How much memory does my Minecraft server need?
A practical way to pick a plan size from your player count, plugins or mods, and view distance, plus how to tell when you have outgrown it.
Verified 2026-09-15 against Paper 26.2 documentation, Minecraft server defaults, and the memory behaviour of the Java runtime. Panel screenshots are pending our install.. About 6 minutes.
Memory is two numbers, not one
The number on a Hexane plan is the container limit: the most memory the whole server process can use before it is stopped. Minecraft runs on Java, and Java needs memory outside its own “heap” for the runtime, threads, and file caches. That is why the panel starts your server with a heap (the -Xmx value) about a quarter smaller than the plan.
| Plan | Container limit | Default Java heap |
|---|---|---|
| 4 GB | 4 GB | 3 GB |
| 6 GB | 6 GB | 5 GB |
| 8 GB | 8 GB | 6 GB |
| 12 GB | 12 GB | 10 GB |
| 16 GB | 16 GB | 13 GB |
Setting the heap equal to the container limit is the most common cause of a server that “randomly dies”: Java grows past the limit and the container is killed. Leave the default unless you know why you are changing it.
Rules of thumb
These assume the default view distance of 10 chunks and a modest number of loaded chunks. They are starting points, not promises.
- Vanilla or Paper, 2 to 8 friends, few plugins: 4 GB is enough. Paper is more efficient than vanilla, so it stretches further.
- Paper with 10 to 20 plugins, 10 to 20 players: 6 to 8 GB. Plugins such as dynamic maps, large protection systems, or anything that caches player data add up.
- Fabric with performance mods only (Lithium, FerriteCore): similar to Paper.
- Modpacks (NeoForge, Forge, big Fabric packs): start at 8 GB for small packs and 12 GB or more for large ones. Most pack authors publish a recommended server memory; trust that number over ours.
- Many players exploring new terrain at once costs more than the same players in a settled base, because new chunks are generated and kept loaded.
Why the CPU matters more than you expect
Minecraft’s main game loop runs on one thread. A fast single core keeps ticks at 20 per second; more memory does not. If your server lags with plenty of free memory, the cause is almost always tick time (entities, redstone, chunk generation), not memory. See Diagnosing lag.
Signs you need more memory
- The panel’s memory graph sits above roughly 90 percent of the limit for long stretches, not just briefly after a restart.
- The console shows long garbage-collection pauses, or the server is killed with an out-of-memory message.
- You added a big modpack update and the recommended memory went up.
If you see “Can’t keep up! Is the server overloaded?” in the console, that is tick time, which is CPU work, not memory.
When in doubt
Start one size smaller than you think you need. Upgrading is a plan change applied to the same server: no reinstall, no file moves, no new address.