Paper adds many advanced configuration options that go beyond Spigot, allowing for even better performance and stability. Tweaking paper.yml correctly can greatly reduce lag, especially on busy or farm-heavy servers.
max-auto-save-chunks-per-tick #
What it does:
Limits how many chunks are saved per tick during world saves. Lower values spread the workload over time, reducing lag spikes.
Default: 24
Recommended: 8
Notes:
Do not go below 8, as saving too slowly can increase the risk of data loss during crashes.
optimize-explosions #
What it does:
Uses Paper’s optimized explosion calculations to reduce CPU usage from TNT and creeper explosions.
Default: false
Recommended: true
Notes:
While newer versions handle explosions better by default, enabling this still provides a small performance gain.
mob-spawner-tick-rate #
What it does:
Controls how often mob spawners attempt to spawn mobs.
Default: 1
Recommended: 2
Notes:
Only increase this if you’re experiencing lag from spawner farms. Higher values slow down spawner output.
container-update-tick-rate #
What it does:
Determines how frequently container GUIs (chests, hoppers, barrels, etc.) update.
Default: 1
Recommended: 3
Notes:
Increasing this reduces server load. Avoid going above 3–4 to prevent noticeable GUI delays.
max-entity-collisions #
What it does:
Limits how many entities can collide with each other at the same time.
Default: 8
Recommended: 2
Notes:
Very effective for servers with mob farms or crammed entity setups.
grass-spread-tick-rate #
What it does:
Slows down how often grass spreads across blocks.
Default: 1
Recommended: 4
Notes:
This has minimal gameplay impact and slightly reduces world tick load.
non-player-arrow-despawn-rate #
What it does:
Sets how long arrows shot by non-player entities stay in the world.
Default: -1 (uses vanilla value)
Recommended: 60 ticks (3 seconds)
Notes:
Helps reduce entity buildup during mob fights.
creative-arrow-despawn-rate #
What it does:
Controls how long arrows fired in creative mode persist.
Default: -1
Recommended: 60 ticks
Notes:
Useful on creative or admin-heavy servers to prevent accidental lag.
despawn-range (soft) #
What it does:
Distance (in blocks) where entities begin randomly despawning.
Default: 28
Recommended: 28
despawn-range (hard) #
What it does:
Distance (in blocks) where entities despawn immediately.
Default: 96
Recommended: 96
Notes:
The default values are already well-balanced. Changing these can affect mob farms and gameplay.
hopper.disable-move-event #
What it does:
Stops hoppers from constantly firing inventory move events.
Default: false
Recommended: true
Notes:
One of the biggest performance improvements available in Paper, especially for redstone-heavy servers.
prevent-moving-into-unloaded-chunks #
What it does:
Prevents players from entering chunks that haven’t fully loaded yet.
Default: false
Recommended: true
Notes:
Helps prevent lag spikes and chunk-related issues.
use-faster-eigencraft-redstone #
What it does:
Enables a faster redstone algorithm without changing redstone behavior.
Default: false
Recommended: true
Notes:
Major performance improvement for servers with complex redstone builds.
armor-stands-tick #
What it does:
Controls whether armor stands are ticked by the server.
Default: true
Recommended: false
Notes:
Armor stands rarely need ticking unless used with water mechanics. Disabling this saves performance.
per-player-mob-spawns #
What it does:
Switches mob spawning to be per-player instead of server-wide.
Default: false
Recommended: true
Notes:
Prevents players from stealing mob caps and helps balance farms across the server.
anti-xray #
What it does:
Paper’s built-in anti-xray system that hides ores efficiently.
Default: false
Recommended: true
Notes:
More lightweight and effective than most anti-xray plugins.
