How Much RAM Do You Need For a Minecraft Server?
When buying a Minecraft server, you want to make sure you have enough memory. If you do not have enough memory, then you will experience issues with: crashes, slower chunk loading, and performance issues related to loading data. This article will go over RAM recommendations for all types of Minecraft servers.
RAM stands for Random Access Memory and is used as short term memory for computers. RAM is "volatile" and clears after the computer has been restarted. RAM is crucial for the speed of a Minecraft server. RAM determines the cap for what mods your Minecraft server can handle, particularly with things like how fast chunks will be able to load.
Unlike the CPU, memory is a limiting factor to performance. A better CPU will increase performance forever, but more RAM will only increase your performance up to a certain point.
For a vanilla Minecraft server, you usually need at least 2-3GB of RAM. However, memory should be scaled depending on the number of players online. Vanilla servers usually need less RAM than modded Minecraft servers.
For every 5 players on your vanilla Minecraft server, we recommend adding an additional 1GB of RAM for a smooth performance.
Per each version, this is what you will generally want to have the below for your server computer:
For each version above 1.17 though, you may want to add even more RAM based on each update because of the newly added things that can drop performance. New biomes and mechanics can significantly add to the amount of RAM usage for your Minecraft server.
There is also no such thing as too much RAM, but there is a point where you will not see the effects of more RAM because RAM is a limiting factor.
Modded Minecraft servers can add new plugins and mods to your game. The difference between a plugin and a mod is:
Plugins are completely server-side
Mods may require the player to download the mod before joining (However, there are exceptions like the WorldEdit mod which is a server-side mod)
Fabric does have a ton of server-side mods, however
Plugins do not run on Forge or Fabric. They run off of Bukkit, Spigot, Paper, and Purpur
Running a modded version of Minecraft raises the average RAM usage significantly
Plugins generally have commands & tools while mods offer more gameplay
Forge is an open-source tool that allows players and servers to run mods. It is, however, a little bit resource-intensive compared to a vanilla server.
The above reference table can be useful but it should not be final. Use the table as a general reference. If you know that the mod is going to be extremely intensive RAM-wise (loading a bunch of things, a lot of particles, etc.) then consider adding even more RAM to your Minecraft server.
Modpacks will generally require even more RAM. Minecraft 1.13 modpacks require a minimum of 6GB of RAM.
Fabric is:
Fabric is a modular, lightweight mod loader for Minecraft
(The Fabric page)
It's perfect for any mods that you want to add.
For a bare Fabric Minecraft server with no mods, we recommend 1-2GB RAM allocated to your Minecraft server.
Per every Mod that you add to your modded server, we recommend half a gigabyte of ram. However, it really depends on the mod that you are adding. You should do more research on the particular kind of Mod & the resources it requires before adding it to your server.
What it is:
It is a modified Minecraft server based on CraftBukkit which provides additional performance optimizations, configuration options and features, whilst still remaining compatible with all existing plugins and consistent with Vanilla Minecraft game mechanics.
( From Spigot)
Spigot plugins are generally lightweight and do not require too much RAM.
For every 10 plugins, we recommend adding an additional 1 gigabyte of sufficient RAM. However, these numbers can vary and this is just a general estimate.
If a plugin that you are adding uses a lot of RAM, you may want to consider adding even more RAM than what is recommended by this chart. Plugins such as Oraxen (with a lot of custom-added things), Slimefun, Dynmap, and CoreProtect (if there are a lot of players), etc. will require more RAM.
Each plugin typically uses around 20-50MB of RAM. However, this depends on the plugin and its complexity.
Bedrock servers typically need a similar amount of RAM to Vanilla servers.
However, as shown in this reddit post, Minecraft Bedrock edition will typically run faster and be less intensive RAM-wise versus vanilla Java edition because it does not use Java (which is comparatively slower). Therefore, the RAM requirements should not be as much as a Java server.
Just like before, however, for every 5 players it is recommended to have 1GB of extra RAM.
The amount of RAM in the table is just an estimate of what you might need.
Proxy servers are the in-between for connecting your players to the server. This is useful if you want to have a bunch of servers under one IP (similar to how Hypixel operates). These servers will not need nearly as much RAM as the server that it is connecting to.
These servers are not at all like a vanilla server. A basic proxy server requires at least 1GB of RAM.
Here is a table outlining the recommended RAM allocation for a BungeeCord server based on the number of players:
Per 50 players, it is recommended that you add roughly 1/2 a gigabyte of RAM.
Waterfall is an optimized version of bungeecord and will do fine with less RAM. However, waterfall "has reached the end" and is switching to velocity.
Velocity is the modern, high-performance proxy. Designed with performance and stability in mind, it’s a full alternative to Waterfall with its own plugin ecosystem.
While not exact, this table should provide a starting place for you when considering the amount of RAM that you want to add to your Waterfall or Velocity server.
You can contact SparkedHost support at https://sparkedhost.com/contact. Make a ticket and we will be sure to contact you as soon as we can.
If you have any errors make sure to save the crash report as well. Crash reports help us solve your issue faster.
You can also join our discord server here: https://discord.gg/sparked to get quick answers and support.
By: Julian T.
What is RAM used for on a Minecraft Server?
RAM stands for Random Access Memory and is used as short term memory for computers. RAM is "volatile" and clears after the computer has been restarted. RAM is crucial for the speed of a Minecraft server. RAM determines the cap for what mods your Minecraft server can handle, particularly with things like how fast chunks will be able to load.
Unlike the CPU, memory is a limiting factor to performance. A better CPU will increase performance forever, but more RAM will only increase your performance up to a certain point.
For Vanilla Minecraft
For a vanilla Minecraft server, you usually need at least 2-3GB of RAM. However, memory should be scaled depending on the number of players online. Vanilla servers usually need less RAM than modded Minecraft servers.
For every 5 players on your vanilla Minecraft server, we recommend adding an additional 1GB of RAM for a smooth performance.
Per each version, this is what you will generally want to have the below for your server computer:
| Version | Recommended Minimum RAM |
|---|---|
| Minecraft 1.16.5 and previous | 2GB |
| Minecraft 1.17 | 3GB |
| Every 5+ Players | +1GB |
| Every ~10 Plugins | +1GB |
For each version above 1.17 though, you may want to add even more RAM based on each update because of the newly added things that can drop performance. New biomes and mechanics can significantly add to the amount of RAM usage for your Minecraft server.
There is also no such thing as too much RAM, but there is a point where you will not see the effects of more RAM because RAM is a limiting factor.
For Modded Minecraft
Modded Minecraft servers can add new plugins and mods to your game. The difference between a plugin and a mod is:
Plugins are completely server-side
Mods may require the player to download the mod before joining (However, there are exceptions like the WorldEdit mod which is a server-side mod)
Fabric does have a ton of server-side mods, however
Plugins do not run on Forge or Fabric. They run off of Bukkit, Spigot, Paper, and Purpur
Running a modded version of Minecraft raises the average RAM usage significantly
Plugins generally have commands & tools while mods offer more gameplay
Forge (Modded Servers)
How much RAM should you add to a Forge Minecraft server?
Forge is an open-source tool that allows players and servers to run mods. It is, however, a little bit resource-intensive compared to a vanilla server.
| Category | Gigabyte Minimum |
|---|---|
| Bare Forge (0 Mods) | 1GB |
| Lightly Modded (10-20 Mods) | 2GB |
| Moderately Modded (20-50 Mods) | 4GB |
| Heavily Modded (50+ Mods) | 6GB+ |
| Per 10 players | +1GB |
The above reference table can be useful but it should not be final. Use the table as a general reference. If you know that the mod is going to be extremely intensive RAM-wise (loading a bunch of things, a lot of particles, etc.) then consider adding even more RAM to your Minecraft server.
Modpacks will generally require even more RAM. Minecraft 1.13 modpacks require a minimum of 6GB of RAM.
Fabric (Modded Servers)
Fabric is:
Fabric is a modular, lightweight mod loader for Minecraft
(The Fabric page)
It's perfect for any mods that you want to add.
For a bare Fabric Minecraft server with no mods, we recommend 1-2GB RAM allocated to your Minecraft server.
| How Modded is The Server? | Ram needed |
|---|---|
| Bare server | 1-2GB of RAM |
| Lightly modded | 2-4GB RAM |
| Moderately Modded | 4-6GB RAM |
| Heavily Modded | 6-8GB+ RAM |
| Per 5 Players | 1GB+ RAM |
Per every Mod that you add to your modded server, we recommend half a gigabyte of ram. However, it really depends on the mod that you are adding. You should do more research on the particular kind of Mod & the resources it requires before adding it to your server.
Spigot (Plugins)
What it is:
It is a modified Minecraft server based on CraftBukkit which provides additional performance optimizations, configuration options and features, whilst still remaining compatible with all existing plugins and consistent with Vanilla Minecraft game mechanics.
( From Spigot)
Spigot plugins are generally lightweight and do not require too much RAM.
For every 10 plugins, we recommend adding an additional 1 gigabyte of sufficient RAM. However, these numbers can vary and this is just a general estimate.
If a plugin that you are adding uses a lot of RAM, you may want to consider adding even more RAM than what is recommended by this chart. Plugins such as Oraxen (with a lot of custom-added things), Slimefun, Dynmap, and CoreProtect (if there are a lot of players), etc. will require more RAM.
| Base Spigot Server | .5GB - 1GB |
|---|---|
| For every additional 5 players | +1GB |
| For every 10 plugins | +1GB |
Paper (Plugins)
| Plugin Load | Amount of Plugins | Amount of Recommended RAM |
|---|---|---|
| Minimal Plugins | 0-10 Plugins | 1-2GB |
| Moderate Plugins | 10-25 Plugins | 3GB |
| Extensive Plugins | 25+ Plugins | 4GB |
Each plugin typically uses around 20-50MB of RAM. However, this depends on the plugin and its complexity.
For Minecraft Bedrock Edition
Bedrock servers typically need a similar amount of RAM to Vanilla servers.
However, as shown in this reddit post, Minecraft Bedrock edition will typically run faster and be less intensive RAM-wise versus vanilla Java edition because it does not use Java (which is comparatively slower). Therefore, the RAM requirements should not be as much as a Java server.
Just like before, however, for every 5 players it is recommended to have 1GB of extra RAM.
| Players | RAM Recommendation |
|---|---|
| 1 - 5 | 1 GB |
| 6 - 10 | 2 GB |
| 11 - 20 | 3 GB |
| 21 - 30 | 4 GB |
| 31 - 40 | 5 GB |
| 41 - 50 | 6 GB |
| 51 - 75 | 8 GB |
| 76 - 100 | 10 GB |
| 100+ | 16 GB+ |
The amount of RAM in the table is just an estimate of what you might need.
For Proxy Servers
Proxy servers are the in-between for connecting your players to the server. This is useful if you want to have a bunch of servers under one IP (similar to how Hypixel operates). These servers will not need nearly as much RAM as the server that it is connecting to.
These servers are not at all like a vanilla server. A basic proxy server requires at least 1GB of RAM.
Bungeecord
Here is a table outlining the recommended RAM allocation for a BungeeCord server based on the number of players:
| Player Count | Recommended RAM requirements |
|---|---|
| 10 - 50 | 512MB - 1GB |
| 50 - 150 | 1GB - 2GB |
| 150 - 300 | 2GB - 4GB |
| 300 - 500 | 4GB - 6GB |
| 500 - 1000 | 6GB - 8GB |
| 1000+ | 8GB+ |
Per 50 players, it is recommended that you add roughly 1/2 a gigabyte of RAM.
Waterfall / Velocity
Waterfall is an optimized version of bungeecord and will do fine with less RAM. However, waterfall "has reached the end" and is switching to velocity.
Velocity is the modern, high-performance proxy. Designed with performance and stability in mind, it’s a full alternative to Waterfall with its own plugin ecosystem.
| Player Count | Recommended RAM usage |
|---|---|
| 10 - 50 | 512MB - 1GB |
| 50 - 150 | 1GB - 2GB |
| 150 - 300 | 1.5GB - 3GB |
| 300 - 500 | 3GB - 5GB |
| 500 - 1000 | 5GB - 7GB |
| 1000+ | 7GB |
While not exact, this table should provide a starting place for you when considering the amount of RAM that you want to add to your Waterfall or Velocity server.
Still have some questions?
You can contact SparkedHost support at https://sparkedhost.com/contact. Make a ticket and we will be sure to contact you as soon as we can.
If you have any errors make sure to save the crash report as well. Crash reports help us solve your issue faster.
You can also join our discord server here: https://discord.gg/sparked to get quick answers and support.
By: Julian T.
Updated on: 03/03/2025
Thank you!