Performance Optimizations Modpacks

One of the biggest factors impacting Minecraft server performance is view distance. While a large view distance provides stunning vistas for players, it places an enormous strain on the server's CPU, often leading to lag. This guide will explain how to manage and optimize your server's view distance using modern mods like Lithium and Canary to provide a smooth experience for everyone.

The Problem with High View Distance

A server's view distance determines how many chunks are loaded around each player. A higher number means more chunks loaded per player, which drastically increases the CPU load. By default, this is a fixed value in the server.properties file. This creates a dilemma: a low, fixed view distance penalizes players who want to see farther, while a high one can easily overload the server, causing lag for everyone.

The Solution: Optimization Mods

Instead of a fixed view distance, modern optimization mods allow servers to handle chunk loading more intelligently. For example, some mods can vary the view distance dynamically based on server load or even allow different players to have different view distances. For this guide, we'll focus on two popular options.

• For Fabric servers, use Lithium. It's a general-purpose optimization mod that includes significant improvements to chunk loading and mob spawning logic, reducing the overall impact of view distance.
• For Forge servers, use Canary. Canary is an excellent Forge port of Lithium that provides many of the same powerful performance optimizations for the Forge ecosystem.

How to Install Optimization Mods

You can easily install these mods directly from your MintServers game panel.

1. Stop your server.
2. Navigate to the "Mods" tab on the left sidebar.

3. In the search bar, type the name of the mod you need ("Lithium" for Fabric or "Canary" for Forge).

4. Find the correct mod and click "Install". Ensure you select a version that is compatible with your server's Minecraft version.

5. Start your server. The mod will now be active.

Configuring Your View Distance

After installing one of these mods, you can more confidently set your server's view distance.

1. Navigate to the "Server Properties" file.
2. Locate the view-distance setting.
3. Set this to your desired value. A value between 6 and 12 is often a good starting point for a server running an optimization mod. For example: view-distance=10

4. Save the file and restart the server.

The optimization mod will work in the background to reduce the performance cost of this view distance, resulting in a much smoother experience than a server without the mod.

Conclusion

You don't have to choose between a good view distance and good performance. By using powerful optimization mods like Lithium (for Fabric) or its Forge port, Canary, you can offer your players an expansive world to explore without overloading your server. Installing them is a simple step that yields significant performance gains.