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Lag is the number one enemy of every Minecraft server. Whether you have a small VPS or a dedicated server, proper optimization is fundamental. Here is how to do it.

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1. Choose the Right Software

Never use the vanilla server.jar file provided by Mojang for public servers. It is poorly optimized.
  • PaperMC: The standard for performance and stability.
  • Purpur: Based on Paper, offers even more configuration options and performance.
  • Folia: For huge servers with real multithreading (requires specific configurations).

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2. Startup Arguments (Aikar’s Flags)

Java Garbage Collection can cause freezes if not configured well. Use the famous “Aikar’s Flags” in your startup script. Replace your startup command with this (adjust RAM, e.g. 6G): 
java -Xms6G -Xmx6G -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:+ParallelRefProcEnabled -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200 -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+DisableExplicitGC -XX:+AlwaysPreTouch -XX:G1NewSizePercent=30 -XX:G1MaxNewSizePercent=40 -XX:G1HeapRegionSize=8M -XX:G1ReservePercent=20 -XX:G1HeapWastePercent=5 -XX:G1MixedGCCountTarget=4 -XX:InitiatingHeapOccupancyPercent=15 -XX:G1MixedGCLiveThresholdPercent=90 -XX:G1RSetUpdatingPauseTimePercent=5 -XX:SurvivorRatio=32 -XX:+PerfDisableSharedMem -XX:MaxTenuringThreshold=1 -Dusing.aikars.flags=https://mcflags.emc.gs -Daikars.new.flags=true -jar server.jar nogui

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3. File Configuration

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server.properties

  • view-distance: Set between 6 and 8. Higher values (10+) consume exponentially more resources.
  • simulation-distance: Set between 4 and 6. This controls how far mobs and redstone are active.
  • network-compression-threshold: Set to 256.

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bukkit.yml

  • spawn-limits: Reduce values (e.g., monsters: 50, animals: 10, water-animals: 5).
  • ticks-per.monster-spawns: Increase to 10 or more (spawns mobs less frequently).

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spigot.yml

  • merge-radius: Increase values for item and exp (e.g., item: 4.0, exp: 6.0).
  • entity-activation-range: Reduce slightly (e.g., animals: 16, monsters: 24).

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paper-world-defaults.yml (or paper.yml)

  • max-auto-save-chunks-per-tick: Set to 8 or less.
  • optimize-explosions: Set to true.
  • mob-spawner-tick-rate: Set to 2.
  • container-update-tick-rate: Set to 3.

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4. World Pre-generation

Generating new chunks while players explore is the main cause of lag.
  1. Install the plugin Chunky.
  2. Set a radius (e.g., /chunky radius 5000).
  3. Start generation: /chunky start.
  4. Wait for completion (can take hours, do it before opening!).
Guide created by HighMark - All information and contacts on my official website: Highmark.it