How Much RAM Does a Minecraft Server Need? Players, Plugins and Settings
A practical guide to choosing RAM for a Minecraft server: what actually uses memory, sizing by players, plugins and view distance, Java vs Bedrock, why more RAM doesn't fix every kind of lag, and how to tell when you need an upgrade.
In this guide
The short answer
For most servers, these rules of thumb are a good start. They assume Paper, sensible view distance, and players who play normally rather than in giant farms:
• 2 to 3 GB: Vanilla or Paper, 1 to 5 friends. • 3 to 4 GB: Paper with a few plugins, up to about 10 players. • 4 to 6 GB: Paper or Purpur with a good set of plugins, 10 to 20 players. • 6 to 8 GB: 20 to 40 players, or many plugins, or a wide explored world. • 8 GB and up: larger communities, minigame networks, or heavy plugins.
Modpacks are a different story and usually need much more. Our modpack RAM guide covers them pack size by pack size.
These numbers are starting points, not guarantees. The rest of this guide explains what moves them up or down, so you can size your own server.
What actually uses memory
• Loaded chunks: each player keeps the area around them loaded. Ten players in one town load far fewer chunks than ten players spread across the map. • Entities and block entities: mobs, villagers, dropped items, chests, hoppers and furnaces all live in memory while their chunks are loaded. • Plugins: most use little, but some keep a lot of data in memory, such as large maps, economy data or logging. • The Java heap's headroom: Java cleans up memory in bursts (garbage collection) and needs free space to do that smoothly. A server running at 100% of its heap will stutter even before it crashes.
Notice what isn't on the list: the world's size on disk. A 20 GB world doesn't need 20 GB of RAM; only the loaded part is in memory.
Players: spread matters more than count
The common "X MB per player" rules are rough, because what costs memory is the number of loaded chunks. Players exploring in different directions each load their own area; players building together share theirs.
A practical approach: start from the table above, then watch memory while your normal number of players is online. If memory stays comfortably below the limit at your busiest time, you have enough.
View distance and simulation distance
These two settings in server.properties change memory use more than almost anything else:
• view-distance decides how many chunks around each player are kept loaded and sent. The loaded area grows with the square of the distance, so going from 8 to 12 loads more than twice as many chunks per player.
• simulation-distance decides how far around each player things actually tick. It mostly affects CPU.
If memory is tight, lowering view distance to 8 is the quickest fix, and most players won't notice.
# server.properties: balanced settings for a small survival server
view-distance=8
simulation-distance=6
max-players=20Plugins
A typical set of plugins (permissions, homes, claims, an anti-grief logger) adds little memory. Some types add more:
• Web map plugins that render the world. • Plugins that keep large amounts of data loaded, such as big economies or statistics. • Minigame plugins that load extra worlds or arenas. • Several worlds loaded at once, for example a resource world, the Nether and the End for every player.
Each extra loaded world adds its own spawn chunks and active areas. If you run several worlds, add memory accordingly.
Java vs Bedrock servers
Bedrock Dedicated Server is written in C++ rather than Java, so it doesn't need a Java heap and generally runs a small group in less memory than a Java server of similar size. More players and bigger worlds still need more.
A Java server with GeyserMC for Bedrock players is sized like any other Java server. Geyser itself adds only a modest amount of memory.
More RAM doesn't fix every kind of lag
Minecraft runs its game logic on one main thread. If that thread can't keep up, the server lags no matter how much memory it has. Typical causes are big mob farms, hopper chains, redstone clocks and chunk generation while players explore.
• Memory near the limit, long pauses, out-of-memory errors: you need more RAM.
• Plenty of free memory, but MSPT above 50 in /mspt or spark: it's CPU. Find the cause with /spark profiler and see our Paper and Purpur optimization guide.
Giving a server far more RAM than it needs doesn't speed it up.
Signs you need more RAM
• java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space in the console.
• The server stops with exit code 137 and no Java error, which usually means the system killed it for using too much memory.
• Memory climbs to the limit during busy times and stays there.
• Regular stutters every few seconds that line up with memory dropping (garbage collection struggling).
Check the memory graph during your busiest hour, not an empty server. An idle server's memory use tells you very little.
- Set the Java heap (
-Xmx) about 1 to 1.5 GB below your total memory limit. Java needs memory outside the heap too, and a heap that fills the whole limit gets the process killed.
Choosing a plan on Enzonic
Enzonic's free tier gives 3.5 GB RAM, 200% CPU and 5 GB storage, which fits Vanilla or Paper with friends and a few plugins. It sleeps after 15 minutes with nobody online and starts by itself when a player connects.
Paid plans stay on all the time:
• Wood, 4 GB ($3.79/mo): Paper with plugins for a small group. • Stone, 6 GB ($5.49/mo): 10 to 20 players, or a bigger plugin set. • Iron, 8 GB ($6.99/mo): larger communities or light modpacks. • Gold, 10 GB ($8.99/mo), Diamond, 12 GB ($10.69/mo) and Obsidian, 16 GB ($13.99/mo): big communities and modpacks.
If you're not sure, start smaller and watch the memory graph during busy times. Payments can be refunded within 72 hours, and Flex billing charges Minecraft servers per minute while they run. See https://enzonic.com/pricing.
Size the RAM for a Minecraft server: step by step
- Start from a rule of thumb Pick a starting size from your player count and plugins: 2 to 3 GB for a few friends on Paper, 4 to 6 GB for 10 to 20 players with plugins.
- Set sensible distances Set view-distance to around 8 and simulation-distance to around 6 in server.properties.
- Leave heap headroom Set -Xmx about 1 to 1.5 GB below your total memory limit.
- Watch memory at peak times Check the memory graph while your usual number of players is online.
- Upgrade only when memory is the problem If memory stays at the limit or you see out-of-memory errors, add RAM. If memory is fine but MSPT is high, fix CPU causes instead.
Frequently asked questions
Is 4 GB of RAM enough for a Minecraft server?
For Vanilla or Paper with plugins and up to about 10 to 15 players, usually yes. Large player counts, many worlds or modpacks need more.
How much RAM do I need for 10 players?
Around 3 to 4 GB on Paper with a few plugins is a good start. Players spread across the map need more than players in one base.
Does more RAM reduce lag?
Only if memory is full. Most server lag comes from the CPU and the main thread. Check with /mspt or spark before upgrading.
How much RAM does a Bedrock server need?
Usually less than a Java server for the same group, because Bedrock Dedicated Server doesn't use a Java heap. Watch the memory graph at busy times and size from there.
How much RAM does a modded server need?
Usually much more than Vanilla: often 6 to 8 GB for medium packs and 8 to 12 GB or more for large ones. See our modpack RAM guide.
Can I give a server too much RAM?
Yes, in the sense that it doesn't help. A huge heap the server doesn't use won't make it faster. Leave room for Java outside the heap.