Setting up a Minecraft server

Minecraft servers are our most popular hosting type. This guide covers software selection, resource allocation, and performance tuning.

Choosing server software

• Paper — Best for most communities. Optimized fork of Spigot with better performance. Recommended for 99% of use cases.
• Spigot — The classic choice. Use only if a plugin requires it specifically.
• Forge — Required for modded servers. Heavier RAM usage; plan for at least 6-8 GB.
• Fabric — Lightweight mod loader with excellent performance for modern mod packs.

RAM allocation guidelines

RAM is the single most important resource for Minecraft.

• 2-4 GB — Small vanilla server with 10-20 players
• 4-6 GB — Medium Paper server with 20-40 players
• 6-10 GB — Large modded server with 50+ players

Always leave 1-2 GB of headroom above your steady usage.

Server.properties tuning

Open server.properties via the file manager and adjust these values:

• view-distance=8 — Lower for more players, raise only if CPU is idle
• simulation-distance=6 — Controls entity ticking radius
• max-players — Set realistically; overcommitting degrades experience
• online-mode=true — Keep enabled unless running a verified proxy

JVM flags for performance

Add these flags to your startup command for Paper 1.18+:

-XX:+UseG1GC -XX:+ParallelRefProcEnabled -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200 -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+DisableExplicitGC -XX:+AlwaysPreTouch -XX:G1NewSizePercent=30 -XX:G1MaxNewSizePercent=40 -XX:G1HeapRegionSize=16M -XX:G1ReservePercent=15 -XX:G1HeapWastePercent=5

These optimize garbage collection and reduce stutter during peak hours.

Security checklist

• Never run cracked launchers alongside premium mode
• Keep plugins updated; outdated plugins are the #1 attack vector
• Use a whitelist for private communities
• Enable spawn-protection or a world guard plugin for public servers