Quick Recommendations
- Small servers (1-10 players): View 8, Simulation 6
- Medium servers (10-30 players): View 6-8, Simulation 4-6
- Large servers (30+ players): View 4-6, Simulation 3-4
What These Settings Do
- view-distance controls how many chunks are sent to players
- simulation-distance controls how many chunks are ticked (mob AI, redstone, farms)
Simulation distance has the biggest impact on CPU usage.
Where to Change Them
Edit server.properties:
view-distance=6
simulation-distance=4
Or use our server.properties generator.
How to Pick the Right Values
1. Start Conservative
Lower values reduce CPU and memory usage. If your TPS stays at 20, you can raise them gradually.
2. Match Your Hardware
If your CPU is the bottleneck, lower simulation-distance first. If your network is the bottleneck, lower view-distance.
3. Consider Gameplay Style
Redstone-heavy servers need higher simulation distance. Survival servers can often run with 4-6.
Need a baseline?
Use the RAM Calculator to estimate a safe starting point for your server.
Performance Checklist
- Pre-generate your world
- Use Paper or Purpur
- Reduce entity counts
- Profile with Spark
For a full performance breakdown, read the Complete Optimization Guide.