Minecraft Server RAM Calculator: How Much RAM Do I Need?

Most Minecraft servers start small, with a handful of friends, a fresh world, and maybe a few mods or plugins. Then the builds get bigger, more players join, and a modpack or two shows up. This leads to increased RAM requirements to keep things running smoothly. But how much RAM do you need for your server? The answer mostly comes down to two things: how many players will be online, and how many mods you plan to run. In this guide, we’ll help you choose the right plan for your Minecraft server.

Find Your Minecraft Server’s RAM Size

The amount of RAM required for your Minecraft server will depend on your desired setup and how many players you expect to have. If you just want a simple Vanilla server for a few friends, then a lower RAM package will be fine. If you aim to play a large modpack, or run a community server, you will need more RAM to ensure your server runs well.

Our suggested level of RAM for Java Minecraft servers*:

*Recommendation only, not a limit. The number of mods or plugins, world size, and view distance will reduce the number of concurrent players your chosen RAM package can support. Worlds grow over time: every new area players explore is generated and saved, and builds, farms, and entities add up. A larger, more developed world means more to load and keep running at once, so a server that runs well at the start can support fewer players later. Pre-generating the world and a lower view distance help. Check your modpack’s recommended RAM first.

If your player count and your mods/plugins point to different packages, we would recommend that you go with the higher one. The same goes for a setup that sits between two rows, since the higher RAM size will provide some headroom for performance. These are broad recommendations, not fixed rules, because every modpack and every community runs a little differently.

Keep in mind that RAM is only part of the picture. Your server’s performance depends on both its RAM and its CPU, so more RAM helps your server hold more players, chunks and mods at once, but it won’t make every setup run faster. Use the table as a starting point, and adjust if your server needs more room as it grows.

What Affects How Much RAM You Need?

Three aspects will influence your server’s RAM needs:

• Players: How many people are online at once.
• World: How much of the world they explore.
• Mods and plugins: How many you run, and how heavy they are.

Your server needs more RAM as each of these grows. The bigger your community and the heavier your modding, the more RAM you should choose.

Changing RAM on a Server You Already Run

A server without enough RAM can lag, load new areas slowly, or crash. These problems tend to get worse under heavy load. If you see these signs after your community grew or you added more mods, you can upgrade your service to add additional RAM.

You can change your RAM size in the Upgrades & Downgrades section of your service, and the change applies to your existing server. Before you change it, stop the server and make a manual backup of your world. Once the change is complete, start your server again so it can use the new RAM size.

Time to Start Building

You’ve matched your players and mods to a RAM size, and you know the signs that it’s time to change it. Pick your size, gather your friends, and start building!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How Much RAM Does a Minecraft Server Need?

It depends mainly on how many players are online at once and how much modding you run. A vanilla or lightly modded server with up to 6 players fits in 4 GB. A very large community running the heaviest modpacks needs 15 GB or more.

How Much RAM Do I Need for a Modded Minecraft Server?

It depends on the size of your modpack. A small modpack fits in 4 GB, and most small and medium modpacks fit in 8 GB. Larger modpacks need 11 GB or more, and the heaviest modpacks call for 15 GB or more. Larger player counts can also influence this, so refer to the table for our suggestion.

What do I do if I still experience lag?

Lag can have more than one cause. Server performance depends on both RAM and CPU, so a busy world with lots of farms, redstone or entities can slow things down even when your RAM is sufficient. If only you are lagging while your friends are playing normally, the issue may be on your own computer. In that case, try increasing your client-side RAM and check if this fixes the problem.