Why the CPU matters most on a Minecraft SMP server
On a Minecraft SMP server the processor matters more than the RAM. Many SMP servers have between ten and twenty players online in the evening, on Paper with a few plugins. RAM is easy to plan for: 12 GB covers twenty players and leaves room for the map to grow. What slows an SMP down is the main thread. In the first month there are a few houses. By month four there is an iron farm, a gold farm, a villager trading hall and three players building a flying machine. All of that runs twenty times per second on one core.
That is why this page opens the finder on More performance. The Performance line gives you reserved threads on a Ryzen 9 and an Enterprise NVMe disk. For an SMP that will still be running next summer, that is money well spent.
Best Minecraft SMP server plans
The best Minecraft SMP server plan for twenty players has 12 GB of RAM on reserved threads, because farms are what slow an SMP down.
For 11 to 20 players with a few plugins on Java in Poland (Warsaw), the finder recommends Astroworld Hosting Standard Performance: 12 GB, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5, for €23.95 a month when you pay monthly. As a new customer you pay €9.58 a month for the first 3 months, 60% off. The best plans at the other two hosts are Lodehost Standard at €23.95 and CheapestMinecraftHosting Builder at €9.60.
| If you want | Host and plan | Memory | Processor | Location | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | CheapestMinecraftHosting Builder | 12 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €9.60 |
| Balanced | Lodehost Standard | 12 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €23.95 (€20.95 on 24 mo) New customers: €9.58 for the first month, 60% off |
| More performance | Astroworld Standard Performance | 12 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €23.95 (€20.95 on 24 mo) New customers: €9.58 a month for the first 3 months, 60% off |
Best plugins for a Minecraft SMP server
The best plugins for a Minecraft SMP server protect builds and keep the main thread free:
- Land claims, such as GriefPrevention, so nobody can grief another player's base.
- Rollbacks, such as CoreProtect, so you can see who broke what and undo it.
- A web map, such as BlueMap or Dynmap. Players love it, but it uses some disk space and RAM.
- Pre-generation, such as Chunky. Run it once before launch, so new chunks are not generated while players explore.
All three hosts let you install plugins from the panel in one click, so you do not need an FTP client for any of this.
Minecraft SMP seasons and world resets
Many SMP servers run in seasons and start a fresh world every few months. Download the old world as a backup before the reset, because players like to visit their old builds. A new season is also a good moment to change your plan size: all three hosts let you upgrade without losing anything, and Astroworld Hosting and Lodehost also let you downgrade.
What is a Minecraft SMP server?
SMP stands for survival multiplayer: one shared survival world where a group of players builds, trades and fights mobs together, often for months. Most SMPs have a whitelist, a few rules and a Discord server where new players apply to join. Unlike a minigame server, an SMP keeps everything its players build, and that is exactly why it gets heavier over time.
How to get a Minecraft SMP server ready for launch
To get a Minecraft SMP server ready for launch, do these six things before the first player joins:
- Set a world border and pre-generate everything inside it with Chunky, so the server never has to create terrain while players explore.
- Install claims and rollbacks before the first player joins, so every build is protected from day one.
- Agree on farm limits. A rule such as one iron farm per player keeps the main thread free for everyone.
- Test a backup. Restore one on purpose, so you know how it works before you need it.
- Pick the right size. 8 GB is enough for up to ten players with plugins; for twenty, choose a 12 GB server.
- Put the rules online. A short website with the address, the rules and how to apply saves you answering the same questions in Discord. Every plan from 8 GB at Astroworld Hosting and Lodehost comes with a free Minecraft server website with a ready-made rules page.