How much RAM a Minecraft Paper/Purpur server needs by player count
A guide to estimating memory requirements for Minecraft Paper and Purpur servers based on player count, plugins, view distance, and world size.
In brief
- RAM requirements depend on plugin density, view distance, and world size in addition to active player count.
- Community estimates suggest roughly 100-200 MB per player on Paper, and a 2-4 GB base plus about 100 MB per player on Purpur.
- Monitor the console and usage graph in the panel to choose a suitable plan, and consult support if you need guidance.
What you need
- Access to your panel account
- Knowledge of your server engine (Paper or Purpur)
On this page
Minecraft & Game Servers guides
1. Factors affecting memory consumption#
RAM consumption on Minecraft servers is not determined solely by active player count. The plugins you install, the configured view distance, the world size, and active chunks directly impact memory usage. The chosen server engine also changes the baseline memory profile: Paper offers a streamlined and optimized base, while Purpur provides additional configuration options with its own base memory profile.
2. Estimated RAM needs based on community guidelines#
- Rough community estimates for Paper suggest about 100-200 MB RAM per active player, depending on plugins, view distance, and world size.
- Rough community estimates for Purpur suggest a 2-4 GB base memory plus about 100 MB RAM per active player.
- Rough community estimates for 20-50 active players on Paper or Purpur suggest about 6-8 GB total RAM.
3. Monitoring usage and selecting a plan#
Check the console and usage graph
Go to the Console tab on your server management screen in the panel. Monitor the live resource graph and console logs to see how memory usage behaves while players are on the server.
Select a suitable plan for your server
Choose a plan that fits your observed memory usage and planned player count. You can upgrade your plan at any time through the panel as your needs grow.
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