Running plugins
Paper is the usual choice, and your friends join with the game they already have. The guide covers installs, plugin compatibility and picking a version your plugins actually support.
Paper hosting guide →
RAM calculator
Minecraft server RAM calculator
Answer four questions and get a starting plan based on your server software, player count, add-ons and view distance.
The calculator
Four questions, one starting plan
Answer for the server you actually expect to run, not the busiest day you hope for. You can move up later without losing anything.
- Vanilla
- Paper or Purpur
- Fabric with your own mods
- A published modpack
Concurrent players, not total members.
- None
- A few (up to 5)
- Quite a few (6 to 15)
- More than 15
- 10 or less (the default)
- 12 to 16
- More than 16
Raising this loads far more chunks per player.
Suggested starting plan
—
Driven by , then raised for your view distance.
See this plan and its price
For a modpack, check the pack first.
Packs vary far more than player counts do, and the pack author’s stated requirement beats anything this page can infer. If the pack asks for more than the suggestion above, believe the pack.
Read the modded guide.
Read this before you upgrade
Your server will always look like it is using all its RAM
Java here is allowed to grow into 95% of your plan’s memory before it has to tidy up. So it does — on every server, healthy or not.
This is why “my server is using 90% of its RAM” is not the warning sign it looks like. A healthy server with plenty of headroom reports much the same number as one that is genuinely short, because both are allowed to fill the space they were given.
Judge it by behaviour instead. A server that is actually short of memory stutters, pauses and struggles under load. One that merely shows a high number is usually fine — and buying a bigger plan on the strength of that number changes nothing.
The rules it uses
No hidden formula
The calculator takes the largest starting point for your software, player count and add-ons, then adds room for a higher view distance.
| Vanilla | 2 GB |
|---|---|
| Paper or Purpur | 2 GB |
| Fabric with your own mods | 6 GB |
| A published modpack | 6 GB |
| Up to 4 | 2 GB |
|---|---|
| 5 to 10 | 4 GB |
| 11 to 20 | 6 GB |
| 21 to 40 | 8 GB |
| More than 40 | 12 GB |
| None | No change |
|---|---|
| A few (up to 5) | 4 GB |
| Quite a few (6 to 15) | 6 GB |
| More than 15 | 8 GB |
View distance of 12 to 16 raises the result by one plan; above 16 raises it by two. Results for larger groups are estimates, so resize later if real play needs more room.
Fine-tune the result
What can change your real needs
Unsure, or running something unusual? Tell support what you plan to run — a short description beats a calculator every time.
Once you have a number
Now pick what it will run
Running mods
Fabric for your own mod list, Forge or NeoForge for a published pack. Both guides cover dependencies, Java and version floors.
Fabric hosting guide →Changing later
A plan change resizes the same server and keeps its files and address, so the first choice is not binding.
How upgrades work →
FAQ
RAM questions
How much RAM does a Minecraft server need?
There is no single answer, which is why this page shows its working. As a starting point, 2 GB suits a Vanilla world for a handful of friends, 4 GB suits a small group with light plugins, and 6 GB or more suits plugin-heavy or lightly modded servers. View distance, world size, plugins, mods and how many people are actually online at once all move the figure.
Why does my server always show almost all its RAM in use?
Java is allowed to grow into 95% of the plan’s memory before it tidies up, so a high reading on a healthy server can be normal. Consider an upgrade when the server stutters, stalls or runs out of memory during real play.
Is the calculator result exact?
Treat it as a starting plan. Real needs vary with the world, players, software, view distance and add-ons. Follow a modpack author’s higher requirement, and resize the same server later if real play needs more room.
What if I am installing a modpack?
Use the pack author’s stated requirement when it is higher. Modpacks vary far more than player counts do, and a large pack can need several times what a plugin server of the same size needs.
What if I choose the wrong plan?
Change it. A plan change resizes the same server and keeps its files, world and address, so starting conservatively costs nothing. That is the main reason this page recommends a starting point rather than trying to be exact.
Does more RAM make my server run faster?
Only up to the point where it had too little. Beyond that, tick rate is usually limited by what the server is being asked to do — entity counts, redstone, chunk loading and view distance — rather than by memory. Adding RAM to a server that is not short of it changes very little.
Start conservatively — resizing is the easy part
A plan change keeps the same server, files and address, so the cost of starting one size too small is a few minutes, not a migration.
Compare Minecraft plans