Special Offer: Save Upto 10% on Game Servers & Bot Hosting
FAQ1 min read

What happens if I exceed my RAM limit?

Spoiler: nothing catastrophic. Here's exactly what happens.


Short Answer

The server doesn't suddenly crash. The Linux kernel caps your process at the plan's limit. If your game tries to use more, it gets killed cleanly and the panel auto-restarts it.

What You'll See

  • Console logs an OutOfMemoryError (Java) or Killed (OOM) (other)
  • The server stops
  • The panel restarts it within 5 seconds (if auto-restart is on)
  • Players get disconnected with "Server closed"

Why It Happens

  • Memory leaks in plugins / mods
  • Too many players for the allocated RAM
  • Too many entities (mob farms, item drops, render distance)
  • Wrong JVM flags, -Xmx set higher than your plan

How to Fix It

  1. 1Check panel stats, is RAM at 95%+ consistently?
  2. 2Look at console for what was happening right before the crash
  3. 3Trim plugins / lower view-distance / cap mob spawns
  4. 4If you legitimately need more, upgrade your plan

How to Prevent It

  • Set -Xmx to ~75% of total plan RAM (not 100%)
  • Use Aikar's flags for Paper servers
  • Auto-restart every 12 hours to clear leaks
  • Monitor the RAM graph in the panel weekly

Need More Help?

Crashes that look like memory? Paste the last 100 lines in Discord, OOMs leave fingerprints.

Was this helpful?

Your feedback helps us write better guides.

Related Articles

More from FAQ.

Still need help?

Our team is on Discord around the clock. Real humans, real answers.