How much RAM does a Minecraft server need?
Practical memory guidance for Minecraft Java servers on Schokr: Vanilla, Paper and modded, plus how to split your free 6 GB pool.
Updated · 2 min read
For a small group of friends, 2 to 4 GB of memory is enough for a Vanilla or Paper server. Modded servers usually need 4 to 6 GB or more. Schokr's free pool gives each team 6 GB to split across servers, so a single Minecraft server can use all of it.
Rough starting points
| Server type | Players | Suggested memory |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla | 1 to 5 | 2 to 3 GB |
| Paper with a few plugins | 1 to 10 | 3 to 4 GB |
| Paper with many plugins | 10 to 30 | 4 to 6 GB |
| Forge, light mod list | 1 to 5 | 4 GB |
| Forge, large modpack | 1 to 10 | 6 GB or more |
These are starting points, not rules. Players exploring new terrain, large farms, lots of entities and high view distance all use more memory and CPU.
What actually uses memory
- Loaded chunks. Every player loads the area around them.
view-distanceandsimulation-distancehave a big impact. See view distance and simulation distance. - Entities. Mob farms, item drops and villagers add up.
- Plugins and mods. Some are tiny, some (like map renderers or large mods) are heavy.
- World generation. Exploring new chunks is far heavier than walking around existing ones.
More memory is not always better
Java uses a garbage collector to free memory. Giving a small server a huge amount of memory does not make it faster and can make garbage collection pauses longer. If your server lags but memory use is well below the limit, the bottleneck is usually CPU, not RAM. Lowering simulation distance or removing entity-heavy farms tends to help more.
Splitting the free pool
The free package is one pool per team: 6 GB memory, 150% CPU and 10 GB disk across up to 4 servers. Some example splits:
- One Paper server with 6 GB.
- A Paper survival server with 4 GB and a small creative or test server with 2 GB.
- A Minecraft server with 5 GB and a Discord bot with 1 GB.
You can add more to the pool permanently from the store, for example 1 GB of memory for 450 credits. See the pricing page for how credits work.
How to change a server's memory
Adjust the server's memory in its resource settings, within what is free in your team's pool, then restart the server. The template starts Java with a heap size based on the memory you assign, so you do not need to edit -Xmx yourself.
Signs you need more memory
- The console shows
java.lang.OutOfMemoryError. - The server crashes or restarts when several players explore at once.
- Memory use sits at the limit for long periods.
If memory is fine but TPS is low, look at CPU usage and entity counts first.