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Why is my RAM Usage at MAX?

It’s normal for a Minecraft server to use a lot of RAM, as the game is resource-intensive and requires a significant amount of memory to run smoothly. The Java language, which is used to run Minecraft servers, is designed to allocate as much memory as needed to run the server effectively.

Do you need more RAM?​

If you see that your server’s RAM usage is at maximum capacity, it does not necessarily mean that you are out of memory. The Java garbage collector is responsible for freeing up memory that is no longer being used by the server. You can check if the garbage collector has run by using a plugin such as Spark, which can provide information on the server’s memory usage and garbage collection activity.

To check the server’s memory usage using Spark, follow these steps:

  1. Install the Spark plugin on your Minecraft server.
  2. Connect to the server using a client such as Minecraft Java Edition.
  3. Type the command /spark mem in the chat window.
  4. The plugin will display information on the server’s current memory usage, as well as the maximum amount of memory available.

If you see that the server is using a large amount of memory, and the garbage collector is running frequently (e.g. less than an hour), it may be a sign that the server is running low on available memory. In this case, you may need to upgrade your server to a plan with more RAM to the server or optimize your server’s resource usage to prevent running out of memory.

On the other hand, if the garbage collector has not run in a while (a significant amount of time, such as several hours or more) and the server’s memory usage is high, it may also be a sign that the server is running low on available memory and could benefit from additional resources or optimization.

It could be a memory leak​

It’s also possible that high memory usage on your server could be caused by memory leaks, which occur when badly written plugins or server software fail to properly release memory when it is no longer needed. If you suspect that this may be the case, you can try disabling or removing any recently installed plugins or updating your server software to see if it helps to reduce memory usage.