Complete Minecraft Server Optimization Guide 2026

Quick Wins

Before diving deep, here are the most impactful optimizations:

1. Use Paper or Purpur instead of Vanilla or Spigot
2. Use optimized startup flags (see our Flags Generator)
3. Pre-generate your world to avoid lag spikes
4. Limit view distance to 6-8 chunks for survival servers

Step 1: Choose the Right Server Software

Your choice of server software has the biggest impact on performance.

Paper includes dozens of performance optimizations over Spigot, including async chunk loading, optimized entity tracking, and better memory management.

Step 2: Optimize Startup Flags

Java startup flags significantly impact performance. Use our generator or copy these recommended flags:

Key points:

• Allocate appropriate RAM (4-8GB for most servers)
• Use G1GC garbage collector
• Set identical -Xms and -Xmx values
• Enable string deduplication on Java 11+

Step 3: Configure server.properties

Edit server.properties for optimal settings:

# Reduce view distance for better performance
view-distance=6
simulation-distance=4

# Disable unnecessary features
spawn-monsters=true
spawn-animals=true
spawn-npcs=true

# Network optimization
network-compression-threshold=256

View Distance vs Simulation Distance

• view-distance: How far players can see (chunks sent to client)
• simulation-distance: How far entities are ticked (server performance impact)

Keep simulation-distance lower than view-distance for the best balance.

For more tuning tips, see Best View Distance and Simulation Distance.

Step 4: Paper Configuration

Paper offers extensive configuration options. Key files to edit:

paper-global.yml

chunk-system:
  gen-parallelism: default
  io-threads: -1
  worker-threads: -1

async-chunks:
  threads: -1

paper-world-defaults.yml

entities:
  armor-stands:
    tick: false
  spawning:
    despawn-ranges:
      ambient:
        hard: 72
        soft: 28
      axolotls:
        hard: 72
        soft: 28

environment:
  optimize-explosions: true
  disable-teleportation-suffocation-check: true

hopper:
  disable-move-event: false
  ignore-occluding-blocks: false

chunks:
  auto-save-interval: 6000
  delay-chunk-unloads-by: 10s

Step 5: Pre-Generate Your World

Chunk generation is expensive. Pre-generate your world to avoid lag when players explore:

Using Chunky Plugin

1. Install Chunky
2. Set your world border: /worldborder set 10000
3. Start pre-generation: /chunky radius 5000
4. Begin: /chunky start

Step 6: Entity Optimization

Entities are often the biggest performance drain.

Reduce Entity Counts

• Use mob stacking plugins for farms
• Limit breeding and spawning rates
• Clear excess dropped items regularly

Common Lag Sources

Step 7: Plugin Optimization

Plugins add functionality but can hurt performance.

Best Practices

1. Audit regularly - Remove unused plugins
2. Use Timings - Run /timings report to identify slow plugins
3. Choose quality - Use well-maintained plugins from reputable sources
4. Limit async tasks - Too many async operations cause thread contention

Performance-Heavy Plugin Categories

• Dynmap - Uses significant CPU for rendering
• World edit - Large operations cause lag
• Economy plugins - Database operations can be slow
• Hologram plugins - Many entities = many ticks

Step 8: Database Optimization

If using MySQL or MariaDB:

-- Add indexes to frequently queried tables
-- Ensure proper connection pooling
-- Use async database operations

Consider SQLite for smaller servers - less overhead, no network latency.

Step 9: Monitoring Performance

Using Spark

Spark is the best profiling tool for Minecraft:

1. Install Spark plugin
2. Run /spark profiler
3. Wait 1-2 minutes during normal gameplay
4. Run /spark profiler --stop
5. Analyze the report

Key Metrics

• TPS - Should be 20.0 (use /spark tps)
• MSPT - Milliseconds per tick, should be under 50
• Memory - Watch for memory leaks

Step 10: Hardware Considerations

CPU Priority

Minecraft is single-threaded for game ticks. Prioritize:

1. Single-core performance over core count
2. High clock speed (4+ GHz)
3. Modern architecture (Ryzen 5000+, Intel 12th gen+)

RAM Guidelines

Storage

Use SSDs for world data. NVMe preferred for large worlds.

Common Performance Issues

Conclusion

Server optimization is an ongoing process. Start with the biggest wins (Paper, flags, view distance), monitor with Spark, and iterate. Every server is different - what works for one may not work for another.

Related Guides

• Startup Flags Generator
• How to Install Paper
• Common Server Errors