How Much RAM Do You Need For A Minecraft Server?

So, you’re ready to start a Minecraft server, maybe just to play with friends, maybe to grow a full community. Everywhere you look, you see people talking about RAM and GB, but it’s not clear how much you actually need. You might even be asking yourself: “Why does my server lag?” and hearing the usual answer: “Add more RAM.”

This guide will clear up the confusion. We’ll start with a definition and a Quick Picker so you can choose a sensible RAM amount in 10 seconds. Then we’ll walk through the few things that actually change how much RAM you need: how many players are online and how spread out they are, how busy your world is (villagers, farms, redstone), your view/simulation distance, and whether you’re running plugins or mods. We’ll also touch on the other half of the equation, CPU speed, because no amount of memory can save a slow tick loop.

Don't worry, you won’t need to learn scary Java settings to use this guide. By the end, you’ll know:

• What is Minecraft Server RAM?
• A safe RAM starting point for your server type (vanilla, plugin, or modded).
• How to run a quick “worst-case hour” test to confirm you chose well.
• The signs of “I need more RAM” vs “I need a faster CPU"
• A handful of easy tweaks that reduce lag and memory pressure.

What is Minecraft Server RAM?

RAM (Random Access Memory) is the short-term memory your Minecraft server uses to keep track of everything happening in the world while the game is running. Think of it like the server’s “workspace”, every loaded chunk, mob, redstone contraption, player inventory, and plugin or mod feature lives in RAM while it’s active.

When you don’t have enough RAM:

• The server starts “forgetting” or swapping data, causing lag spikes and stutters.
• Your server might just crash and give “Out of Memory” errors.

When you have enough RAM:

• Chunks load smoothly, mobs move correctly, and big builds stay active without constant hiccups.

RAM Requirements For Different Servers

How much RAM you need depends on what kind of server you’re running, how your players behave, and what’s running under the hood (plugins, mods, settings). Below are practical starting ranges you can trust.

Baseline RAM Requirement (No Mods, Plugins, or Heavy Load):

When you launch a Minecraft server, there’s a baseline memory cost before anyone even joins. The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) plus the server’s core code and world data need about 400–600 MB just to start up on an empty world. As soon as a single player joins, the server must keep chunks loaded around them, track mobs, and run game logic, which raises usage to around 800 MB–1 GB even if the player is just standing still.

This is why extremely tiny server plans (like 512MB or 1GB) don't really work, you’ve already used up most of the memory before adding plugins, mods, or extra players.

A bare minimum Minecraft server (Vanilla, no plugins/mods) needs ~2 GB RAM to run. That means a small group, 2-3 players, clustered, no plugins/mods.

BUT if you want a real smooth experience for a few players, start at 4 GB.

Vanilla Servers (2-10 players)

Running a simple friends-and-family server without mods is the lightest option and most recommended bare minimum to actually enjoy gameplay.

Players: 2-10
Activity: small bases, some farms, little bit of exploring

Lightly Modded Servers (2-10 players)

Forge or Fabric packs with <100 mods are heavier, but dont require as much resources as some other servers.

Players: 2-10
Mods: Up to 100
Activity: small bases, some farms, little bit of exploring

Heavily Modded Servers (2-10 players)

Heavy packs with 100–250+ mods (tech, magic, automation) eat memory fast. Thats where you might need a lot more RAM.

Players: 2-10
Mods: 100-250+
Activity: high (pipes, autocrafters, heavy worldgen)

Plugin Servers (15-40 players)

Community SMPs often rely on 20–60 plugins (economy, shops, claims, minigames). These add overhead including sizeable playerbases.

Players: 15-40
Plugins: 10-60
Activity: more farms, exploration, events, spawn

Community Servers (100+ players)

Large communities split traffic across servers (hub, SMP, minigames).

Players: +100
Plugins: 40-100
Activity: extremely high

RAM Optimization Tips

Even if you buy more RAM, you’ll eventually run into lag if the server is poorly configured. Here are the practical tweaks that actually reduce memory pressure without breaking the game.

1. How Many Players Are Online

10 players all building together usually need less RAM than 10 players exploring in opposite directions. Spread-out players load separate areas of the world, so more chunks must stay in memory. If you all just sit and stay in the same area, expect to use a lot less RAM.

+5 players adds roughly 0.6–1.2 GB depending on how spread out they are.

2. Control Server Activity: Entities, Farms, Redstone

Villagers, mobs, hoppers, item sorters, and big redstone builds increase both work and stuff to remember. That means more CPU work and more RAM usage at the same time.

• Villagers: Cap trading halls at 20–30 active villagers per area.
• Hoppers: Use slower hopper clocks or plugin limits; avoid 1000+ hopper sorters.
• Mob Farms: Add light sources, mob caps, or shut-off switches when not in use.

3. Lower View Distance

View distance = how far players can see.

• What to do: Set view-distance = 8 or 9.
• Why: Players see fewer chunks at once; fewer chunks must be held in memory.

4. Lower Simulation Distance

Simulation distance (Java 1.18+) = how far the server actually ticks blocks/entities. Lowering simulation distance has a huge impact on performance and memory because fewer chunks are “alive” at once.

• What to do: Set simulation-distance = 5 or 6.
• Why: Each step down reduces ticked chunks per player by ~25–30%. That means fewer mobs, blocks, and entities in memory.

5. Trim Number of Mods/Plugins

A small number of heavy plugins can use more memory than dozens of lightweight ones. On modded servers, big tech/magic packs, worldgen mods, and automation mods are the main memory eaters.

• What to do:
  • Remove unused or overlapping plugins (e.g., don’t run 2 economy plugins).
  • Avoid “kitchen sink” modpacks (mods bundled together without much curation or optimization), or add performance mods like FerriteCore.
• Action: Audit your plugins monthly. For pure vanilla or modded servers add optimization mods to improve performance. You can check out our top list of mods to optimize your server here.

6. Use efficient Server Software.

Using Paper (or Purpur) for Java servers generally needs less RAM than plain vanilla and runs faster. It also gives you settings to reduce mob and redstone load without breaking the game feel.

• What to do: Switch from Vanilla → Paper (or Purpur).
• Why: Paper reduces memory usage by 10–30% compared to Vanilla. Purpur gives extra toggles (like villager AI limits etc).

7. Minecraft version

Major versions sometimes change how much work and memory the server needs (for example when new world systems or AI behavior arrive). After upgrading, watch how your server behaves and adjust.

8. General Optimization - Don't Forget The Rest

RAM is only one part of the story. A Minecraft server will only feel smooth if CPU, storage, and RAM work together.

You can check out our blog on How to Optimize Your Minecraft Server for more in-depth guide on server optimization.

How To Spot “I need more RAM” vs “I need more CPU”

Adding RAM only helps if memory is actually the bottleneck. Often, Minecraft servers lag because the CPU can’t keep up with tick calculations. Here’s how to tell the difference, and what to do next.

You probably need more RAM if:

• The server feels fine at first, but after an hour it slows down or crashes with “Out of Memory” errors.
• Memory graph climbs steadily and sits near the top (80–90%+) even during normal play.
• Removing a couple heavy plugins/mods instantly helps.

You probably need more CPU if:

• Lag happens when lots of mobs/villagers are active, even with plenty of free memory.
• Lowering simulation distance 1–2 points makes a big improvement.
• Redstone or big farms cause low TPS even though your RAM graph looks comfortable.

WiseHosting — Server Hosting Built Exclusively For Minecraft

Most hosting companies spread their resources across dozens of games. That means Minecraft is just one product in a big library, often with outdated defaults and generic hardware. WiseHosting is different.

WiseHosting is built exclusively for Minecraft by Shulkercraft, a YouTube creator with over 2.3m subscribers, and that focus shows up in the details that actually matter for smooth gameplay:

🔎Minecraft RAM Calculator

Not sure where your server fits? Instead of guessing, use WiseHosting RAM Calculator to get a tailored recommendation. You can choose between all the core settings that directly impact RAM usage to figure out what's best for your server.

🛠 One-click optimizations

Enable performance mods (FerriteCore, Lithium, Starlight) with just one click. You can also easily adjust view and simulation distances.

📊 Built-in graphs & diagnostics

Memory graphs preconfigured, so you can instantly see whether you need more RAM or more CPU.

Support from Minecraft experts

WiseHosting has a strong support team built exclusively for Minecraft, that means developers, system administrators and server admins are helping you 24/7 whenever you need them, either you run into issues or want to better optimize your server, the support is always there.

How to Test You Have "Enough RAM"

Here’s a simple, repeatable way to check whether you have given your server "enough RAM".

Step 1: Run a “Worst-Case Hour”

• Have your players spread out, run farms, raid, fly around with Elytra, and trigger lots of chunk loads.
• This loads entities, redstone, and worldgen into memory all at once, the exact stress test you need.

Step 2: Watch Memory Usage

Check your host’s panel memory graph or run /spark profiler --alloc (with the Spark profiler).

What you want to see:

• Memory usage climbs, then levels off below 80–85%.
• The server doesn’t hit “Out of Memory” errors.
• Small garbage collection dips (down-spikes in the graph) are fine; long pauses are not.

Step 3: Check TPS

• Run /tps (Paper/Purpur) or watch your panel.
• Even under stress, TPS should stay close to 20.
• If TPS tanks but memory is fine → you’re CPU-bound, not RAM-bound.

Step 4: Decide

• If memory hovers near the top → add +1–2 GB RAM and retest.
• If memory is comfortable but TPS dips → focus on CPU/optimization, not RAM.
• If memory is maxed but TPS is fine (rare) → you can safely add RAM without hurting performance.

Conclusion

You don’t need a phD in Java to size RAM well. Start with a sensible amount (use the Minecraft RAM Calculator), keep simulation distance conservative, play a realistic stress session, and adjust by small steps. If lag persists even with plenty of free memory, it’s a CPU/complexity issue, scale back the active world (villagers, hoppers, mob counts), or upgrade the processor. Do this, and your server will feel smooth without you diving into deep, scary settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is more RAM always better?
No. Too little causes constant stutters; too much can also create longer clean-ups. Pick a sensible start, then tune.

What about Bedrock/Realms?
Same idea, right-size memory and keep distances reasonable but Bedrock/Realms have their own limits and defaults you can’t always change. The principles still apply.

Can I skip a good CPU if I add lots of RAM?
No. If your tick loop is the bottleneck (too much happening every second), only a faster CPU or fewer active things will fix it.

Do shaders and client mods change server RAM?
No. Graphics mods like shaders run client-side and don’t change server memory. Only server-side mods/plugins and player activity affect RAM usage.

Should I put all the machine’s RAM into the server?
Leave headroom for the operating system and other services. As a simple rule, don’t allocate the last 2–4 GB on a machine.

What’s the best way to test if I have “enough RAM”?
Run a worst-case 1-hour test (players spread, farms active, exploration). Check memory graphs or use the Spark profiler.