Running a Minecraft server can be demanding, especially when you're managing multiple players, complex worlds, and various gameplay mods. Server lag, low TPS, and high memory usage are common issues that can ruin the player experience.

So, how can we make sure our Minecraft server performs better than before? In this blog post you'll find out, and we will also recommend 10 of our favorite server-optimization mods that you should include in your modded server! 😲

1. Lithium

Versions: 1.16.5 - 1.21.x
Platforms: Fabric, NeoForge, Quilt
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/mod/lithium
Downloads: 60M+

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Lithium is best for survival or SMP servers that feel “slow” (low TPS) even though hardware looks fine, especially when many mobs, hoppers, and farms are loaded simultaneously.

Lithium is one of the most popular server optimization mods with over 60 million downloads. This mod provides noticeable improvements to tick times by optimizing game physics, mob AI, block ticking, and world generation logic without changing vanilla gameplay. You can expect 30-50% faster game logic, allowing the server to support more loaded entities, chunks, and players simultaneously

Lithium works exceptionally well when paired with FerriteCore for memory optimization and other performance-enhancing mods.

2. FerriteCore

Versions: 1.16.5 - 1.21.x
Platforms: Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, Quilt
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/mod/ferrite-core
Downloads: 70M+

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FerriteCore is best for large modpacks or modded SMPs where RAM usage slowly climbs over time or where you’re trying to fit the pack into a smaller server plan.

FerriteCore is a memory optimization powerhouse that reduces RAM usage by 40-50% compared to vanilla Minecraft. It optimizes memory allocation for block states and registry data by deduplicating models and unused objects. This is especially beneficial for large modpacks and servers with complex worlds, as it prevents "Out of Memory" crashes and reduces lag caused by garbage collection.

3. ServerCore

Versions: 1.17.1 - 1.21.x
Platforms: Fabric, Forge, NeoForge
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/mod/servercore
Downloads: 6M+

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ServerCore is particularly useful for servers with high player counts or those running modpacks with many entities.

ServerCore provides specialized server-side optimizations designed specifically for multiplayer environments. This mod includes configurable mob breeding caps, async player login handling, entity processing limits, and dynamic view distance adjustment. It effectively reduces lag spikes caused by entity overloads and improves overall server responsiveness.

4. ModernFix

Versions: 1.16.4 - 1.21.4
Platforms: Fabric, Forge, NeoForge
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/mod/modernfix
Downloads: 42M+

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ModernFix is best for modded servers that take ages to boot, frequently restart, or occasionally crash due to obscure mod-loading or memory issues.

ModernFix is an all-in-one optimization mod that has become a standard addition to most modpacks. It improves performance, reduces memory usage, and fixes numerous bugs across all major mod loaders. The mod drastically reduces server launch times and enables servers to run on less RAM through advanced memory management.

5. Krypton

Versions: 1.16.2 - 1.21.x
Platforms: Fabric
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/mod/krypton
Downloads: 21M+

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Krypton is best for public or community servers with many concurrent players or players connecting from around the world who complain about rubber-banding and delayed block updates.

Krypton optimizes the Minecraft networking stack, reducing CPU usage from networking by up to 40%. It compresses packets and optimizes how the server communicates with players, meaning less bandwidth is used and the CPU doesn't have to work as hard to send data.

6. Memory Leak Fix

Versions: 1.14.4 - 1.20.4
Platforms: Fabric, Forge, Quilt
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/mod/memoryleakfix
Downloads: 26M+

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MemoryLeakFix is recommended for ALL types of servers, no matter whether it's for a small modpack, larger modpack, or a community server.

Memory Leak Fix is one of the most popular mods used in hundreds of famous modpacks to ensure there aren't any memory leaks. This applies to both server-side and client-side, preventing gradual performance degradation over time. The mod identifies and patches memory leaks that can cause servers to slow down or crash after extended running periods.

This mod is best used with Lithium (general performance mod) and FerriteCore (memory usage optimizations) for best performance and memory usage.

7. LazyDFU

Versions: 1.14.x - 1.20.x
Platforms: Fabric
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/mod/lazydfu
Downloads: 11M+

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LazyDFU is best for development or frequently updated servers where you restart often (testing packs, updating plugins/mods, or pushing new builds).

LazyDFU defers DataFixerUpper initialization until it's actually needed, making your server start 20-30 seconds faster. While it doesn't help runtime performance, faster restarts mean less downtime for your players.

8. Clumps

Versions: 1.10.2 - 1.21.x
Platforms: Fabric, Forge, NeoForge
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/mod/clumps
Downloads: 18M+

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Clumps is best for servers with popular XP farms, mob grinders, or End farms where thousands of XP orbs can build up and tank TPS when players AFK.

Clumps merges experience orbs into single entities to reduce server load. This simple yet effective mod prevents lag spikes in areas with many XP orbs, such as mob farms or mining operations. Each merged orb still grants the same total experience, maintaining vanilla gameplay balance.

9. C2ME (Concurrent Chunk Management Engine)

Versions: 1.17.1 - 1.21.x
Platforms: Fabric
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/mod/c2me-fabric
Downloads: 16M+

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C2ME is best for exploration-heavy servers, SMPs with frequent elytra travel, or modpacks with complex worldgen where players often cause lag by flying into new regions.

C2ME parallelizes chunk loading and world generation across multiple CPU threads, making new terrain generate up to 70% faster. This matters significantly when players explore aggressively or teleport across long distances. The mod utilizes all available CPU cores instead of relying on a single thread.

C2ME dramatically improves server performance during world exploration and can prevent lag spikes when players enter new areas.

10. Chunky (Pre-generation)

Versions: 1.16.5 - 1.21.4
Platforms: Fabric, Forge, NeoForge
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/plugin/chunky
Downloads: 8M+

Chunky is a fast, easy-to-use world pre-generation plugin that helps prevent lag during gameplay. By pre-generating your world before players explore it, you can eliminate the performance hit of generating chunks in real-time. This is particularly important for new servers or when adding new world borders.

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Extra Optimization Mods

Alternate Current

Versions: 1.0 - 1.21.x
Platforms: Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, Quilt
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/mod/alternate-current/versions
Downloads: 5M+

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Alternate Current is best for tech-focused servers with large auto farms, sorting systems, raid farms, and redstone computers that currently drag TPS down whenever they run.

Alternate Current rewrites the redstone engine to be up to 95% more efficient. It reduces lag caused by complex redstone machines without breaking vanilla behavior. It maintains full vanilla parity while dramatically improving redstone update performance.

AI Improvements

Versions: 1.7.10 - 1.21.x
Platforms: Forge, NeoForge
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/mod/ai-improvements
Downloads: 8M+

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AI Improvements is best for modpacks with huge mob variety, dense hostile spawns, or large animal pens where mobs frequently cause TPS drops while pathfinding.

AI Improvements reduces CPU usage from mob pathfinding. Modded servers often add mobs with complex AI that vanilla never accounted for, and this mod makes them less expensive to tick. This is essential for modpacks with lots of custom creatures or servers with high mob density.

The mod intelligently optimizes pathfinding algorithms without making mobs behave unnaturally.

Spark

Versions: 1.16.5 - 1.21.4
Platforms: Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, Quilt
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/mod/spark/versions
Downloads: 10M+

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Spark is best for any server where “something” is lagging but the cause is unclear, helping admins decide whether to tweak settings, remove a mod, or add more optimization tools.

Spark is a performance profiler that helps you identify exactly what's causing lag on your server. Rather than just improving performance, Spark gives you detailed insights into CPU usage, tick times, and memory allocation. This allows you to pinpoint problematic mods, entities, or world regions.

Spark is an essential diagnostic tool for serious server administrators troubleshooting performance issues.

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VMP (Very Many Players)

Versions: 1.18.x - 1.21.x
Platforms: Fabric
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/mod/vmp-fabric
Downloads: 9M+

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VMP is best for big SMPs, public hubs, or event servers expecting dozens of simultaneous players and wanting to delay TPS drops as long as possible.

VMP is designed specifically to improve server performance when handling many players simultaneously. It optimizes player tracking, chunk sending, and entity visibility calculations. VMP works well alongside other optimization mods without causing conflicts.

DashLoader

Versions: 1.16.5 - 1.21.4
Platforms: Fabric
Resource Link: https://modrinth.com/mod/dashloader/versions
Downloads: 2M+

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DashLoader is best for testing or development servers on Fabric where you restart frequently while tweaking mods, configs, or datapacks and want to minimize downtime between restarts.

DashLoader creates a cache of all loaded assets and data, significantly reducing server startup times on subsequent launches. After the first launch, the server can start up to 3x faster by loading from the optimized cache. This is particularly beneficial for servers running large modpacks that normally take several minutes to start.

Combining Optimization Mods

Instead of installing 20 individual mods and testing compatibility, we have created a server optimization modpack for you – Essentially Optimized (Server).

View Essentially Optimized on Modrinth

This curated Fabric server-side pack includes many of the top mods from this list for 2x faster chunk loading, reduced RAM usage, and stable 20 TPS, all tested together. It's perfect for quick deployment and delivers professional-grade optimization without the hassle of manual setup.

Dashboard

10 Best Minecraft Server Optimization Mods