringThreshold=1 -Dusing.aikars.flags=https://mcflags.emc.gs -Daikars.new.flags=true -jar server.jar nogui

Memory Guidelines

RAM	Xms	Xmx
4GB	4G	4G
8GB	8G	8G
12GB	12G	12G

Set Xms equal to Xmx for consistent performance.

Plugin Optimization

Remove Unnecessary Plugins

Each plugin adds overhead. Only keep what you need.

Identify Slow Plugins

Use Spark to profile:

1. Install Spark
2. /spark profiler start
3. Wait 5-10 minutes
4. /spark profiler stop
5. Analyze the report

Common Resource-Heavy Plugins

Plugin	Issue	Alternative
Dynmap	RAM intensive	BlueMap (lighter)
Citizens	Many NPCs = lag	Limit NPC count
mcMMO	Database heavy	Optimize MySQL
Jobs	Task scheduling	Reduce job checks

World Optimization

Limit World Size

Set world borders:

/worldborder set 20000
/worldborder center 0 0

Clear Unused Chunks

Use MCASelector to:

1. Remove never-visited chunks
2. Delete old region files
3. Reduce world size

Limit Entities

In paper-world-defaults.yml:

entities:
  spawning:
    per-player-mob-spawns: true
    spawn-limits:
      monsters: 30
      animals: 5

Redstone & Hoppers

Hopper Optimization

# paper-world-defaults.yml
hopper:
  cooldown-when-full: true
  disable-move-event: true
  ignore-occluding-blocks: true

Redstone Settings

# paper-world-defaults.yml
redstone-implementation: ALTERNATE_CURRENT

Entity Management

Villagers

Villagers are resource-intensive:

# paper-world-defaults.yml
entities:
  behavior:
    disable-villager-workstation-pathfinding: true
    villager-max-pathfinding-range: 32.0

Item Merging

# spigot.yml
merge-radius:
  item: 4.0
  exp: 6.0

Monitoring Performance

TPS (Ticks Per Second)

Check with /tps:

• 20 TPS = Perfect
• 18-19 TPS = Good
• 15-17 TPS = Acceptable
• Below 15 TPS = Needs optimization

Using Spark

Essential commands:

/spark profiler start
/spark tps
/spark health
/spark gc

Using Timings

Paper’s built-in tool:

/timings on
# Wait for activity
/timings paste

Quick Reference

Essential Optimizations

Setting	Location	Value
view-distance	server.properties	8
simulation-distance	server.properties	6
monster spawn limit	bukkit.yml	50
animal spawn limit	bukkit.yml	8
entity activation range	spigot.yml	Reduce by 25%

Red Flags

Issue	Cause	Solution
TPS drops when exploring	Chunk generation	Pre-generate
TPS drops during combat	Too many mobs	Lower spawn limits
Constant low TPS	Plugin issue	Profile with Spark
Memory issues	Leaky plugin	Identify and remove

Troubleshooting Low TPS

1. Run /spark profiler during lag
2. Check which methods use most CPU
3. Identify if it’s:
   • Entity related → Lower spawning limits
   • Chunk related → Pre-generate, lower view distance
   • Plugin related → Update/remove plugin
   • Redstone related → Limit complex contraptions

Next Steps

• Troubleshooting Guide
• Server Properties Reference