How Much RAM Does a Minecraft Server Need?
RAM is what you notice most and what gets exaggerated most. This is what a server really needs, depending on what you're going to do on it.
The short table
Survival with friends, Paper and a handful of plugins: 4 GB, for 10–20 players.
Lots of plugins or a medium modpack (about 100 mods): 6 GB.
Heavy modpacks, like All the Mods: 8 GB.
Large communities or the most demanding modpacks: 12 GB.
For your exact case (players, plugins or the modpack you're going to use), the RAM calculator gives you the figure using the same criteria.
Rather not set it up yourself? Minecraft servers from €6 a month, no contract and a full refund within 72 hours. Or create a free Minecraft server, no card needed.
Why you don't need more
Java uses the memory you give it, but a server with more RAM than it needs isn't any faster: the CPU and the disk make more of a difference. What does cause stutters is falling short, because Java's garbage collector spends all its time freeing memory.
What eats the most memory is mods, view distance (view-distance) and the chunks loaded at once. Lowering view-distance from 10 to 8 usually makes more difference than adding 2 GB.
How to tell if you're falling short
In “Home”, the server screen in the panel, you can see live how much memory it's using. If it's always pinned at the limit and the console warns “Can't keep up!”, it's time for more RAM. On NapNodes you can add it without reinstalling anything or losing the world: “More RAM” in “My plan & invoices” (you move to a bigger plan) or “Buy RAM” in “My servers”, and you share it out with “Adjust”. The guide to giving it more RAM explains it.
Watch out for “unlimited” RAM
Many hosts cram more servers onto a machine than fit and make up for it with “unlimited” or shared RAM. That's why it stutters at 9 pm. We publish the load of each node on the status page and close sales when it fills up.
Frequently asked questions
Is 2 GB of RAM enough for Minecraft?
For two or three friends without plugins, it can do on Vanilla, but it soon gets tight. With Paper and plugins, 4 GB is the sensible amount.
How much RAM does a modpack need?
A medium one (around 100 mods), 6 GB. Heavy ones, like All the Mods, 8 GB or more.
Is more RAM faster?
Not beyond what's needed. Above that, per-core CPU speed and the configuration (view-distance) make more difference than the GB.
Shall we set it up for you?
Minecraft servers from €6 a month, never oversold: your RAM is yours alone. And if you'd rather start without paying, there's a free Minecraft server, no card needed.
Your server doesn't show up in the game? Check it in a second with “Is my Minecraft server online?”: players, version and MOTD, free. Need a player's UUID for the whitelist or permissions? Look it up here. Handing out enchanted items? Build the command with the /give generator.
How many GB do you need? Work it out with the RAM calculator: server type, players and view distance.
Free tool: start.bat generator. The start.bat or start.sh for your Minecraft server with the RAM set right and Aikar's flags, ready to download.
Keep reading
- What Java Version Does Your Minecraft Server Need? From 1.8 to 26.x
Java 8, 17, 21 or 25: which one each Minecraft version needs for the server, what “class file version 65.0” means and how to have several Java versions at once.
- How Much Does a Minecraft Server Cost? Free, at Home or Rented
What a Minecraft server costs per month: free, on your PC (with the electricity), Realms or rented; what to pay for your players and mods and how to pay less.
- How to Add Mods to a Minecraft Server
Fabric, Forge or NeoForge, which mods go on the server and which on the client, and how to get your friends in without fighting over versions.