Your server
Recommended RAM
Includes about 20% headroom for spikes and garbage collection.
| RAM | Players |
|---|
How the calculator works
A Minecraft server's memory use comes from two places: a fixed cost (the server itself, the loaded world, plugins and mods) and a cost per player (the chunks loaded around them). The calculator estimates both:
- Fixed cost: about 1 GB for Paper, a bit more for Vanilla, 1.5 GB for Forge before mods, and roughly 12 MB per Fabric mod or 18 MB per Forge mod. Plugins average around 15 MB each.
- Per player: the number of chunks in view,
(2 × view distance + 1)², times the memory per chunk, reduced when players share chunks by staying together. - Headroom: 20% on top, rounded up to a whole GB, so the server isn't running at the edge of its memory.
Treat the result as a solid starting point, not a guarantee. Mob farms, huge redstone builds, map-rendering plugins and some heavy mods use more than average. Check your real usage in your server's metrics after a busy evening and adjust.
Quick reference
| Server | Players | RAM |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla or Paper | 1–5 | 2 GB |
| Paper with plugins | 5–15 | 4 GB |
| Paper with plugins | 15–40 | 6–8 GB |
| Fabric, light modpack | 2–10 | 4–6 GB |
| Forge, large modpack | 2–10 | 8–12 GB |
| Bedrock | 1–10 | 1–2 GB |
The full explanation, including signs that you need more memory and why too much can hurt, is in How much RAM does a Minecraft server need?
Common questions
How many players can 4 GB of RAM handle on a Minecraft server?
On Paper with a normal set of plugins and a view distance around 8–10, about 10–20 players. Vanilla handles a little less. A modded server with 4 GB suits only a light pack and a few players.
How much RAM do I need for a modded Minecraft server?
About 4–6 GB for a light Fabric pack, 6–8 GB for a medium pack, and 8–12 GB for large Forge packs with 200 or more mods, plus more as players join.
Does view distance affect RAM?
Yes, a lot. Chunks loaded per player grow with the square of view distance, so going from 10 to 16 loads roughly two and a half times as many chunks.
Will more RAM reduce lag?
Only when the server is running out of memory. Most lag comes from CPU work like entities, redstone and chunk generation, which more RAM doesn't fix.