Server optimization tips

Performance is not just about throwing more hardware at the problem. Often, a few configuration tweaks yield bigger improvements than an expensive upgrade.

JVM optimization (Java servers)

Minecraft and other Java-based servers benefit enormously from proper JVM tuning.

Recommended flags 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.

Operating system tweaks

File descriptor limits

Game servers open thousands of files and sockets. Increase the limit in /etc/security/limits.conf:

* soft nofile 65536

* hard nofile 65536

Swappiness

Linux tends to swap memory aggressively. For game servers, this causes stutter:

echo 10 > /proc/sys/vm/swappiness

Add to /etc/sysctl.conf to persist across reboots.

Game-specific tuning

Minecraft

• Reduce view-distance and simulation-distance in server.properties
• Use Paper or Purpur instead of Spigot or Vanilla
• Pre-generate the world with Chunky to eliminate chunk-load lag
• Limit entity counts per chunk with plugins like FarmControl

FiveM

• Split heavy resources across multiple folders for parallel loading
• Use await in Lua instead of blocking loops
• Cache database queries — never query inside onTick handlers
• Monitor sv_mainThread and sv_syncThread via the F8 profiler

Rust / Source Engine

• Set tickrate realistically — 128 tick is overkill for most communities
• Use fps_max 0 on dedicated servers to uncouple rendering from simulation
• Limit maxplayers to what your CPU can actually serve smoothly

Monitoring and alerting

You cannot optimize what you do not measure.

• Use the panel's built-in CPU/RAM/network graphs
• Set up Discord webhooks for threshold alerts (CPU > 80%, RAM > 90%)
• Review logs weekly for recurring errors or memory leaks
• Profile before and after each optimization to confirm improvement