Knowledgebase

Introduction

Running a Spigot or Bukkit server can be demanding, especially with multiple players, plugins, and custom features. Optimizing your server is crucial to maintaining stable performance and ensuring smooth gameplay. This guide outlines proven strategies to improve your Spigot/Bukkit server's performance using BananaServers' Peel Panel.

Step 1: Optimize Server Settings

Adjust spigot.yml

In your server's Files tab, locate the spigot.yml file and apply the following changes:

• Reduce Entity Activation Range

entity-activation-range:
  animals: 16
  monsters: 24
  raiders: 32
  misc: 8

This reduces the range at which entities are processed, lowering CPU usage.

• Lower Tick Limits

ticks-per:
  animal-spawns: 400
  monster-spawns: 4
  autosave: 6000

Increasing the autosave interval and reducing mob spawn frequency can improve performance.

Adjust bukkit.yml

In bukkit.yml, modify these settings:

• Spawn Limits

spawn-limits:
  monsters: 30
  animals: 10
  water-animals: 5
  ambient: 2

Reducing these limits minimizes entity strain on the server.

• Chunk Loading Optimizations

chunk-gc:
  period-in-ticks: 600

This enables more frequent chunk garbage collection to reduce memory usage.

Adjust server.properties

In server.properties, consider lowering the view distance:

view-distance=6

Reducing the view distance minimizes the number of loaded chunks, improving performance significantly.

Step 2: Install Performance-Boosting Plugins

Using optimized plugins can drastically enhance server performance. Recommended options include:

• ClearLag – Reduces unnecessary entities and optimizes memory usage.

• Spark – Provides detailed performance profiling for identifying lag sources.

• FarmLimiter – Limits excessive mob breeding and crop growth.

• Chunky – Efficiently pre-generates chunks to reduce real-time world generation lag.

Step 3: Manage Plugins Efficiently

• Remove Unused Plugins – Extra plugins consume CPU and RAM, so uninstall any that aren't essential.

• Update Plugins Regularly – Outdated plugins may cause compatibility issues or introduce performance bugs.

• Prioritize Lightweight Plugins – Use efficient, well-coded plugins designed for performance.

Step 4: Optimize World Management

Pre-generate Your World

Pre-generating chunks prevents performance drops during player exploration. Use the Chunky plugin with the following command:

/chunky start

This will begin chunk pre-generation for smoother gameplay.

Limit Entity Overload

To clear excess entities that may be causing lag, use:

/kill @e[type=item]

This removes all dropped items from loaded chunks.

Step 5: Automate Restarts and Maintenance

Scheduling regular restarts refreshes system resources and prevents memory leaks. In Peel Panel:

1. Go to the Schedules tab.

2. Click Create Schedule.

3. Set a restart command (e.g., restart) to run at optimal times, such as every 12 hours.

Step 6: Upgrade Server Resources

If performance issues persist after optimization, consider upgrading to a higher-performance plan with increased CPU, RAM, or SSD storage for improved server capacity.

Final Thoughts

Optimizing your Spigot/Bukkit server is essential for maintaining a stable and enjoyable gaming experience. By following these steps and using BananaServers' Peel Panel, you can reduce lag, improve TPS, and enhance overall performance.

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