How Much RAM Does Your Minecraft Server Need?
RAM recommendations for Minecraft Java servers based on player count, server type, mods, plugins, and world complexity.
The amount of RAM your server needs depends on player count, server type (vanilla, Paper, modded), plugins or mods installed, and world complexity. There's no universal answer, but here are battle-tested recommendations.
RAM Recommendations
| Setup | Players | Recommended RAM |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla / Paper (small) | 1–5 | 2 GB |
| Vanilla / Paper (medium) | 5–15 | 3–4 GB |
| Paper + plugins | 10–30 | 4–6 GB |
| Paper + many plugins | 30–50 | 6–8 GB |
| Light modpack (Create, JEI) | 5–15 | 4–6 GB |
| Medium modpack (ATM, RLCraft) | 5–15 | 6–8 GB |
| Heavy modpack (kitchen sink, 200+ mods) | 5–20 | 8–12 GB |
| Massive modpack (300+ mods) | 5–10 | 12–16 GB |
| Proxy server (BungeeCord/Velocity) | N/A | 512 MB – 1 GB |
What Uses RAM
| Factor | Impact | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Loaded chunks | High | Each chunk uses 2–5 MB. View distance directly affects this |
| Players | Medium | Each player uses 50–100 MB depending on their loaded chunks |
| Plugins | Variable | Dynmap, WorldEdit, and large permission plugins use significant memory |
| Mods | High | Content mods (new blocks, items, dimensions) use the most memory |
| World size | Medium | Larger explored areas keep more data loaded |
| Entities | Medium | Mob farms and dropped item piles consume memory |
| Garbage collection | Variable | Java's GC overhead. Aikar's Flags help here |
Signs You Need More RAM
| Symptom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| "Out of Memory" crashes (exit code 137) | Hard limit hit — increase RAM |
| Frequent GC pauses (TPS drops every few minutes) | GC overhead too high |
| "Can't keep up!" in console | Server falling behind — could be RAM or CPU |
| Slow chunk loading | Players see chunks load slowly when moving |
| Memory > 80% during normal play | Approaching the limit |
Signs You Have Enough (or Too Much)
| Symptom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Stable 20 TPS with all players online | Healthy |
| No OOM crashes over weeks of uptime | Stable allocation |
| Memory stays below 80% | Comfortable headroom |
| Memory usage < 50% always | You may be over-allocated — see below |
More RAM Isn't Always Better
Don't over-allocate. Java's garbage collector can perform worse with too much RAM allocated. Common mistakes:
- Allocating 16 GB to a 5-player vanilla server → unnecessary GC overhead
- Allocating 32 GB to a modpack that only needs 10 GB → longer GC pauses
Allocate what you need, not what you have. Start at the recommended value, monitor with Spark, and increase only if you see memory pressure.
How to Monitor RAM Usage
Install Spark
See Spark Setup. Spark is a profiling plugin that works on Paper, Spigot, Forge, and Fabric.
Run /spark health
In-game or via console:
/spark healthThis shows current memory usage, GC stats, and TPS in one view.
Watch over time
If memory hovers above 80% during normal play, increase RAM. If it stays under 50%, you can probably reduce it.
Use Aikar's Flags
After setting your RAM allocation, use Aikar's optimized JVM flags to get the best garbage collection performance. These flags are tuned specifically for Minecraft's memory access patterns and dramatically reduce GC pause times.
See JVM Flags (Aikar's) for the full flag set.
RAM by Plan Tier
XGamingServer plans typically include:
| Plan | RAM | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 2 GB | Vanilla/Paper, 5–10 players |
| Medium | 4 GB | Paper with plugins, 15–25 players |
| Large | 6 GB | Light modpacks, 25–40 players |
| Premium | 8–16 GB | Modpacks, large communities |
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