Optimising a Vanilla Minecraft server ensures a smooth experience for your players by reducing lag and improving tick rates. Whether you are on AwakeNode or another host, these steps will help you get the most out of your hardware.
Adjust Server Properties
Reducing the view distance is the most effective way to lower CPU and RAM usage.
On AwakeNode
Use the File Manager to open server.properties. Locate view-distance and set it to a value between 6 and 8. Save the file and restart your server.
On other hosts
Connect via SFTP, download server.properties, and edit the view-distance setting. Upload the file back to your base directory and restart your server.
Manage Entities and Mobs
High entity counts are a common cause of server lag. You can limit these in bukkit.yml or spigot.yml if you are using a server type that supports these configurations.
On AwakeNode
Navigate to the File Manager, locate spigot.yml, and adjust entity-activation-range. Reducing these values will stop entities from processing logic when players are further away.
On other hosts
Access your server files via SFTP and edit the configuration files manually. Ensure you restart the server after saving your changes.
Review Resource Allocation
If your server continues to struggle despite configuration changes, you may simply need more resources.
On AwakeNode
If you require more RAM, you can upgrade your plan (choose Upgrade on your server's page). The system will automatically update your startup parameters (Xmx) to match your new plan without any manual configuration required.
On other hosts
Check your startup script for the -Xmx flag. If your server is hitting the memory limit, you will need to increase this value in your startup command, provided your host allows it.
Contact Support for Advanced Tuning
Sometimes, specific JVM startup flags or garbage collection settings are required to resolve persistent performance issues.
On AwakeNode
To add your own JVM flags, set a custom startup command in your server's Startup tab.