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Out of memory / server keeps crashing

Diagnose OutOfMemoryError and repeated crashes on a Victus Minecraft server — right-size RAM, cut memory-hungry settings, and find the plugin/mod at fault.

minecraftout of memoryoutofmemoryerrorcrashramheapgc

Repeated crashes on Minecraft are most often memory-related. A java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space in the console means the server needed more RAM than your plan allows — either because the plan is too small for your content, or because a plugin/mod, a huge view-distance, or a runaway world is eating memory.

Confirm it is memory

  • Console shows OutOfMemoryError, "Server thread dump", or the server dies without a clean stack trace.
  • The panel resource graph pins RAM at 100% right before the crash.
  • Crashes cluster around chunk loading, big builds, world border expansion, or many players joining at once.

Reduce memory pressure

  1. 1Lower view-distance in server.properties to 6–8, and set simulation-distance similar or lower.
  2. 2On Paper/Purpur, reduce entity and mob limits in the config, and enable the built-in anti-lag options.
  3. 3Remove plugins/mods you do not actually use — each one costs RAM.
  4. 4Pre-generate or trim your world instead of letting players explore endlessly (huge maps use huge memory).
  5. 5Restart on a schedule so memory is reclaimed regularly (see "Schedule automatic restarts").

Do not just crank -Xmx

On Victus your maximum heap is bounded by the RAM in your plan; the panel sets the Java memory flags for you. Manually forcing a larger -Xmx than your plan has will make the container get killed, not run better. If you genuinely need more RAM, upgrade the plan.

Find the culprit add-on

  1. 1If the crash log names a plugin/mod, remove that file from the plugins/mods folder and restart.
  2. 2If it is unclear, temporarily move half your plugins out, test, and narrow down by halving (binary search).
  3. 3Keep add-ons updated — a memory leak is often fixed in a newer build for your MC version.

When RAM is genuinely the limit

Modpacks (Forge/Fabric) and large communities need a lot more RAM than Vanilla/Paper. If you have trimmed settings and still hit the ceiling, move to a larger plan — see "Upgrade from free to paid".

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