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Running a Minecraft server is a classic VPS use case — and also where people most often under-buy RAM. Here’s what you actually need.
How much RAM does Minecraft need?
| Players | Vanilla | Paper/Spigot (optimized) |
|---|---|---|
| 2–5 | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| 5–10 | 3–4 GB | 3 GB |
| 10–20 | 4–6 GB | 4–6 GB |
The CPU matters more than you’d think — Minecraft’s main thread is single-threaded, so a modern CPU with decent single-core speed beats lots of cores.
The pick: RackNerd 4GB or 6GB
For a small private server with friends, RackNerd’s 4 GB plan ($43.88/yr) or 6 GB ($59.99/yr) is the sweet spot. KVM, full root, and a dedicated IPv4 — everything you need to run Paper + a whitelist.
See RackNerd's 4GB/6GB plansIf you want more headroom: Hostinger
Hostinger’s KVM 2 (8 GB RAM, $8.99/mo intro) runs a larger server comfortably and is easier to manage if you’re new to the terminal.
Check Hostinger's VPS plansQuick tips
- Use Paper (or Purpur) — it’s dramatically faster than vanilla.
- Set a whitelist and enable whitelist + a max-players cap to avoid griefing.
- Run the server in a
screenortmuxsession (or a systemd service) so it keeps running after you disconnect.
Bottom line: small server → RackNerd 4 GB. Bigger or newer to Linux → Hostinger 8 GB.