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Minecraft server words explained

What do RAM, TPS, Paper, plugin, mod, seed and view distance mean?

A quick glossary of the words used across these guides.

Before you start: Nothing.

Step by step

  1. RAM: memory for players, chunks and plugins. More players and mods need more RAM.
  2. TPS/MSPT: ticks per second (20 is perfect) and milliseconds per tick (under 50 is healthy); low TPS = server lag.
  3. Paper/Purpur: fast server software for plugins. Fabric/Forge: loaders for mods. Vanilla: Mojang's own server.
  4. Plugin: server-only add-on (players need nothing). Mod: changes the game and usually must be installed on every player's client too.
  5. Seed: the number that decides how a new world generates. View distance: how many chunks players see. Whitelist: the list of players allowed to join.
  6. Op: a server operator with every command. Proxy: a server (Velocity/BungeeCord) that links several servers together.

Check it worked: The terms make sense.

Why it happens: Hosting uses a lot of jargon.

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