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Lag!

Lag Causes & Fixes

For Vanilla & Performance-Oriented Minecraft Servers

Lag can creep in from many angles—CPU overload, entities piling up, or just poorly tuned configs. This guide covers common issues and real fixes, including modern plugins, server forks, and custom tools we recommend at Revitalize.

Types of Lag

  • TPS Lag – Caused by server overload (slow ticks, stutters, redstone, mobs, etc.)

  • Network Lag – Caused by high ping, poor routing, or DDoS (see our protection tips).

  • FPS Lag – On the client. Not your job, but players may blame you.

Real-World Lag Causes & Fixes

Issue Description Fix
🔁 Mob Overload Too many animals, villagers, or hostile mobs. Use FarmLimiter, limit breed rate, or reduce activation range.
🔄 Hoppers & Redstone Constantly ticking hoppers or loops. Limit hoppers, use hopper.disable-move-event, and plugins like RedstoneClockPreventer.
💣 TTNTNT & Block Updates Big explosions or fast updates cause spikes. Limit explosion radius or use TNTLimiter.
🧱 Chunk Load Lag Runtime chunk gen causes huge spikes. Pre-generate your world with Chunky or FAWB.
🪙 Economy/Scoreboard Plugins Badly written plugins ticking constantly. Use /spark or /timings to hunt down the offenders.
📦 Too Many Plugins More isn’t better if they’re unoptimized. Audit your plugin list—less is more.

Modern Optimization Tools

  • Spark – Real-time profiling. Shows tick usage, memory, and plugin impact.

  • Timings – Good for historical lag detection. Use /timings on + /timings paste.

  • LagAssist (optional) – Combo plugin with performance alerts, anti-xray, and more.

  • FarmLimiter – Automatically caps mob farms, villagers, and entities by region.

  • Chunky – Best tool for safe, modern pre-generation of your world (works with Nether/End).

Advanced Server Forks (We've Used These!)

Fork Purpose Why Use It
Paper Performance base Solid default with tons of patches
Pufferfish Tick optimization Async pathfinding, faster redstone, etc.
Purpur Extra customization Control mob AI, hopper speeds, etc.
Folia (experimental) Multithreaded region ticking High performance, but use with caution
Universal (Yive’s Mirror) Custom builds Often include tweaks for massive servers

💡 We specialize in assisting communities tackle lag. Let us help, seriously!

Custom Solutions & Tips

  • 💾 Auto-Restarts + Backups – Use schedules in your panel to restart during off-hours.

  • 🔒 TCPShield or NeoProtect – Protect your backend from DDoS and force routed access.

  • 🌐 IP Locking for Bungee/Velocity – Always firewall your backend servers to only allow proxy access.

  • 📦 Minimal Plugin Stack – Use only what you need, and test performance after each addition.

🧼 Housekeeping Tips

  • Pre-gen your world before launch

  • Restart daily, or at least every 12–24 hours

  • Disable fire spread and TNT chain reactions if unnecessary

  • Set simulation distance to 4–6

  • Avoid giving players unrestricted access to redstone, pistons, etc.

🗣️ Still Lagging? Talk to Us, We’ll Take Care of You

Sometimes, no amount of tweaking can make up for raw horsepower or scaling needs... and that’s okay. If you've followed the steps above and you're still experiencing lag, it might be time for a server upgrade or a different configuration that better fits your setup.

💬 Reach out to a Revitalize staff member anytime. We'll review your server, help analyze what's going on and recommend a custom-tailored solution. Whether that's a more powerful plan, a different jar, or a backend tweak.

You're not only renting a server from us. You're backed by people who actually help.

We’ll work with you to make sure your players stay smooth, stable, and satisfied.

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