^TUTORIAL
What to Do If Your Minecraft Server Is Lagging And Using High CPU and RAM for No Reason

Running a Minecraft server can be a rewarding experience, but it can also come with some technical challenges, especially when performance issues like lag or excessive CPU and RAM usage arise. If your server is using an unusually high amount of resources without any obvious reason, it can negatively impact gameplay and frustrate your players. In this guide, we’ll walk you through some steps you can take to identify and resolve these issues.

Understanding the Problem

High CPU and RAM usage is a common issue in Minecraft servers, but it can be caused by a variety of factors, including inefficient server settings, plugin overload, or insufficient server resources. To get to the root of the problem, it's important to first understand how the game’s performance can be affected and what might be causing the lag.

Steps to Fix High CPU and RAM Usage

1. Restart Your Server

Sometimes, all it takes is a simple restart to resolve lag or high resource usage. Restarting the server can help clear memory leaks, reset processes that are stuck, and refresh the game world.

How to do it: Stop your server from the server dashboard, wait a few moments, and then restart it.

2. Check for Resource-Heavy Plugins or Mods

If you’re running plugins or mods on your server, they could be the culprits. Certain plugins can cause high CPU or memory usage, especially if they are poorly optimized or not updated.

How to check: Look at your server’s logs folder for errors or warnings related to plugins or mods. Try disabling or removing plugins one by one and restarting the server to see if performance improves.

Tip: Keep plugins and mods up to date, as newer versions may include performance optimizations, just make sure it is compatible with your game version!

3. Optimize Server Settings

Minecraft offers several server settings that can be tweaked for better performance. Adjusting things like view distance, mob spawning, and world generation can drastically reduce the load on your server’s resources.

How to optimize:

View Distance: In your server.properties file, decrease the view distance. A lower value means less of the world is loaded at once.

Entity Settings: Reduce the number of entities (mobs, animals, items) that spawn in your world.

Max Tick Time: In the spigot.yml or paper.yml file (if using Paper or Spigot), you can adjust the max-tick-time setting to allow for more leniency in server performance during intense moments.

4. Allocate More RAM

Sometimes, Minecraft simply needs more memory to run efficiently. If your server is running on the free plan, try upgrading it to a premium server for more memory and better hardware!

How to do it: In your server hosting dashboard, you should see an option to adjust the amount of RAM allocated to your server. Set a higher value, if you do not have enough credits topup your account first!

5. Update Java Version

Minecraft runs on Java, and sometimes an outdated Java version can contribute to performance issues. Ensure that your server is running the latest version of Java that is compatible with your server type (e.g., Paper, Spigot, or Vanilla).

How to update: If you're using MCServerHost, head over to the settings tab and click the java version slider and select the version compatible with the version you are trying to run.

6. Check Server Dashboard

Use the server dashboard to track CPU and RAM usage in real-time can help you a lot. These monitoring tools will allow you to pinpoint exactly when resources spike and what might be causing the issue.

How to monitor: Plugins like spark can give you a detailed look at your servers resource usage in more details. Consider using plugins like ClearLag or server performance plugins from spigot.

7. Limit World Size or Use a World Border

Minecraft worlds are dynamic, and as your world expands, it can become more resource-intensive to load and render chunks. If you’ve been running your server for a long time, consider limiting the world size or adding a world border to prevent the world from becoming too large.

How to limit: In your server settings, you can configure a world border with the command /worldborder set <size> or use plugins that add world management features.

Conclusion

Server lag and high CPU or RAM usage on Minecraft servers don’t always have a clear cause, but by systematically following these steps, you can narrow down the issue and make improvements. Whether it’s adjusting settings, updating plugins, or allocating more resources, these strategies should help boost your server’s performance.

If you continue to face performance issues after trying these fixes, don’t hesitate to reach out to your server hosting provider for further assistance. You can also consider upgrading your hosting plan if your server outgrows its current resources or join our Support Discord

By taking these steps, you should be able to enjoy a smooth and lag-free Minecraft experience, keeping both you and your players happy.